DOCSLIB.ORG

Making Chinese Choral Music Accessible in the United States: a Standardized Ipa Guide for Chinese-Language Works

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Making Chinese Choral Music Accessible in the United States: a Standardized Ipa Guide for Chinese-Language Works MAKING CHINESE CHORAL MUSIC ACCESSIBLE IN THE UNITED STATES: A STANDARDIZED IPA GUIDE FOR CHINESE-LANGUAGE WORKS by Hana J. Cai Submitted to the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Music Indiana University December 2020 Accepted by the faculty of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Music Doctoral Committee __________________________________________ Carolann Buff, Research Director __________________________________________ Dominick DiOrio, Chair __________________________________________ Gary Arvin __________________________________________ Betsy Burleigh September 8, 2020 ii Copyright © 2020 Hana J. Cai For my parents, who instilled in me a love for music and academia. Acknowledgements No one accomplishes anything alone. This project came to fruition thanks to the support of so many incredible people. First, thank you to the wonderful Choral Conducting Department at Indiana University. Dr. Buff, thank you for allowing me to pursue my “me-search” in your class and outside of it. Dr. Burleigh, thank you for workshopping my IPA so many times. Dr. DiOrio, thank you for spending a semester with this project and me, entertaining and encouraging so much of my ridiculousness. Second, thank you to my amazing colleagues, Grant Farmer, Sam Ritter, Jono Palmer, and Katie Gardiner, who have heard me talk about this project incessantly and carried me through the final semester of my doctorate. Thank you, Jingqi Zhu, for spending hours helping me to translate English legalese into Chinese. Thank you to Jeff Williams, for the last five years. Finally, thank you to my family for their constant love and support. Soli Deo gloria. ii Making Chinese Choral Music Accessible in the United States: A Standardized IPA Guide for Chinese-Language Works Chinese choirs and conductors are gaining an increasing presence at American choral conferences. Yet as much as Chinese choral conductors advocate for performing Chinese pieces, it is nearly impossible to find easy ways to prepare and perform Chinese choral works in the United States. Through interviews with conductors and composers of Chinese choral music, I researched the process of acquiring these pieces remotely, the trends in Chinese choral music, and the potential market for these works. This study examines why the accessibility of Chinese choral music in America is hindered by issues of discoverability, copyright and publication, and language. Although simple solutions do not exist for the first two issues, I have addressed language by advocating for the use of Pinyin in all Chinese choral publications in the US and by establishing and creating a Mandarin Chinese diction guide for choral conductors. This diction guide includes a chart that equates every sound of Pinyin with an IPA symbol and describes how to teach each sound to non-Chinese speakers. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................................ ii Making Chinese Choral Music Accessible in the United States: A Standardized IPA Guide for Chinese- Language Works.......................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents......................................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables................................................................................................................................................ vi Part I: The Accessibility of Chinese Choral Music........................................................................................1 Issues of Accessibility...................................................................................................................... 3 Options for Chinese Choral Music in the United States................................................................... 4 Unsearchable Chinese Choral Music................................................................................................ 6 Issues of Copyright and Publication................................................................................................. 8 Marketing for Chinese Choral Works............................................................................................. 11 Language Barriers........................................................................................................................... 13 Conclusion...................................................................................................................................... 15 Part II: Mandarin Chinese Diction Guide for Non-Mandarin Chinese Speakers........................................ 16 Using IPA Symbols.........................................................................................................................19 Comparing Available IPA Systems................................................................................................ 22 IPA: Beginning Sounds...................................................................................................................25 IPA: Ending Sounds........................................................................................................................27 Beginning Sounds........................................................................................................................... 30 Consonants similar to English: b, d, f, g, k, l, m, n, p, t.............................................................30 Velar: h.......................................................................................................................................34 Dental affricates and fricative: c, s, z......................................................................................... 35 iv Post-alveolar and alveolo-palatal consonants: j, q, x, zh, ch, sh, r.............................................37 End Sounds.............................................................................................................................................. 42 [ɹ̩ ] retroflex................................................................................................................................. 43 [a] dominant endings..................................................................................................................45 [ɑ] dominant endings................................................................................................................. 