The Hui predominantly speak Chinese, while using some Arabic and Persian phrases. The Hui ethnic group is unique among Chinese ethnic minorities in that it is not associated with a non-Sinitic language. Of course, many members of some other Chinese ethnic minorities don't speak their ethnic group's traditional language anymore and practically no Manchu people speak the Manchu language natively anymore; but even the Manchu language is well attested historically. Meanwhile, the ancestors of today's Hui people are thought to have been predominantly native Chinese speakers of Islamic religion since no later than the mid or early Ming dynasty. [i.e. the late 14th to late 16th centuries] The Hui have a distinct connection with Islamic culture. For example, they follow Islamic dietary laws and reject the consumption of pork, the most commonly consumed meat in China, and have therefore developed their own variation of Chinese cuisine. They also have a traditional dress code, with some men wearing white caps (taqiyah) and some women wearing headscarves, as is the case in many Islamic cultures.
The Hui predominantly speak Chinese, while using some Arabic and Persian phrases. The Hui ethnic group is unique among Chinese ethnic minorities in that it is not associated with a non-Sinitic language. Of course, many members of some other Chinese ethnic minorities don't speak their ethnic group's traditional language anymore and practically no Manchu people speak the Manchu language natively anymore; but even the Manchu language is well attested historically. Meanwhile, the ancestors of today's Hui people are thought to have been predominantly native Chinese speakers of Islamic religion since no later than the mid or early Ming dynasty. [i.e. the late 14th to late 16th centuries] The Hui have a distinct connection with Islamic cultur,e. For example they follow Islamic dietary laws and reject the consumption of pork, the most commonly consumed meat in China, and have therefore developed their own variation of Chinese cuisine. They also have a traditional dress code, with some men wearing white caps (taqiyah) and some women wearing headscarves, as is the case in many Islamic cultures.