Giorgio ORLANDI independent researcher;
[email protected] On the classification of the Ng Yap dialects: some thoughts on the subgrouping of Sinitic languages* The Ng Yap (formerly Sze Yap) dialects are routinely considered a branch of the Yue subfam- ily. This paper seeks to demonstrate that, contrary to this widespread opinion, these dialects show a wide range of distinctive features which, for formal purposes of language/dialect classification, may warrant their separation from the Yue subfamily. This paper also discusses the criteria which are often at the basis of language subgrouping in the field of Chinese linguistics. Nevertheless, this work should be regarded only as an attempt of stimu- lating a further discussion into a topic which has been overlooked for far too long. Keywords: Ng Yap dialects, Yue dialects, language subgrouping, Sinitic languages, Chinese dialects. «The chief danger to our philosophy, apart from laziness and woolliness, is scholasticism, which is treating what is vague as if it were precise and trying to fit it into an exact logical category» Frank Pulmpton Ramsey, Philosophical Papers, 1929, p. 269. 1. Introduction The Ng Yap dialects, formerly known as Sze Yap (or Seiyap), are spoken primarily in the Guǎngdōng and Guǎngxī provinces, as well as in Macao, Hong Kong and in many overseas communities. They are generally considered a branch of the larger Yue subfamily, and may be further divided geographically into two sub-branches, Xīn’ēn 新恩 and Kāihè 開鶴. The most prestigious and perhaps representative Ng Yap dialect 1 is Hoishanese ([hɔi˨san˧wa˧˨˥] or Toishanese). * This paper incorporates elements of an unpublished draft presented during the 23rd International Sympo- sium on Yue Dialects, which was held on 15th and 16th December 2018 at Jìnán University (Guǎngzhōu, PRC).