DOCSLIB.ORG

The Second 1000 Chinese Characters

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Second 1000 Chinese Characters 1.3 This book is a culmination of constant edits and tweaks to the original Chinese character frequency list we made back in 2011. The list itself is a child of the Chinese Ministry of Education's official list of the most common characters, and re-ordered based upon the extensive frequency data produced by JunDa, Gent University, as well as HSK. The keywords, character breakdowns and example words are a constant work in progress and will be continually tweaked as this book and our data evolves. Thanks for purchasing this book and supporting our work to make learning Mandarin Chinese more accessible, less scary, and more fun. - Team MandarinPoster The Second 1000 Chinese Characters A1 xīn bitter 5 hot pepper, chili - hot spicy shù bundle làjiāo - pungent hot and numbing má là hot spicy soup (often sold in má là tàng street stalls) B1 qiàn owe 3 beverage, drink - to drink shí food yǐnliào 6 food and drink, diet yǐnshí to drink wine yǐn jiǔ C1 jīng capital city 4 to excuse, forgive, to pardon - to understand yán speech yuánliàng 6 empathize, express sympathy, tǐliàng allow (for something) 6 understanding, make an liàngjiě allowance for, forgive D1 rì sun 5 reflect, reflection, report on - to reflect light yāng center fǎnyìng - to shine - to project an image to show (a movie), to screen onto a screen etc shàng yìng to show (a movie), to screen fàng yìng E1 bìng combine 3 bottle - vase wǎ tile píngzi - pitcher Aquarius (constellation and sign Shuǐ píng zuò of the zodiac) flower vase, fig. just a pretty huā píng face, CL:對|对[dui4] MandarinPoster.com MandarinPoster.com F1 yuè moon/flesh 4 skin fū husband pífū skincare hù fū skin, flesh, fig. close physical jī fū relationship G1 lì power 4 encourage, inspire - surname Li lì severe gǔlì - to urge 6 to reward (as encouragement) jiǎnglì 6 urge, encourage, motivation jīlì H1 jūn monarch 3 skirt yī clothes qúnzi female clothing yī qún cheong sam (long skirt) cháng qún I1 bā eight 4 winter vacation - cold jǐng well hánjià - poor 6 - to tremble yī one exchanging conventional hánxuān greetings, winter and summer zhǔ dot 6 mián roof bitter cold, severe winter yánhán J1 qīng green 6 sunny and cloudless - fine weather rì sun qínglǎng clear sky, sunny day qíng tiān bright and sunny weather qíng hǎo The Second 1000 Chinese Characters The Second 1000 Chinese Characters K1 zǐ child 4 careful, attentive, cautious - of domestic animals or rén person zǐxì fowls young 5 jeans, cowboy pants niúzǎikù handsome young man liàng zǎi L1 nǚ woman 3 auntie, step-mother, mother's - mother's sister gōng bow āyí younger sister - aunt dà big (coll.) mother's sister, maternal yí mā aunt (coll.) wife's younger sister, xiǎo yí sister-in-law M1 shí food 4 biscuit, cracker, cookie - round flat cake bìng combine bǐnggān - cookie - cake pancake, CL:張|张[zhang1] jiān bǐng meat pie, pie, pasty xiàn bǐng N1 yāo short 4 humorous - remote shān mountain yōumò - hidden away ghost, spirit (of the dead) yoū hún specter, apparition, ghost yoū líng O1 yán speech 4 detailed, in detail, minute - comprehensive yáng sheep xiángxì 6 serene, composed ānxiáng details, particulars xiáng qíng MandarinPoster.com MandarinPoster.com P1 bèi shell 4 congratulate - surname He jiā add zhùhè greeting card, congratulation hè kǎ card see 賀歲|贺岁[he4 sui4] hè nián Q1 èr two 4 translate, translation, interpret - to interpret gǔn line fānyì yòu again translated names, yì míng transliteration yán speech to translate and edit biān yì R1 zhú bamboo 6 clumsy, awkward, stupid - foolish běn origin bènzhuō - silly fool, idiot bèn dàn stupid, clumsy yú bèn S1 mǐn dish 4 box - case