DOCSLIB.ORG

The Languages of China

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

S. ROBERT RAMSEY The Languages of China PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS Copyright© '1987 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, Chichester, West Sussex All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data will be {o.und on the last printed page of this book ISBN 0-691-06694-9 ISBN 0-691-01468-X (pbk.) Second printing, with revisions, and first Princet~~ Paperback printing, 1989 Publication of this book has been aided by grants from the Harold W. McGraw, Jr., Fund of P~i~l:eton University Press and the University of Maryland This book has been composed in Linotron Sabon Princeton University Press books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 CONTENTS List of Illustrations vii List of Tables Vlll Preface ix Transcriptions and Symbols xu PART 1: THE CHINESE LANGUAGE 1 A Language for All of China 3 2 China, North and South 19 3 The Spread of Northern Influence 27 4 The Standard (Pronunciation) 41 5 The Standard (Grammar) 49 Chinese and the Myth of the Primitive Language 49 Words 57 Sentences 65 6 Today's Dialects 87 North 87 South 88 7 History 116 Old Chinese 134 From Middle Chinese to Peking Mandarin 139 8 Chinese Writing Today 143 PART II: THE MINORITY LANGUAGES OF CHINA 9 The Chinese and Their Neighbors 157 The Classification of the Minorities 162 Linguistic Areas in China 169 10 The Minorities of North China 173 Turkic 179 Mongolian 194 Tungus 212 11 The Minorities of South China 230 Tai 232 Tibeto-Burman 248 Miao-Yao 278 Mon-Khmer 286 Unclassified or Isolated Languages 287 vi CONTENTS Appendix A: Chinese Sounds and the Pinyin Romanization System 293 Appendix B: A Comparative Table of the Pinyin and Wade-Giles Romanizations 297 Notes 301 Bibliographic Abbreviations 313 General Bibliography 315 Bibliography for China's Other Languages 325 Index 333 GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY Anderson, E. N. and Marja L. Anderson. 1977. "~oden:t Chjna: South." In Chang 1977, pp. 317-82. Anttila, Raimo. 1972. An introduction to historical and comparatjve linguistics. New York: Macmillan. • - Arisaka Hideyo. 1957. Kokugo on'in-shi no ken,kyii [Studies on Japanese histor­ ical phonology]. Tokyo: Sanseido. Austerlitz, Robert,. 1974. "The frustrations of linguistic typology: Limitations or stimulants?" Acta Universitatis Carolinae [Prague]: 101-106. ---. 1976. "Bilingualism: The context beyond linguistics." General Linguis­ tics'16.2-3: 68-71. ---. 1982. "Three thoughts on Dr. Kreindler's thoughts." The International Jourizal of the Sociology of Language 33: 53-56. Ballard, William L. 1969. "Phonological history of Wu." Ph.D. diss., \)niversity of California, Berkeley. ' ---. 1981. "The linguistic history of South China: Miao-Yao and Southern dialects." Typescript. 'Barnes, Dayle. 1982. "Nationalism and the Mandarin movement: The first half- century." In Cooper 1982, pp. 260-90. Beijing Language Institute. 1971. Ele"'Jentary'Chitiese. P}!king: Shangwu Press. ---. 1980. Elementary Chinese readers. Peking: Foreign l:anguage Press. Bielenstein, Hans. 1947. "The census of'China during the period 2-742 A.D." BMFEA 19:125-63. ---. 1959. "The Chinese colonizatio'n ot Fukien until the end ofT'ang." Stu­ dia Serica Bernhard Karlgren Dedicata, ed. Seren Egerod, 'pp. 98-122. Copenhagen: E. Munksgaard. Bloom, Alfred. 1981. The linguistic shaping of thought: A study in the impact of language on thinking in China and the West: Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. • ' Bloomfield, Leonard. 1933. Lan!J!Iage. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Bodman, Nicholas Cleaveland. l967. "Historical linguistics." In Sebeok 1967, pp. 3-58. Bolinger, Dwight. 1975. Aspects of language. 2d ed. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. .. Boltz, William' G. 1967_:1968. "Canton: The Seville of Chi~a." Romance Philol­ ogy 21: 171-74. Boyle, Elizabeth. 1970. Cantonese Basic Course. Washington, D.C.: FSI. Cao Bohan. 1949. "Tile .Chinese language movement since the May Fourth period." In Seybolt and Chiang 1979, pp. 26-41. Catford, J. C 1977. Fundamental problems in phonetics. Blopmington: Indiana University Press. · Chang\ K. C., ed. 1977. Food in chinese culture. New Haven: Yale .University Press. 316 GENE.RAL BIBLIOGRAPHY Chao, Yuen Ren. 1928. Xiandai W:u-yu (,i~ yanjiu [Studies. on the modem Wu dialects]. Peking: Qinghua xuexiao yanjiuyuan. · ---. 19]4. "The non-un!queness of. phonemic sqluti_9ns of phonetic systems." BIHP 4.4: 363-97. Reprinted in Readings in linguistics, ed. Martin Joos, pp. 38-54. Washington, D.C.: ACLS. ---. 1941. "Pistinctiohs within Ancient Chinese," Iff4S 5: 223-27. ---. 1947. 'Cantonese primer, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. ---. 