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INFORMATION TO USERS The most advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this manuscript from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be fi’om any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely afiect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 Nortfi Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Order Number 9111680 A quantitative study of sociolinguistic variation in Cantonese Bourgerie, Dana Scott, Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1990 UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Aibor, MI 48106 A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OP SOCIOLINGUISTIC VARIATION IN CANTONESE DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University by Dana Scott Bourgerie, B.A., M.Â. *** The Ohio State University 1990 Dissertation Committee Approved by James H.Y. Tai Marjorie K-M. Chan Adviser Timothy Light Department of East Asian Robert M. Sanders Languages and Literatures Arnold M. Zwicky To the Memory of My Parents ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During my work on this dissertation I have benefited from the expertise of a truly diverse group of scholars. In the spirit of a true committee they all provided me with good advice. Some of that advice I have incorporated here, some I have yet to absorb. I express my appreciation to my committee chair. Professor James Tai, who has directed my project from its beginning. I also express my thanks to my other committee members: Professors Marjorie Chan, Timothy Light, Robert Sanders and Arnold Zwicky. A special thanks to Marjorie Chan who, in effect, served as co-advisor. During most of my field work in Hong Kong during 1988- 89, I was supported by a Fulbright Fellowship. The fellowship allowed me to focus exclusively on the often daunting task of collecting and transcribing the data on which this dissertation is based. In addition, I was provided with office space and academic support from the Department of Anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. I express my thanks to Dr. Chao Chien, the department chair, for arranging for my stay there as a visiting researcher. I also express my appreciation to the other faculty and to the administrative staff for their help and generosity. I would particularly like to thank Dr. Eric Zee 111 for his consistent support during all stages of my research in Hong Kong and for the many kindnesses that he showed me. During the early stages of my research I was provided with office and academic support in the Department of Languages at the City Polytechnic of Hong Kong. I am grateful to the encouragement and advice given to me from then head of the department. Dr. Benjamin T'sou. I also benefited greatly from many people outside the academic community. I express my gratitude to the members of our Tai Po church congregation for the warm hospitality and friendship they showed to my family and me. Along with their hospitality, they willingly agreed to participate in my project and allowed me to record their speech. Truly, without their willingness I could not have carried out my research. Thanks also to Chan Fung Fong for her tireless and excellent work in helping me collect speech data. Her efforts not only increased my efficiency but added greatly to the richness and breadth of my data as well. Lastly, I express my profound gratitude to my wife Kathryn and to my daughters Nicole and Anne for their unfailing support throughout my entire stay here. They have sacrificed much and endured our journeys well. I could not have traveled them alone. IV VITA June 11, 1956 ............... Born - Minneapolis, Minnesota 1982 ........................B.A., The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1987 ................... .. M.A., The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1988-1989 ................... Visiting Researcher, The Department of Anthropology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong 1983-1990 ................... Teaching Associate, East Asian Languages and Literatures, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: East Asian Languages and Literatures V TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION .............................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................... iii VITA ......................................................... V LIST OF TAB L E S ......................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ......................................... xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................... xii CHAPTER ................................................ PAGE I. INTRODUCTION ........................................ 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................ 1 1.1 S c o p e ......................................... 4 1.2 Romanization, Conventions and Terminology . 6 1.3 Aims and G o a l s .............................. 7 1.4 Description of the Language Situation .... 10 1.4.1 Chinese Dialects: Traditional Classification ...... 10 1.4.2 The Yue (Cantonese) Group ......... 15 1.4.3 Hong Kong Speech Community: Historical Setting and Current Situation .... 19 CHAPTER I NOTES ................................... 27 II. A REVIEW OF SELECTED LITERATURE ON SOCIOLINGUISTIC VARIATION ............. 28 2.0 A General Review of Some Relevant Quantitative W o r k ................................ 28 2.1 Key General Works on Variation on English . 29 2.1.1 Selected Review of the Works of Labov ............................ 29 2.1.2 Milroy's Social Networks ............. 34 VI 2.2 Work on Chinese . ............................ 37 2.2.1 Yeung's Study on Cantonese .......... 38 2.2.2 Pan's Study of Prestige Forms in Hong K o n g .................................. 41 2.2.3 Bauer's Hong Kong S t u d y .............. 47 CHAPTER II...NOTES ................................ 51 III. DISCUSSION OF THE^VARIABLES ..................... 52 3.0 Discussion of Variables ..................... 52 3.1 Sociolinguistic Variables ................... 52 3.1.1 Cantonese Initials ................... 52 3.1.2 Tonal Inventory of Standard Cantonese 54 3.1.3 Syllable Initials n - / l ............... 55 3.1.3.1 n-/l- Variation in Chinese Dialects 55 3.1.3.2 Initials n-/l- in the Pearl River Delta ................... 57 3.1.3.3 Initials n-/l- in Hong Kong C a n t o n e s e ..................... 60 3.1.4 Velar Nasal and Zero Initials .... 62 3.1.4.1 Initials ng-/0- in the Pearl River Delta ................... 62 3.1.4.2 Initials ng-/0- in Hong Kong C a n t o n e s e ......................... 66 3.1.5 Initials k-/h- in Third Person P r o n o u n .............................. 70 3.1.5.1 Pronouns only ..................... 70 3.1.5.2 Comparisons to Other Chinese P r o n o u n s ......................... 71 3.2 Independent Variables ....................... 74 3.2.1 Social and Speaker Variables ........ 75 3.2.2 Contextual Variables ................. 83 3.2.3 Linguistic Variables ................. 85 3.2.4 Other F a c t o r s ....................... 87 CHAPTER III NOTES .................................... 89 IV. METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH DESIGN ................... 90 4.0 Methodology and Research Design ......... , 90 4.1 Sampling Design .......................... , 90 4.1.1 Random and Judgmental Sampling . , 90 4.1.2 Sample S i z e ..................... 91 4.1.3 Token Numbers ................... 95 4.1.4 Suggested Length of Speech Segments 96 vi i 4.2 Composition of the S a m p l e ................... 98 4.2.1 Main Sample: Church Groups ........... 98 4.2.2 Academic Associations ............... 100 4.2.3 Additional D a t a ........................ 101 4.3 Investigator's R o l e .............................102 4.3.1 Participant-Observer ..............102 4.3.2 Investigators' R o l e .................... 105 4.4 Data Collection ................................. 109 4.4.1 Methods ................................. 109 4.4.2 Steps in Data Collection................ Ill 4.5 Method of Analysis .......................... 114 CHAPTER IV N O T E S ......................................... 118 V. ANALYSIS OF RESULTS ................................... 119 5.0 Introduction..................................... 119 5.1 Analysis of Statistical Results ............. 119 5.1.1 The Variable n g - / 0 - .............. 120 Variable ng-/0-: Historical *ng- . 121 Variable ng-/0-: Historical *0- . 128 5.1.2 The Variable n-/l-