hé join hézi box meal, packed lunch, hé fàn take-away food lunchbox, mess tin fàn hé T1 shuǐ water 5 damp, moist, humid - wet xiǎn obvious cháoshī 5 moist, humid shīrùn to moisturize, moisturizing bǎo shī The Second 1000 Chinese Characters The Second 1000 Chinese Characters U1 fǔ begin 4 grape - Portugal bāo wrap pútao - Portuguese cǎo grass (grape) wine pú tao jiǔ grapefruit pú táo yoù V1 jīn today 4 play the piano - musical instrument in wáng king tán gāngqín general piano, CL:架[jia4],臺|台[tai2] gāng qín fiddle, violin xiǎo tí qín W1 shé tongue 3 windy, to blow (wind) - to blow dāo knife guāfēng - to shave gua sha (technique in TCM) guā shā to rake in (money), to plunder, soū guā to milk people dry X1 duì exchange 4 read, reading - to inspect mén gate yuèdú - to review - to read subscription, to subscribe to dìng yuè to experience, experience yuè lì Y1 shí ten umbrella, CL:把[ba3] - parasol bā eight yǔ sǎn rén person parachute jiàng luò sǎn to parachute, to bail out, tiào sǎn parachute jumping MandarinPoster.com MandarinPoster.com Z1 mǐn dish edible salt bǔ divination shí yán tǔ earth Yancheng prefecture level city in Yán chéng Jiangsu nitrite yà xiāo suān yán AA1 áo ramble 4 proud, arrogant, conceited - proud rén person jiāo'ào - to despise arrogant, haughty ào màn arrogant, haughty, proud gāo ào AB1 shí ten 4 fruit juice shuǐ water guǒzhī orange juice, CL:瓶[ping2],杯 chéng zhī [bei1],罐[guan4],盒[he2] lemon juice níng méng zhī A2 bǐ spoon 4 key shì is yàoshi soup spoon, tablespoon, CL:把 tāng chí [ba3] teaspoon chá chí B2 bāo wrap 4 grape fǒu jar pútao cǎo grass (grape) wine pú tao jiǔ grapefruit pú táo yoù The Second 1000 Chinese Characters The Second 1000 Chinese Characters C2 xīn heart 4 worried, vexed - to get angry tóu lid fánnǎo 6 xiōng fierce get angry, irritated, annoy nǎohuǒ vexed, distressed kǔ nǎo D2 yú Yu 4 happy, cheerful, delightful xīn heart yúkuài joyful, cheerful, delighted yú yuè disagreeable, unpleasant bù yú kuài E2 cùn inch 3 shirt, blouse - of garments against the yī clothes chènshān skin 6 - to line to set off, serve as a foil to - lining chèntuō shirt, CL:件[jian4] chèn yī F2 shàng esteem - to wade zǒu on foot - to trample - to turn the soil single trip dān tàng G2 xīn heart 6 lazy, idle lài rely on lǎnduò lazy person lǎn rén to goof off, to be lazy toū lǎn MandarinPoster.com MandarinPoster.com H2 gǔn line 4 to envy, admire piě slash xiànmù mò nobody Bermuda Bǎi mù dà to adore, to admire ài mù I2 guǒ fruit - classifier for trees mù tree - cabbages - plants etc budding fā kē J2 sī private 4 garbage can - trash can yòng use lājītǒng - barrel of oil etc mù tree chamber pot, wooden pan used mǎ tǒng as toilet, toilet bowl bucket shuǐ tǒng K2 qiáo lofty 4 proud, arrogant, conceited - arrogant mǎ horse jiāo'ào blazing sun jiāo yáng arrogant and willful jiāo zòng L2 fū announce 4 - surname Fu rén person master, qualified worker, shīfu teacher Foucault's pendulum Fù kē bǎi The Second 1000 Chinese Characters The Second 1000 Chinese Characters M2 mì cover 5 champion - military chē car guànjūn - arms 5 military affairs, military matters jūnshì 6 a general (military officer) jiāngjūn N2 qí that 6 refined, educated, cultured - phonetic jīn axe sīwen - this - Slovakia Texas Dé kè sà sī Russia E luó sī O2 shǐ arrow 5 monkey fāng box hóuzi rén person kiwi fruit, Chinese gooseberry mí hoú táo quǎn dog macaque mí hoú P2 gē halberd 5 war, conflict - to fight zhàn occupy zhànzhēng - fight 5 - war challenge tiǎozhàn 6 to fight, to battle, to struggle zhàndòu Q2 bēi lowly 4 temperament, disposition, - spleen yuè moon/flesh píqi temper to get angry fā pí qì depletion of the spleen (Chinese pí xū medicine) MandarinPoster.com MandarinPoster.com R2 gǔn line 4 towel, washcloth - general purpose cloth jiōng borders máojīn - women's headcovering 5 old scarf, shawl wéijīn sanitary towel wèi shēng jīn S2 kuài quick 3 - chopstick zhú bamboo chopsticks kuàizi serving chopsticks gōng kuài T2 yì town 4 queue, stand in line - squadron rén person pái duì - group 6 ranks, troops duìwu 6 army troops jūnduì U2 xīn heart 5 morals, morality, ethics - Germany yī one dàodé - German 6 mù eye moral character, morality, pǐndé morals shí ten chì step Texas Dé kè sà sī V2 jīn gold 4 key yuè moon/flesh yàoshi keychain yào shi liàn key and lock, (fig.) strategic suǒ yuè place The Second 1000 Chinese Characters The Second 1000 Chinese Characters W2 tǔ earth 4 plastic bag - to model a figure in clay yuè moon/flesh sùliàodài 6 chè sprout sculpture, a statue, a Buddhist diāosù image bā eight 6 yī one to shape, mould, figure sùzào X2 shuǐ water 3 bathe, take a bath or shower, pǐn product xǐzǎo bath or shower mù tree hot bath or shower rè shuǐ zǎo to bathe, to immerse oneself in pào zǎo a warm bath Y2 yī one 4 recruitment, take job - to engage a teacher etc yóu due to zhāopìn applications for a job - to betroth 4 ěr ear accept a job offer, to apply for a yìngpìn job person taking a job, job yìng pìn zhě applicant, CL:位[wei4] Z2 tǔ earth 4 fill in the blanks, fill a vacancy - to fill or stuff zhēn really tiánkòng - of a form etc to fill in to cram tián mǎn pad, padding tián chōng AA2 pū tap 5 government - political zhèng correct zhèngfǔ - government 5 politics zhèngzhì 6 policy zhèngcè MandarinPoster.com MandarinPoster.com AB2 tóu lid 5 immediately, at once, right away - surname Li bā eight lìkè - to set up 5 yī one establish, to construct, to set up jiànlì 5 independent dúlì A3 yí fitting 4 friendship, companionship yán speech yǒuyì 6 profound friendship shēnqínghòuyì friendship, camaraderie qíng yì B3 mì silk 5 president (of a country) - to gather chōng sufficient zǒngtǒng - to unify 5 system xìtǒng 5 tradition, traditional chuántǒng C3 lì stand 5 to produce, emerge, to cause - to give birth hǎn cliff chǎnshēng - to reproduce 5 property, fortune cáichǎn 5 product, goods, merchandise chǎnpǐn D3 suī although 5 strong, staunch - powerful gōng bow jiānqiáng - better 5 intense, strong, violent qiángliè 5 emphasize, to stress
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Chinese Yuppie in Beijing: Phonological Variation and the Construction of a New Professional Identity Author(S): Qing Zhang Source: Language in Society, Vol
    A Chinese yuppie in Beijing: Phonological Variation and the Construction of a New Professional Identity Author(s): Qing Zhang Source: Language in Society, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Jun., 2005), pp. 431-466 Published by: Cambridge University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4169435 Accessed: 25-04-2016 23:59 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Cambridge University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Language in Society This content downloaded from 171.67.216.23 on Mon, 25 Apr 2016 23:59:09 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Language in Society 34, 431-466. Printed in the United States of America DOI: 10.1017/S0047404505050153 A Chinese yuppie in Beijing: Phonological variation and the construction of a new professional identity QING ZHANG Department of Linguistics Calhoun Hall 501 University of Texas at Austin I University Station B5100 Austin, IX 78712-1196 [email protected] ABSTRACT Recent sociolinguistic studies have given increased attention to the situated practice of members of locally based communities. Linguistic variation ex- amined tends to fall on a continuum between a territorially based "stan- dard" variety and a regional or ethnic vernacular.