1948a. Mandarin primer, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Uni~ersity Press --"-. 1948li. Hubei /angyan diaocha baogao [Report on a survey of the dialects of Hubei]. Shanghai: Shangwu Yinshu-guan. ---. 1968. A grammar of spoken Chinese. Berkeley: University of California Press. · ---. 1970. Language and symbolic systems. Cambridge: Cambridge Universi­ ty Press. ---. 1976a. Aspects of Chinese sociolinguistics. Stanford: Stanford Universi­ ty Press. ---. 1976b. "Contrasting aspects of the Wu dialects." In Chao 1976a, pp. ~4-47. ' ---. 1976c. "What is correct Chinese.?" In Chao 1976a, pp. 72-83. ---. 1976d. "Some contrastive aspects of the Chinese National Language Movement." In Chao 1976a, pp. 97-105. ---. 1976e. "Notes on Chinese grammar and logic." In Chao 1976a, pp. 237-49': Ch'en Chih-mat 1966. Chinese ,calligrap'hers and their art. Melbourne: Mel­ bourne Univer~ity Press. Chen, S. H. 1973. "Lang~age and literature under Communism." in Wu 1973, pp. 705-35. Cheng, Chjn-chuan. 1973. A synchronic phonology .of Mandarin. :rhe Hague: ' Mouton. Chiang Yee. 1973. Chinese calligraphy. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univrrsity Press. Cohe~,'Myron L. 1968. "The Hakka or 'Guest People': Dialect as a sociocultural variable in southeaster~ China." Ethnohistory 15: 237-92. Cooper, Rqber,t L., ed. 1982. Language spread: Studies in diffusion and social change. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Cressey, George B. 1955. Land of the 500 million. New York: McGraw-Hill. peBary, Wm. Theoqore, Wing-Tsit Chan and Chester Tan. 1960. So~rces of Chinese tradition II. New York: Columbia University Press., DeFrancis, John. 1950. Nationalism and language reform·in Cqina. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ---. 1967. "Language l}nd script reform." In Sebeok 1~6,7, pp. 130-50. ---. 1976. Beginning Chinese. 2d. rev. ed. New Haven: Yale University Press, --. 1984. The Chinese l{:lnguage: Fact and fantasy. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Dobson, W.A.C.H. 1959. Late Archaic Chinese: A grammatical study. Toronto: Univet;sity of Toronto Press. , ---. 1962. Early Archaic Chinese: A descriptive grammar. Toronto: Univer- GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY 317 sity of Toronto Press. --. 19,64. Late Han Chinese: A study·of the Archaic. Han shift. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Dong Tqnghe. 1,95.4. Zhongguo yuyin-shi [The history ~f Chinese phonology]. Taipei: China Cultural Publication Foundation. --. 1974. Hanyu yinyun-xue [The study of Chinese phonology]. Taipei: Yingyu Publishing Company. Downer, G. B. 1959. "Derivation by tone-change ip Classi<;al Chinese." BSOAS 22:258-90. Dreyer, June Teufel. 1976. China's forty millions. Cambridge, Mass.: l;:larvard University Press. Egerod, Sererl. 1967. "Dialectology." in Sebeok 1967,-pp. 91-129. --. 1979. Obituary fo~Bernhard Karlgren. In Annual Newsletter o(the Scan­ dinavian Institute of Asian Studies 13: 1-24'. Elman, Benjamin A. 1983. Review of Bloom 1981. ]AS 42.3 (May): 611-14. Emeneau, Murray B. 1980. Language and linguistic area, Stanford: Stanford Uni­ 'versity Press Fang Shiduo.1965. Wushi-nian lai Zhongguo guoyu'yundong-sbi [The histqry of China's National Language Movement over the past fifty, years]. Taipei: Guoyu Ribao-she. Feifel, Eugen. 1967. Geschichte der chinesischen Literatur. Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung. Fenn, Henry C. and M. Gardner Tewksbury. 1967. ,Speak Mandatin. New Haven:, Yale University Press. Forrest, R.A.D._1948. The Chinese language. London: Faber and Faber. Fowler, H. W. 1965. A dictionary of modern English usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Fromkin; Victoria, ed. 1978. Tone: A linguistic survey. New Y.ork: Academic Press. Gao Min~kai..ind Liu Zhengtan. 1958. Xiandf:i Hanyu wailai-ci yanjiu [A study of foreign words in modern Chinese]. Peking: Wenzi Gaige Chuban-she. Gibson, Eleanor J. and Harry Levin. 1975. The psychology of reading. Cam­ bridge, Mass.: MIT Press. Hansen, Chad. 1983. Language and logic in ancient China. Ann Arbor: Univer­ sity of Michigan Press. Hartman, Lawton M. 1944. "The segmental phonemes of the Peiping dialect." Language,20: 28-42. Hartwell, Robert M. 1982.. "Demographic, political, and social transformations of China, 750-1550." H]AS 42.2: 365-442. Hashimoto, Mantaro J. 1973. The Hakka dialect: .A linguistic study of its pho­ nology, syntax, and lexicon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ---. 1976. "The agrarian and pastoral diffusion of languages." In Genetic relationship, diffusion and typological similarities of.East & Southeast Asian languages. Tokyo: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. ---. 1978a. Gengo ruikei chiri-ron [Linguistic cypogeography]. Tokyo: Kobun-do. -----.-. 1978b. Phonology
Recommended publications

