The Phonology of Standard Chinese


Book Description

This comprehensive study of Chinese phonology covers both factual description and theoretical analyses. In addition, efforts have been made to avoid unecessary jargon and to introduce relevant theories in a non-technical way.




A Phonological History of Chinese


Book Description

A comprehensive account of the phonological history of Chinese, exploring the development of its standard phonological systems over the past 2500 years. It will be a key reference work for historical linguists and phonologists in general, as well as being of particular interest to students and scholars of Chinese/Asian languages and their history.




Chinese


Book Description

Chinese is spoken by more people than any other language in the world, and has a rich social, cultural and historical background. This book is a comprehensive guide to the linguistic structure of Chinese, providing an accessible introduction to each of the key areas. It describes the fundamentals of its writing system, its pronunciation and tonal sound system, its morphology (how words are structured), and its syntax (how sentences are formed) - as well as its historical development, and the diverse ways in which it interacts with other languages. Setting the discussion of all aspects of Chinese firmly within the context of the language in use, Chinese: A Linguistic Introduction will be of great benefit to learners wishing to extend their knowledge and competence in the language, and their teachers. It will also be a useful starting point for students of linguistics beginning work on the structure of this major world language.




Lexicon of Reconstructed Pronunciation


Book Description

Known for his pioneering work in Chinese historical phonetics, Edwin Pulleyblank has compiled this Lexicon to present in convenient dictionary form the result of his researches on the phonology of Middle Chinese and its evolution to Mandarin. The Lexicon complements Pulleyblank's earlier book, Middle Chinese, by providing reconstructed pronunciation for approximately 8,000 Chinese characters at three historical stages. Early Middle Chinese is the language of the Qieyun rhyme dictionary of AD 601, which codified the standard literary language of both North and South China the preceding period of division. Pulleyblank's reconstruction is a thorough reworking of that of Bernhard Karlgren, completed in the twenties, and in some respects differs radically from it. Late Middle Chinese is the standard language of the High Tang Dynasty, based on the dialect of the capital, Chang'an. It has not been reconstructed previously as a separate stage but is of special importance, since it is the ancestor of most modern dialects. Early Mandarin represents the speech of the Yuan capital, Dadu (present Beijing), around the year 1300, for which Pulleyblank's reconstruction differs considerably from that of Hugh M. Stimson. The sources and methods used in these reconstructions were fully discussed in Middle Chinese, but recent developments in phonological theory have led to some modifications in detail. The entries are arranged alphabetically according to the Pinyin system with an index, by the traditional Kangxi radical and stroke numbers. The Morohashi number is also given for each character, enabling easy reference to this important Chinese thesaurus. Another useful feature of the Lexicon is the inclusion of the numbers in Karlgren's Grammata Serica for characters that are included in that work. Concise English equivalents for the Chinese words are also provided. Reconstructed forms are given in the International Phonetic Alphabet. Though this requires a number of phonetic signs and diacritical marks, these are carefully explained in the introduction. Every effort has been made to provide a useful tool for students of Chinese literature and China's relations with foreign countries, as well as for specialists in Chinese linguistics.




The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Linguistics


Book Description

The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Linguistics offers a broad and comprehensive coverage of the entire field from a multi-disciplinary perspective. All chapters are contributed by leading scholars in their respective areas. This Handbook contains eight sections: history, languages and dialects, language contact, morphology, syntax, phonetics and phonology, socio-cultural aspects and neuro-psychological aspects. It provides not only a diachronic view of how languages evolve, but also a synchronic view of how languages in contact enrich each other by borrowing new words, calquing loan translation and even developing new syntactic structures. It also accompanies traditional linguistic studies of grammar and phonology with empirical evidence from psychology and neurocognitive sciences. In addition to research on the Chinese language and its major dialect groups, this handbook covers studies on sign languages and non-Chinese languages, such as the Austronesian languages spoken in Taiwan.




A Diachronically-motivated Segmental Phonology of Mandarin Chinese


Book Description

Breaking with the Saussurean tradition of separating the synchronic from the diachronic, this book presents an analysis of Mandarin Chinese segmental phonology in which rules and constraints are modeled after historical sound change. The analysis provides original solutions to major phonological problems, most notably, the relationship between sibilant and velar initials, the organization of vowel space and relations between vowel phonemes, the nature of the «zero onset», and the identity and effect of the diminutive suffix. Changes in the pronunciation of Standard Chinese are accounted for using recent conceptions of feature geometry; research into language contact on the Sino-Turkic frontier leads to the discovery of Altaic vowel harmony in Mandarin, an original hypothesis that drastically simplifies Mandarin morphophonology and introduces a new dimension to the vowel system of Northern Chinese.




