Chinese Dialect Classification: A comparative approach to Harngjou, Old Jintarn, and Common Northern Wu: 188 (Current Issues in Linguistic Theory) - Hardcover

Simmons, Richard VanNess

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 9027236941 ISBN 13: 9789027236944

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Co, 1999

Synopsis

This volume is an investigation and classification of dialects along the Wu and Jiang-Hwai Mandarin border in China's eastern Yangtze Valley. It is the first monograph-length study to critically question the traditional single criterion of initial voicing for the classification of Wu dialects and propose a comprehensive comparative framework as a more successful alternative. Arguing that dialect affiliation is best determined through analysis of dialect correspondence to common phonological systems, the author develops a taxonomic analysis that definitively distinguishes Common Northern Wu and Mandarin dialects. By clarifying dialect affiliation in the Wu and Mandarin border region, this volume makes significant contributions to our understanding of the true nature of the region's dialects and their history.
Using primarily data drawn from the author's own fieldwork, the volume contains copious comparative examples and an extensive lexicon of the Old Jintarn dialect.

About this title

Synopsis

The focus of this study is primarily on comparative dialect phonology and lexicon. It also provides a framework for classifying Wu and Mandarin dialects, especially those that are not entirely typical representatives of their group.

Edition details

• Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Co
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9027236941
• ISBN 13: 9789027236944
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 335