    [Show full text]
  • Language Variation and Social Identity in Beijing
    Language Variation and Social Identity in Beijing Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics Hui Zhao May 2017 School of Languages, Linguistics and Film Queen Mary University of London Declaration I, Hui Zhao, confirm that the research included within this thesis is my own work or that where it has been carried out in collaboration with, or supported by others, that this is duly acknowledged below and my con- tribution indicated. Previously published material is also acknowledged below. I attest that I have exercised reasonable care to ensure that the work is original, and does not to the best of my knowledge break any UK law, infringe any third party's copyright or other Intellectual Property Right, or contain any confidential material. I accept that the College has the right to use plagiarism detection software to check the electronic version of the thesis. I confirm that this thesis has not been previously submitted for the award of a degree by this or any other university. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author. Signature: Date: Abstract This thesis investigates language variation among a group of young adults in Beijing, China, with an aim to advance our understanding of social meaning in a language and a society where the topic is understudied. In this thesis, I examine the use of Beijing Mandarin among Beijing- born university students in Beijing in relation to social factors including gender, social class, career plan, and future aspiration.
    [Show full text]
  • Chenspencer-Masters Thesis
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Shifting Language Ideologies in Taiwan: The Folk Redefinition of Taiwan Mandarin A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics by Spencer Chao-long Chen 2015 © Copyright by Spencer Chao-long Chen 2015 ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS Shifting Language Ideologies in Taiwan: The Folk Redefinition of Taiwan Mandarin by Spencer Chao-long Chen Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics University of California, Los Angeles, 2015 Paul V. Kroskrity, Chair This thesis applies the analytical framework of language ideologies to the folk conceptualization of speech communities in Taiwan. The data come from the pilot ethnography conducted in Taipei, Taiwan in 2014. This thesis considers Taiwanese people’s changing ideologies about language as a reflection of the volatile sociopolitical relationship between the Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan, and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), also known as Mainland China. This thesis presents the ways in which Taiwanese people reideologize and utilize Taiwan Mandarin in a project of linguistic differentiation and semiotic boundary maintenance against the PRC (China). The collective memory of learning Mandarin in school is mobilized to establish the conceptual boundary between Taiwan Mandarin and the ‘Chinese’ Mandarin. Accentual features that were considered non-standard are revalorized and valorized as the perceived standard of Taiwan Mandarin. Linguistic features are semiotically selected to index speaker characteristic differences between Taiwanese people and the mainland Chinese. ii The thesis of Spencer Chao-long Chen is approved. Norma Mendoza-Denton Olga T. Yokoyama Paul V. Kroskrity, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2015 iii DEDICATION To my parents.
    [Show full text]
  • Production and Perception of Kaifeng Mandarin Tones
    PRODUCTION AND PERCEPTION OF KAIFENG MANDARIN TONES Published by LOT phone: +31 30 253 6111 Trans 10 3512 JK Utrecht e-mail: [email protected] The Netherlands http://www.lotschool.nl Cover illustration: The ‘bridge scene’ in the famous painting 清明上河 图 ‘along the river during the Qingming festival’ by Zeduan Zhang, which depicts the people and the landscape of Kaifeng in the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127). The painting had been redrawn by Hai Ying and the cover picture was taken by Lei Wang with the former’s kind permission. ISBN: 978-94-6093-311-0 NUR 616 Copyright © 2018: Lei Wang. All rights reserved. PRODUCTION AND PERCEPTION OF KAIFENG MANDARIN TONES Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen op gezag van de rector magnificus prof. dr. J.H.J.M. van Krieken, volgens besluit van het college van decanen in het openbaar te verdedigen op woensdag 19 december 2018 om 16.30 uur precies door Lei Wang geboren op 6 november 1987 te Kaifeng, China Promotor: Prof. dr. C.H.M. Gussenhoven Copromotor: Dr. M.A.M. van de Ven Manuscriptcommissie: Prof. dr. J.P.M. Fikkert (voorzitter) Dr. Y. Chen, Universiteit Leiden Dr. P. Hallé, Université Paris 3 – Sorbonne Nouvelle, Frankrijk Prof. dr. V.J.J.P. van Heuven, Pannon Egyetem, Hongarije Prof. dr. J. Zhang, University of Kansas, Verenigde Staten ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation marks the end of my two-year journey at Radboud Universiteit (RU). Words fail me when I attempt to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Carlos Gussenhoven, without whom this journey could not have started in the first place.