Second Language Acquisition of Mandarin Chinese Tones


Book Description

Tones are the most challenging aspect of learning Chinese pronunciation for adult learners and traditional research mostly attributes tonal errors to interference from learners’ native languages. In Second Language Acquisition of Mandarin Chinese Tones, Hang Zhang offers a series of cross-linguistic studies to argue that there are factors influencing tone acquisition that extend beyond the transfer of structures from learners’ first languages, and beyond characteristics extracted from Chinese. These factors include universal phonetic and phonological constraints as well as pedagogical issues. By examining non-native Chinese tone productions made by speakers of non-tonal languages (English, Japanese, and Korean), this book brings together theory and practice and uses the theoretical insights to provide concrete suggestions for teachers and learners of Chinese.




Modern Cantonese Phonology


Book Description

TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS is a series of books that open new perspectives in our understanding of language. The series publishes state-of-the-art work on core areas of linguistics across theoretical frameworks, as well as studies that provide new insights by approaching language from an interdisciplinary perspective. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS considers itself a forum for cutting-edge research based on solid empirical data on language in its various manifestations, including sign languages. It regards linguistic variation in its synchronic and diachronic dimensions as well as in its social contexts as important sources of insight for a better understanding of the design of linguistic systems and the ecology and evolution of language. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS publishes monographs and outstanding dissertations as well as edited volumes, which provide the opportunity to address controversial topics from different empirical and theoretical viewpoints. High quality standards are ensured through anonymous reviewing. To discuss your book idea or submit a proposal, please contact Birgit Sievert.




A History of the Chinese Language


Book Description

A History of the Chinese Language provides a comprehensive introduction to the historical development of the Chinese language from its proto Sino-Tibetan roots in prehistoric times to Modern Standard Chinese. Taking a highly accessible and balanced approach, it presents a chronological survey of the various stages of Chinese language development, covering crucial aspects such as phonology, syntax and semantics. Features include: Coverage of the key historical stages in Chinese language development, such as Old Chinese, Middle Chinese, Early Modern Chinese, Classical Chinese and Modern Standard Chinese Treatment of core linguistic aspects of the Chinese language including phonological changes, grammatical development, lexical evolution, vernacular writing, Chinese characters and Modern Chinese dialects Inclusion of many authentic Chinese legends and texts throughout the book, presented through a rigorous framework of linguistic analysis to help students to build up strong critical and evaluative skills and acquire valuable cultural knowledge Integration of materials from different disciplines, such as archaeology, anthropology, history and sociolinguistics, to highlight the cultural and social background of each period of the language Helpful appendices to aid students with no prior knowledge of linguistics or the Chinese language Companion website at www.routledge.com/cw/dong offering a wealth of supplementary resources such as additional exercises, answer keys and audio recordings of the sounds of Middle and Old Chinese. Written by a highly experienced instructor, A History of the Chinese Language will be an essential resource for beginning students of Chinese Language and Linguistics and for anyone interested in the history and culture of China.




Understanding the Chinese Language


Book Description

Understanding the Chinese Language provides a vibrant and comprehensive introduction to contemporary Chinese linguistics. Combining an accessible style with an in-depth treatment of the topics at hand, it uses clear, full descriptions and vivid, modern examples to systematically take students through the phonology, vocabulary, grammar, discourse structures and pragmatics of modern Chinese. No prior knowledge of Chinese or linguistics is required. Features include: Six detailed chapters covering the core linguistic aspects of the modern Chinese language, such as words, content units, sentences, speech acts, sentence-final particles and neologisms User-friendly comparisons and contrasts between English and Chinese throughout the text, helping to clearly explain important complexities and nuances of the Chinese language Clear, accessible explanations and insightful analysis of topics and linguistic devices, supported by many helpful examples, diagrams and tables Vivid and relevant examples drawn from real-life contemporary sources such as internet news reports, social networks like Sino Weibo, online forums and TV reality shows, offering fascinating perspectives on modern Chinese media, culture and society Pioneering coverage of Chinese new words and the social phenomena they reveal Additional exercises and four supplementary chapters covering Chinese syllables, idioms, discourse and culture available for free download at http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415634885/ Written by a highly experienced instructor, researcher and linguist, Understanding the Chinese Language will be essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students taking courses in Chinese linguistics. It will also be of interest to anyone interested in learning more about Chinese language and culture.