49 [e] dominant endings..................................................................................................................52 [ɤ] dominant endings..................................................................................................................54 [ɛ] dominant endings..................................................................................................................58 [i] dominant endings.................................................................................................................. 59 [ɔ] dominant endings..................................................................................................................60 [o] dominant endings................................................................................................................. 61 [u] dominant endings................................................................................................................. 63 [y] dominant endings................................................................................................................. 64 A Selection of IPA Examples for Pieces Published in the US.................................................................66 Moh lee hwah (Jasmine flower) arr. B. Wayne Bisbee..............................................................67 Emerald Green Grass (View from a Chinese Hillside) arr. Rollo Fisher.................................. 70 Meditation: Two Songs for Voice and Piano by Chen Yi......................................................... 73 Boat on Tai Lake arr. Reed Criddle........................................................................................... 77 Gao Shan Qing arr. Reed Criddle.............................................................................................. 81 Conclusion................................................................................................................................................... 84 Bibliography.................................................................................................................................................86 v List of Tables Table 1: Pinyin beginnings and endings chart with IPA. ............................................................................ 18 Table 2: A comparative chart of IPA options for Pinyin beginning sounds. ............................................... 25 Table 3: A comparative chart of IPA options for Pinyin ending sounds. .................................................... 27 Table 4: Transliteration, Pinyin, and IPA chart for Moh lee hwah. ............................................................. 67 Table 5: Transliteration, Pinyin, and IPA chart for Emerald Green Grass. ................................................ 70 Table 6: Pinyin and IPA chart for “Know You How Many Petals Falling?”
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Shanghai Quartet 2020-21 Biography
    SHANGHAI QUARTET 2020-21 BIOGRAPHY Over the past thirty-seven years the Shanghai Quartet has become one of the world’s foremost chamber ensembles. The Shanghai’s elegant style, impressive technique, and emotional breadth allows the group to move seamlessly between masterpieces of Western music, traditional Chinese folk music, and cutting-edge contemporary works. Formed at the Shanghai Conservatory in 1983, soon after the end of China’s harrowing Cultural Revolution, the group came to the United States to complete its studies; since then the members have been based in the U.S. while maintaining a robust touring schedule at leading chamber-music series throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Recent performance highlights include performances at Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Freer Gallery (Washington, D.C.), and the Festival Pablo Casals in France, and Beethoven cycles for the Brevard Music Center, the Beethoven Festival in Poland, and throughout China. The Quartet also frequently performs at Wigmore Hall, the Budapest Spring Festival, Suntory Hall, and has collaborations with the NCPA and Shanghai Symphony Orchestras. Upcoming highlights include the premiere of a new work by Marcos Balter for the Quartet and countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo for the Phillips Collection, return performances for Maverick Concerts and the Taos School of Music, and engagements in Los Angeles, Syracuse, Albuquerque, and Salt Lake City. Among innumberable collaborations with eminent artists, they have performed with the Tokyo, Juilliard, and Guarneri Quartets; cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Lynn Harrell; pianists Menahem Pressler, Peter Serkin, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Yuja Wang; pipa virtuoso Wu Man; and the vocal ensemble Chanticleer.
    [Show full text]
  • 2020-Commencement-Program.Pdf
    One Hundred and Sixty-Second Annual Commencement JUNE 19, 2020 One Hundred and Sixty-Second Annual Commencement 11 A.M. CDT, FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2020 2982_STUDAFF_CommencementProgram_2020_FRONT.indd 1 6/12/20 12:14 PM UNIVERSITY SEAL AND MOTTO Soon after Northwestern University was founded, its Board of Trustees adopted an official corporate seal. This seal, approved on June 26, 1856, consisted of an open book surrounded by rays of light and circled by the words North western University, Evanston, Illinois. Thirty years later Daniel Bonbright, professor of Latin and a member of Northwestern’s original faculty, redesigned the seal, Whatsoever things are true, retaining the book and light rays and adding two quotations. whatsoever things are honest, On the pages of the open book he placed a Greek quotation from the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verse 14, translating to The Word . whatsoever things are just, full of grace and truth. Circling the book are the first three whatsoever things are pure, words, in Latin, of the University motto: Quaecumque sunt vera whatsoever things are lovely, (What soever things are true). The outer border of the seal carries the name of the University and the date of its founding. This seal, whatsoever things are of good report; which remains Northwestern’s official signature, was approved by if there be any virtue, the Board of Trustees on December 5, 1890. and if there be any praise, The full text of the University motto, adopted on June 17, 1890, is think on these things. from the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians, chapter 4, verse 8 (King James Version).