    [Show full text]
  • Chinese Speakers in America: Diglossia As Style Kang (Franco) Liu
    essay: critical writing at pomona college Volume 2 | Issue 2 Article 5 2018 Chinese Speakers in America: Diglossia as Style Kang (Franco) Liu Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/essay Recommended Citation Liu, Kang (Franco) (2018) "Chinese Speakers in America: Diglossia as Style," essay: critical writing at pomona college: Vol. 2: Iss. 2, Article 5. Available at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/essay/vol2/iss2/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Claremont at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in essay: critical writing at pomona college by an authorized editor of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Liu: Chinese Speakers in America Chinese Speakers in America: Diglossia as Style by Kang (Franco) Liu The Constitution of the People’s Republic of China defines China as a tongyi duominzu guojia, a “united country with diverse nationalities.” Here, “nationality” refers to minzu, an ethnic group with a common territory, history, culture, and sometimes even language different from those of other groups. Amongst 56 such ethnic groups across China, the Han are nationally recognized as the only majority, taking up 91.51% of the national population, while the other 55 are considered ethnic minorities (National Bureau of Statistics). The Constitution further states that all minzu are equal and enjoy equal status and inde- pendent administrative rights within respective autonomous regions. Such constitutional provisions, as reflected in national policies, grant ethnic groups the latitude to preserve their distinct language cultures, under the consensus of a united Chinese national identity.
    [Show full text]
  • An Acoustic Comparison of Taiwan Mandarin and Singapore
    An Acoustic Comparison of Taiwan Mandarin and Singapore Mandarin Nick Lowe S2073595 Submitted for completion of a Master in Linguistics from Leiden University August 2018 An Acoustic Comparison of TW and SG Mandarin 1 I’d like to acknowledge and thank my professors: R.P.E. Sybesma D. Smakman Y.Y. Chen and J.M. Wiedenhof without whom I’d never have completed this thesis. Also if it weren’t for the advice and assistance of my classmates Bodi Jin and Jiayun Zhou I wouldn’t have data to analyze. 多 谢 An Acoustic Comparison of TW and SG Mandarin 2 Abstract This thesis compares similar phonological features across Táiwān Mandarin and Singapore ​ Mandarin by measuring the acoustic properties of the variables in question. Despite both varieties’ official claim of being identical to Běijīng Mandarin, they have developed a significant ​ number of differences in parallel. I hypothesize that this is because both of these varieties grew out of having Mandarin imposed upon populations that were originally and largely Southern Mǐn speaking. To test this, I modified the Labovian sociolinguistic interview for an online survey format for easy distribution. I focused largely on four variables, the first three of which are theoretically available in both of the varieties of Mandarin under investigation: 1) dentalization of the retroflex sibilants, 2) dentalization of the velar nasal codas following mid to high front vowels, and 3) unrounding of the rounded high front vowel. The final variable under investigation was a possible fifth tone only available in Singapore Mandarin. Despite whatever ease this afforded in data collection, the online survey format also created a lot of disparity between recordings that could have been avoided by using a laboratory setting, or even just consistent recording equipment.