  • Mon-Khmer Studies Volume 41

    Mon-Khmer Studies VOLUME 42 The journal of Austroasiatic languages and cultures Established 1964 Copyright for these papers vested in the authors Released under Creative Commons Attribution License Volume 42 Editors: Paul Sidwell Brian Migliazza ISSN: 0147-5207 Website: http://mksjournal.org Published in 2013 by: Mahidol University (Thailand) SIL International (USA) Contents Papers (Peer reviewed) K. S. NAGARAJA, Paul SIDWELL, Simon GREENHILL A Lexicostatistical Study of the Khasian Languages: Khasi, Pnar, Lyngngam, and War 1-11 Michelle MILLER A Description of Kmhmu’ Lao Script-Based Orthography 12-25 Elizabeth HALL A phonological description of Muak Sa-aak 26-39 YANIN Sawanakunanon Segment timing in certain Austroasiatic languages: implications for typological classification 40-53 Narinthorn Sombatnan BEHR A comparison between the vowel systems and the acoustic characteristics of vowels in Thai Mon and BurmeseMon: a tendency towards different language types 54-80 P. K. CHOUDHARY Tense, Aspect and Modals in Ho 81-88 NGUYỄN Anh-Thư T. and John C. L. INGRAM Perception of prominence patterns in Vietnamese disyllabic words 89-101 Peter NORQUEST A revised inventory of Proto Austronesian consonants: Kra-Dai and Austroasiatic Evidence 102-126 Charles Thomas TEBOW II and Sigrid LEW A phonological description of Western Bru, Sakon Nakhorn variety, Thailand 127-139 Notes, Reviews, Data-Papers Jonathan SCHMUTZ The Ta’oi Language and People i-xiii Darren C. GORDON A selective Palaungic linguistic bibliography xiv-xxxiii Nathaniel CHEESEMAN, Jennifer
  • Earthquake Engineering and Hazards Reduction in China

    Earthquake Engineering and Hazards Reduction in China

    CSCPRC REPORT NO.8 Earthquake Engineering and Hazards Reduction in China A Trip Report of the American Earthquake Engineering and Hazards Reduction Delegation Edited by Paul C. Jennings Submitted to the Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Washington, D.C. 1980 NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the Councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the Committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance. This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors ac­ cording to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. This exchange was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. This visit was part of the exchange program operated by the Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China, founded jointly in 1966 by the American Council of Learned Socie­ ties, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Social Science Research Council. Sources of funding for the Committee include the National Science Foundation, the International Communications Agency, the Ford Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
  • International Military Cartridge Rifles and Bayonets