    [Show full text]
  • AIAA Fellows
    AIAA Fellows The first 23 Fellows of the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences (I) were elected on 31 January 1934. They were: Joseph S. Ames, Karl Arnstein, Lyman J. Briggs, Charles H. Chatfield, Walter S. Diehl, Donald W. Douglas, Hugh L. Dryden, C.L. Egtvedt, Alexander Klemin, Isaac Laddon, George Lewis, Glenn L. Martin, Lessiter C. Milburn, Max Munk, John K. Northrop, Arthur Nutt, Sylvanus Albert Reed, Holden C. Richardson, Igor I. Sikorsky, Charles F. Taylor, Theodore von Kármán, Fred Weick, Albert Zahm. Dr. von Kármán also had the distinction of being the first Fellow of the American Rocket Society (A) when it instituted the grade of Fellow member in 1949. The following year the ARS elected as Fellows: C.M. Bolster, Louis Dunn, G. Edward Pendray, Maurice J. Zucrow, and Fritz Zwicky. Fellows are persons of distinction in aeronautics or astronautics who have made notable and valuable contributions to the arts, sciences, or technology thereof. A special Fellow Grade Committee reviews Associate Fellow nominees from the membership and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors, which makes the final selections. One Fellow for every 1000 voting members is elected each year. There have been 1980 distinguished persons elected since the inception of this Honor. AIAA Fellows include: A Arnold D. Aldrich 1990 A.L. Antonio 1959 (A) James A. Abrahamson 1997 E.C. “Pete” Aldridge, Jr. 1991 Winfield H. Arata, Jr. 1991 H. Norman Abramson 1970 Buzz Aldrin 1968 Johann Arbocz 2002 Frederick Abbink 2007 Kyle T. Alfriend 1988 Mark Ardema 2006 Ira H. Abbott 1947 (I) Douglas Allen 2010 Brian Argrow 2016 Malcolm J.
    [Show full text]
  • Pipa Performance Reflects Agility, Ability
    FEATURED Review: Pipa performance reflects agility, ability By Peter Jacobi | H-T Reviewer | April 2, 2017 An instrument that has a history of more than 2,000 years played in solo, played in combination with a classical string quartet and played as one among more than a dozen other members of an ensemble specializing in the avant-garde. The instrument, originated in China, is called pipa, part of the lute family that looks daunting to pluck and strum on. A full-house audience gathered Friday evening in the Buskirk-Chumley Theater to watch a virtuoso give sound to that daunting object of attention. Her name is Wu Man, a remarkable China-born and trained champion of the pipa, which can produce sweet and soft melodies along with forceful, even abrasive, sounds. Wu has lived the past quarter-century in the United States, spreading the word about her beloved pipa and commissioning new music for it. Here in Bloomington — thanks to support from the Lotus Education and Arts Foundation, the Indiana University Arts and Humanities Council and the IU Jacobs School of Music — Wu attached her artistry to the Vera Quartet, this school year’s graduate quartet in residence, and to David Dzubay’s influential New Music Ensemble. That made for a stellar lineup of musicians. The opening portion of Friday’s concert, however, belonged to Man alone. She performed three solo works that supremely tested her abilities. But from the first measures of “Dance of the Yi People,” based on tunes from a minority society that inhabits territory in southwestern China, one sensed that nothing technical could faze her.