    [Show full text]
  • “Regularities” and “Irregularities” in Chinese Historical Phonology
    “Regularities” and “irregularities” in Chinese historical phonology Tianrang (Quain) Bu Honors Thesis Department of Anthropology Oberlin College April 2018 Advisor: Jason Haugen 1 ABSTRACT With a combination of methodologies from Western and Chinese traditional historical linguistics, this thesis is an attempt to survey and synthetically analyze the major sound changes in Chinese phonological history. It addresses two hypotheses – the Neogrammarian regularity hypothesis and the unidirectionality hypothesis – and tries to question their validity and applicability. Drawing from fourteen types of “regular” and “irregular” processes, the thesis argues that the origins and impetuses of sound change is far from just phonetic environment (“regular” changes) and lexical diffusion (“irregular” changes), and that sound change is not unidirectional because of the existence and significance of fortifying and bi/multidirectional changes. The thesis also examines the sociopolitical aspect of sound change through the discussion of language changes resulting from social, geographical and historical factors, suggesting that the study of sound change should be more interdisciplinary and miscellaneous in order to explain the phenomena more thoroughly and reach a better understanding of how human languages function both synchronically and diachronically. KEY WORDS: Chinese, historical, phonology, sound change 2 Table of contents List of abbreviations and keys…………………………………………………… 5 Index of tables and figures………………………………………………………. 8 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………… 10 2. Backgrounds………………………………………………………………….. 14 2.1. Overview of historical linguistics……………………………………………... 14 2.1.1. A brief history of historical linguistics………………………………………… 14 2.1.2. Neogrammarian regularity hypothesis and the comparative method………….. 16 2.1.3. Unidirectionality hypothesis and its application in phonology…………........... 19 2.2. Overview of historical Chinese phonology……………………………………. 21 2.2.1.
    [Show full text]
  • Mental Models of the Nature of Language in Kunming, China Ellie Ash SIT Study Abroad
    SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection SIT Study Abroad Fall 2010 Mental Models of the Nature of Language in Kunming, China Ellie Ash SIT Study Abroad Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection Part of the Anthropological Linguistics and Sociolinguistics Commons Recommended Citation Ash, Ellie, "Mental Models of the Nature of Language in Kunming, China" (2010). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 918. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/918 This Unpublished Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Study Abroad at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Ash 1 Mental Models of the Nature of Language in Kunming, China Ellie Ash Independent Study Project for SIT Study Abroad: Chinese Culture and Ethnic Minorities December, 2010 Ash 2 Introduction The focus of this study is laypeople's mental models of the varieties of Chinese language. Chinese contains many varieties, primarily dividable into Putonghua (Standard Mandarin; hereafter PTH) and Fangyan (“topolect” 1). The Fangyan are traditionally considered “dialects of Chinese” by both Chinese and Western sources. Many Western linguists note that the dialects span a linguistic range that compares with the range of the Romance languages, but concede the label “dialects” because they share a written standard and because China is considered to be a single country, and especially because the Chinese themselves consider all the Fangyan to be varieties of a single language.
    [Show full text]
  • Perceptions and Use of Putonghua Among Hong Kong Cantonese Speakers
    Perceptions and Use of Putonghua Among Hong Kong Cantonese Speakers A Qualitative, Interview-based Study Eirik Slinning Karlsen Asia and Middle East Studies KIN4593 – Master’s Thesis in Chinese Society and Politics 30 Credits Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS) Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo Spring 2020 Abstract The official languages in Hong Kong today are Chinese and English. Whether ‘Chinese’ refers to Cantonese or Putonghua (also known as Mandarin) is unclear. Putonghua was officially introduced to the Hong Kong language milieu after the British ceded Hong Kong back to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1997. The implementation of Putonghua occurred largely through language policies in education making the language a compulsory subject, as well as through an increased political, cultural, and economic involvement from the PRC. Despite these involvements, the overall reception of Putonghua among Hong Kong Cantonese speakers has been rather unenthusiastic. This thesis attempts to answer the question; How is Putonghua perceived and used by people with Hong Kong Cantonese as their mother tongue? The question was approached by first reviewing existing literature from the sociolinguistic field, especially in the context of Hong Kong, and then compare the literature to the findings from qualitative, face-to-face interviews conducted in Oslo and Hong Kong in November and December 2019. The aim of this thesis is to provide knowledge regarding the interview participants’ experiences and perspectives regarding identity, language attitudes, and language use, thereby adding another dimension to existing literature. Their perceptions and use of language are explored by examining instrumental and integrative motivations for language choices.
