The ability of Portuguese merchants and explorers to communicate with the local population of Canton was most likely an effect of which of the following?
A
Mandarin had replaced Cantonese as the primary spoken language in southern China.
B
Migrations and commercial contacts led to the use of printing in southern China.
C
Portuguese merchants had established trading posts in southern China.
D
Portuguese had replaced Arabic and Persian as the language of trade in southern China.
Answer: C