    [Show full text]
  • Rethinking the Relationship Between China and the West: a Multi- Dimensional Model of Cross-Cultural Research Focusing on Literary Adaptations
    CULTURA CULTURA INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF CULTURE CULTURA AND AXIOLOGY Founded in 2004, Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy of 2012 Culture and Axiology is a semiannual peer-reviewed journal devo- 2 2012 Vol IX No 2 ted to philosophy of culture and the study of value. It aims to pro- mote the exploration of different values and cultural phenomena in regional and international contexts. The editorial board encourages OLOGY the submission of manuscripts based on original research that are I judged to make a novel and important contribution to understan- LOSOPHY OF I ding the values and cultural phenomena in the contempo rary world. CULTURE AND AX AND CULTURE ONAL JOURNAL OF PH I INTERNAT ISBN 978-3-631-62905-5 www.peterlang.de PETER LANG CULTURA 2012_262905_VOL_9_No2_GR_A5Br.indd 1 16.11.12 12:39:44 Uhr CULTURA CULTURA INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF CULTURE CULTURA AND AXIOLOGY Founded in 2004, Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy of 2014 Culture and Axiology is a semiannual peer-reviewed journal devo- 1 2014 Vol XI No 1 ted to philosophy of culture and the study of value. It aims to pro- mote the exploration of different values and cultural phenomena in regional and international contexts. The editorial board encourages the submission of manuscripts based on original research that are judged to make a novel and important contribution to understan- ding the values and cultural phenomena in the contempo rary world. CULTURE AND AXIOLOGY CULTURE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY INTERNATIONAL www.peterlang.com CULTURA 2014_265846_VOL_11_No1_GR_A5Br.indd.indd 1 14.05.14 17:43 Cultura.
    [Show full text]
  • Silent Night the College Held a Brief, Yet Moving, Ceremony to Mark the Centennial of the Start of World Where: Singletary Center War I
    OPERALEX.ORGbravo lex!FALL 2018 inside SOOP Little Red teaches kids to love opera, and obey SILENT their parents. Page 2 NIGHT Pulitzer Prize winner's moving story During the summer of 2014, I took a course at Merton College, Oxford. While I was there, Silent Night the college held a brief, yet moving, ceremony to mark the centennial of the start of World Where: Singletary Center War I. The ceremony was held outdoors in for the Arts, UK campus front of a list of names carved into a wall. The When: Nov. 9,10 at 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. names were those of young men from Merton Tickets: Call 859.257.4929 SUMMER DAYS College who died in the war. Some had been or visit We'll reap the benefit from students, others sons of staff and workers. We Taylor Comstock's summer www.SCFATickets.com all put poppies in our lapels and listened as the at Wolf Trap. Page 4 names were read out. The last one was the More on Page 3 name of a Merton student who had returned nLecture schedule for home to Germany to enlist, and like the others, other events n had fallen on the battlefield. A century later, all UK's Crocker is an expert on the Christmas truce the young men were together again as Merton See Page 3 Now you can support us when you shop at Amazon! Check out operalex.org FOLLOW UKOT on social media! lFacebook: UKOperaTheatre lTwitter: UKOperaTheatre lInstagram: ukoperatheatre Page 2 SOOPER OPERA! Little Red moves kids with music, story, acting SOOP – the Schmidt Opera Outreach Program – is performing Little Red’s Most Unusual Day in Kentucky schools this fall and the early reviews are promising.
    [Show full text]
  • International Communication Research Journal
    International Communication Research Journal NON-PROFIT ORG. https://icrj.pub/ U.S. POSTAGE PAID [email protected] FORT WORTH, TX Department of Journalism PERMIT 2143 Texas Christian University 2805 S. University Drive TCU Box 298060, Fort Worth Texas, 76129 USA Indexed and e-distributed by: EBSCOhost, Communication Source Database GALE - Cengage Learning International Communication Research Journal Vol. 54, No. 2 . Fall 2019 Research Journal Research Communication International ISSN 2153-9707 ISSN Vol. 54, No. 2 54,No. Vol. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication inJournalismandMass Education for Association A publication of the International Communication Divisionofthe Communication of theInternational A publication . Fall 2019 Fall International Communication Research Journal A publication of the International Communication Division, Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication (AEJMC) Editor Uche Onyebadi Texas Christian University Associate Editors Editorial Consultant Ngozi Akinro Yong Volz Wayne Wanta Website Design & Maintenance Editorial University of Florida Texas Wesleyan University Missouri School of Journalism Editorial Assistant Book Review Editor Jennifer O’Keefe Zhaoxi (Josie) Liu Texas Christian University Editorial Advisory Board Jatin Srivastava, Lindita Camaj, Mohammed Al-Azdee, Ammina Kothari, Jeannine Relly, Emily Metzgar, Celeste Gonzalez de Bustamante, Yusuf Kalyango Jr., Zeny Sarabia-Panol, Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh, Elanie Steyn Editorial Review Board Adaobi Duru Gulilat Menbere Tekleab Mark Walters University of Louisiana, USA Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan Ammina Kothari Herman Howard Mohamed A. Satti Rochester Institute of Technology, USA Angelo State University, USA American University of Kuwait, Kuwait Amy Schmitz Weiss Ihediwa Samuel Chibundu Nazmul Rony San Diego State University USA Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Slippery Rock University, USA Anantha S.