    [Show full text]
  • Denise Sampson Prestige, Politeness and Power
    May 6,2011 (Date) THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY SUPERVISION BY Denise Sampson (Student's Name) ENTITLED Prestige, Politeness and Power: An Analysis of Chinese Women's Language Use As a Function of Power IS APPROVED BY ME AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics APPROVED BY ----~:::-I---'-"'--------------------- APPROVED BY -----j'--ff--r-------;;-;-'~___;_;:::=--______:_--'~=---"""'---------­ I Linguistics (Department/Academic Unit) 1 PRESTIGE, POLITENESS AND POWER: AN ANALYSIS OF CHINESE WOMEN’S LANGUAGE USE AS A FUNCTION OF POWER BY DENISE SAMPSON SENIOR THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics with Departmental Distinction in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2011 Urbana, Illinois Advisor: Professor Jerome Packard Second Reader: Professor Marina Terkourafi 2 Contents I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 a. Introduction to the History of Mandarin Chinese .................................................................... 2 b. Introduction to Women in Chinese society ............................................................................. 5 II. Prestige ....................................................................................................................................... 8 1. Introduction to Prestige Theory
    [Show full text]
  • Proto-Ersuic
    Proto-Ersuic by Dominic Yu A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor James A. Matisoff, Chair Professor Gary Holland Professor Keith Johnson Professor Johanna Nichols Spring 2012 Proto-Ersuic Copyright © 2012, Dominic Yu This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons 444 Castro Street, Suite 900 Mountain View, California 94041 USA Abstract Proto-Ersuic by Dominic Yu Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics University of California, Berkeley Professor James A. Matisoff, Chair This is a reconstruction of Proto-Ersuic, the ancestor language of Lizu, Tosu, and Ersu, three closely related languages spoken in southwestern Sichuan which are generally considered to be part of the Qiangic branch of Tibeto-Burman. To date, no in-depth historical work has been carried out on these languages. Approximately 800 lexical items are reconstructed based primarily on data from six sources: Mianning Lizu (data collected by the author in Mianning County, Sichuan, in 2008 and 2010), two sources for Kala Lizu (Muli County, one modern and one older source), Naiqu Lizu (Jiulong County), and two varieties of Ersu (Zeluo and Qingshui, both in Ganluo County). Chapter 1 provides a general introduction to Lizu, Tosu, and Ersu, along with basic information for each source to help the reader properly interpret the phonetic transcriptions and parse the individual forms for each language.
    [Show full text]
  • An Optimality-Theoretical Exploration of Retroflex Diminutives in the Nanjing Dialect
    Ming-Chung Cheng An Optimality-Theoretical Exploration of ◆ 135 ◆ Retroflex Diminutives in the Nanjing Dialect An Optimality-Theoretical Exploration of Retroflex Diminutives in the Nanjing Dialect Ming-Chung Cheng Institute of Hakka Language and Communication National United University Associate Professor Retroflex diminutives have been widely investigated among Mandarin dialects, but those associated with the Nanjing dialect have received scant descriptive or theoretical attention. Thus, in this study, the formation of retroflex diminutives in the Nanjing dialect is reviewed, and framed in terms of Optimality Theory (OT). The formation of retroflex diminutives in the Nanjing dialect can be captured by a set of ranked constraints (MAX[r], ANCHOR-SD(L), ANCHOR-r(R), *r/, *r/N, *r/ H/F σ Final [palatal] [H,F] r V >> CONTIGTY-Final -IO, OK , ONS V >> MAX-SD, DEP-SD, IDENT-SD[ ]). Further investigation into whether prevocalic glides [i], [u], and [y] are preserved or deleted in the formation of retroflex diminutives is undertaken, focusing on the related topics of phonetic enhancement and linguistic typology. Keywords: diminutive, erhua, Nanjing dialect, Optimality Theory (OT), retroflexion Corresponding Author: Ming-Chung Cheng, E-mail: [email protected] Manuscript received: Oct. 18, 2013; Revised: Dec. 7, 2013; Accepted: Dec. 8, 2013 doi: 10.6210/JNTNULL.2014.59(2).06 ◆ 136 ◆ An Optimality-Theoretical Exploration of Ming-Chung Cheng Retroflex Diminutives in the Nanjing Dialect 1. Introduction Nanjing is located in the southern bank of the downstream Yangzi River（長江） and is the capital of Jiangsu（江蘇） Province. Previously called Jinling（金陵）, Jianye（建鄴） or Jiankang（健康）, Nanjing started its name from the Ming Dynasty.
    [Show full text]