Middle Tong-Tai dialect
Middle Tong-Tai Dialect (Chinese: 通泰方言中区), a branch of the Tong-Tai Dialect is mainly used in the districts including Rugao, Rudong (excluding Binfang), Taixing, east of Dongtai, east of Hai'an and southwest of Jinhai. Although it is divided into the category of Jianghuai Mandarin, interchange barrier still exists between it and other dialects of Jianghuai Mandarin like Yangzhou Dialect. The reason could be that these areas are closely bonded on the Wu region in history. For example, there are lots of marked bottom preservation of Wu Chinese in vernaculars of Rudong. So it can seem as a dialect based on Wu, but reformed by Jianghuai Mandarin later.[1] Or as an interim zone between Wu and Jianghuai.[2]