    [Show full text]
  • Chen Yi Composing to Honor Her Past Michael Murphy
    Chen Yi Composing to Honor Her Past Michael Murphy Michael Murphy is director of choral activities at the University of Idaho ( U of I), where he conducts the Vandaleers Concert Choir, University Chorus, Womens Choir, and teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting and choral methods. He is artistic director of the Palouse Choral Society Chorale and Chamber Choir and founder/artistic director of the Idaho Bach Festival. He received degrees in conducting and choral music education from Florida State University (PhD) and East Carolina University (MM BM). Murphy is President-Elect of Idaho ACDA. <[email protected]> 28 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 53 Number 2 Composer Chen Yi’s (Chen is her family name) choral music has enjoyed increasing popularity in the United States. Born and raised in China, she has successfully created a unique compositional voice of uniting Western and Eastern infl uences into her music. Chen is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance and is also the 2012 ACDA Raymond Brock Commission Composer. Murphy Describe your early infl uences and how they have infl uenced the compositional nature of your work. Chen I started piano lessons when I was three years old and then violin lessons at age four. My parents, both medical doctors, are classical music fans. We listened to countless recordings, including voice solo works and operas from classical repertoire. As a child, I developed a love for the beauty of Chinese folk-song singing and the musical style of Beijing Opera. All these musical experiences are implanted into my ear and blood.
    [Show full text]
  • Table of Contents
    Table of Contents Applications of Web Information Systems Study 011 the Design of Automatic Cotton Bale Inspecting Management System 1 Jie Zhao. Fang Yu, Minfeng Tang, Wenliao Du, and Jin Yuan The Smallest Randic Index for Trees 9 Bingjun Li and Weijun Liu Design of Meridian and Acupoints Compatibility Analysis System 15 Jingchang Pan and Guangwen Wang Invariant Subspaces for Operators with Thick Spectra 22 Mingxue Liu Voronoi Feature Selection Model Considering Variable-Scale Map's Balance and Legibility 26 Hua Wang, Jiatian Li, Haixia Pu, Rui Li, arid Yufeng He A Code Dissemination Protocol of Low Energy Consumption 36 Haiyong Wang, Geng Yang, Jian Xu, Zhengyu Chen, and Zhen Yang Dynamic Spectrum Analysis of High-Speed Train Passenger Compartment Luggage Rack Noise 44 Chuanhui Wu, Xiangling Gao, and Pinxia.n Gao Port-Based Cornposable Modeling and Simulation for Safety Critical System Testbed 51 Yujun Zhu, Zhongwei Xu, and Meng Mei Risk Assessment Method of Radio Block Center in Fuzzy Uncertain Environment 59 Qiuxiang Tao, Wei Nai, Haiming Gao, and Jiliang Tu Learning Research in Knowledge Transfer 67 Bing Wu and Pingping Chen A Post-filtering Technique for Enhancing Acoustic Echo Cancelation System 73 Yaxun Wang Packet Dropping Schemes and Quality Evaluation for H.264 Videos at High Packet Loss Rates 81 Yuxia Wang, Yi Qu, and Rui Lv http://d-nb.info/1025199073 XII Table of Contents A Blocked Statistics Method Based on Directional Derivative 90 Junli Li, Chengxi Chu, Gang Li, and Yang Lou Study on Cooperative Game Model of Talent Training
    [Show full text]
  • A Visualization Quality Evaluation Method for Multiple Sequence Alignments
    2011 5th International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering (iCBBE 2011) Wuhan, China 10 - 12 May 2011 Pages 1 - 867 IEEE Catalog Number: CFP1129C-PRT ISBN: 978-1-4244-5088-6 1/7 TABLE OF CONTENTS ALGORITHMS, MODELS, SOFTWARE AND TOOLS IN BIOINFORMATICS: A Visualization Quality Evaluation Method for Multiple Sequence Alignments ............................................................1 Hongbin Lee, Bo Wang, Xiaoming Wu, Yonggang Liu, Wei Gao, Huili Li, Xu Wang, Feng He A New Promoter Recognition Method Based On Features Optimal Selection.................................................................5 Lan Tao, Huakui Chen, Yanmeng Xu, Zexuan Zhu A Center Closeness Algorithm For The Analyses Of Gene Expression Data ...................................................................9 Huakun Wang, Lixin Feng, Zhou Ying, Zhang Xu, Zhenzhen Wang A Novel Method For Lysine Acetylation Sites Prediction ................................................................................................ 11 Yongchun Gao, Wei Chen Weighted Maximum Margin Criterion Method: Application To Proteomic Peptide Profile ....................................... 15 Xiao Li Yang, Qiong He, Si Ya Yang, Li Liu Ectopic Expression Of Tim-3 Induces Tumor-Specific Antitumor Immunity................................................................ 19 Osama A. O. Elhag, Xiaojing Hu, Weiying Zhang, Li Xiong, Yongze Yuan, Lingfeng Deng, Deli Liu, Yingle Liu, Hui Geng Small-World Network Properties Of Protein Complexes: Node Centrality And Community Structure
    [Show full text]
  • © Copyright 2015 Ching Wu Lake
    © Copyright 2015 Ching Wu Lake Lui Moving Up or Staying Put? Mobility, Marriage and Gender in Transitional China Ching Wu Lake Lui A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2015 Reading Committee: Sara R. Curran, Chair Gary G. Hamilton Julie Brines Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Department of Sociology University of Washington Abstract Moving Up or Staying Put? Mobility, Marriage and Gender in Transitional China Ching Wu Lake Lui Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Sara R. Curran Jackson School of International Studies Department of Sociology In China, despite longstanding inequalities based on gender, social class, and rural/urban status, several factors have potentially challenged the existing socially stratified structure in the recent decade – namely the prevalence of migration, recent socio-political reforms, cultural similarities, better education for the general public, and improvement in transportation. This dissertation asks how China’s stratified structure is shifting and/or reworking through marriage. Special attention is paid to intermarriages between rural and urban people, as these couples characterize how walls that delineate rural-urban boundaries begin to erode and how other structures like gender and class factor in. To answer these questions, my dissertation is organized into three chapters. First, I draw on the Chinese General Social Survey to examine the trends, prevalence, and the characteristics of rural-urban marriages. The results show that intermarriages are rare across periods despite the rising trend. The intermarriages that occur are characterized by exchange relationships in which rural people trade their higher education with the “urban” status of their spouse.
    [Show full text]
  • Cantonese As a World Language from Pearl River and Beyond
    Volume 10 Issue 2 (2021) Cantonese as a World Language From Pearl River and Beyond Jiaqing Zeng1 and Asif Agha2 1St. Paul’s School, Concord, NH, USA 2University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA DOI: https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v10i2.1435 ABSTRACT In this paper, I will be comparing different registers of Cantonese from all around the world, mainly focusing on the Pearl River Delta region after the 1800s. Yet my larger purpose is to draw attention to how these different registers relate to the cultural values and social lives of the people living in those places. Max Weinreich, a pioneer sociolinguist and Yiddish scholar once said, “a language is a dialect with an army and a navy (Fishman).” Cantonese is no exception, and the state of this language has been dependent upon four factors: the geographic distribution of the Cantonese- speaking population, the economic development of Cantonese-speaking regions, official status, and international sig- nificance. Introduction Cantonese is one of the Chinese dialects and the mother tongue for the Guangfu people of Han Chinese, who were originally from China’s Lingnan region. The language has a complete set of nine tones, retaining many features of Middle Ancient Chinese since the area seldom suffered from wars and was unaffected by the nomadic minorities in northern China. It has a complete series of characters that can be expressed independently from other Chinese lan- guages, and it is the only Chinese language that has been studied in foreign universities in addition to Mandarin. It originated from Canton (Guangzhou) because of the important role that Canton had played in China’s important pol- itics, economy, and culture since ancient times, and it still has official status in Hong Kong and Macau today.
    [Show full text]