    International Military Cartridge Rifles and Bayonets

    INTERNATIONAL MILITARY CARTRIDGE RIFLES AND BAYONETS The following table lists the most common international military rifles, their chambering, along with the most common bayonet types used with each. This list is not exhaustive, but is intended as a quick reference that covers the types most commonly encountered by today’s collectors. A Note Regarding Nomenclature: The blade configuration is listed, in parentheses, following the type. There is no precise dividing line between what blade length constitutes a knife bayonet vs. a sword bayonet. Blades 10-inches or shorter are typically considered knife bayonets. Blades over 12-inches are typically considered sword bayonets. Within the 10-12 inch range, terms are not consistently applied. For purposes of this chart, I have designated any blade over 12 inches as a sword bayonet. Country Rifle Cartridge Bayonet (type) Argentina M1879 Remington 11.15 x 58R Spanish M1879 (sword) Rolling-Block M1888 Commission 8 x 57 mm. M1871 (sword) Rifle M1871/84 (knife) M1891 Mauser 7.65 x 53 mm. M1891 (sword) M1891 Mauser 7.65 x 53 mm. None Cavalry Carbine M1891 Mauser 7.65 x 53 mm. M1891/22 (knife) Engineer Carbine [modified M1879] M1891/22 (knife) [new made] M1909 Mauser 7.65 x 53 mm. M1909 First Pattern (sword) M1909 Second Pattern (sword) M1909/47 (sword) M1909 Mauser 7.65 x 53 mm. M1909 Second Cavalry Carbine Pattern (sword) M1909/47 (sword) FN Model 1949 7.65 x 53 mm. FN Model 1949 (knife) FN-FAL 7.62 mm. NATO FAL Type A (knife) FAL Type C (socket) © Ralph E. Cobb 2007 all rights reserved Rev.
  • LCSH Section K

    LCSH Section K

    K., Rupert (Fictitious character) Motion of K stars in line of sight Ka-đai language USE Rupert (Fictitious character : Laporte) Radial velocity of K stars USE Kadai languages K-4 PRR 1361 (Steam locomotive) — Orbits Ka’do Herdé language USE 1361 K4 (Steam locomotive) UF Galactic orbits of K stars USE Herdé language K-9 (Fictitious character) (Not Subd Geog) K stars—Galactic orbits Ka’do Pévé language UF K-Nine (Fictitious character) BT Orbits USE Pévé language K9 (Fictitious character) — Radial velocity Ka Dwo (Asian people) K 37 (Military aircraft) USE K stars—Motion in line of sight USE Kadu (Asian people) USE Junkers K 37 (Military aircraft) — Spectra Ka-Ga-Nga script (May Subd Geog) K 98 k (Rifle) K Street (Sacramento, Calif.) UF Script, Ka-Ga-Nga USE Mauser K98k rifle This heading is not valid for use as a geographic BT Inscriptions, Malayan K.A.L. Flight 007 Incident, 1983 subdivision. Ka-houk (Wash.) USE Korean Air Lines Incident, 1983 BT Streets—California USE Ozette Lake (Wash.) K.A. Lind Honorary Award K-T boundary Ka Iwi National Scenic Shoreline (Hawaii) USE Moderna museets vänners skulpturpris USE Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary UF Ka Iwi Scenic Shoreline Park (Hawaii) K.A. Linds hederspris K-T Extinction Ka Iwi Shoreline (Hawaii) USE Moderna museets vänners skulpturpris USE Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction BT National parks and reserves—Hawaii K-ABC (Intelligence test) K-T Mass Extinction Ka Iwi Scenic Shoreline Park (Hawaii) USE Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children USE Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction USE Ka Iwi National Scenic Shoreline (Hawaii) K-B Bridge (Palau) K-TEA (Achievement test) Ka Iwi Shoreline (Hawaii) USE Koro-Babeldaod Bridge (Palau) USE Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement USE Ka Iwi National Scenic Shoreline (Hawaii) K-BIT (Intelligence test) K-theory Ka-ju-ken-bo USE Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test [QA612.33] USE Kajukenbo K.
  • Deictic Elements in Hyow and Kuki-Chin

    Deictic Elements in Hyow and Kuki-Chin

    Deictic Elements in Hyow and Kuki-Chin Kenneth P. Baclawski Jr Dartmouth College Program in Linguistics and Cognitive Science May 2012 1 1 Acknowledgements This thesis is indebted to the fieldwork and guidance of my advisor David A. Peterson, the dedicated work of Zakaria Rehman, and the cooperation of the Hyow people of Bangladesh. My second reader Timothy Pulju has also given invaluable feedback on earlier drafts of the manuscript. I would also like to thank Daniel Bruhn and James Matisoff at the Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus project at the University of California – Berkeley for their resources and kind support. The study is based in part on Hyow texts collected by Zakaria Rehman under NSF grant #BCS-0349021 to Dartmouth College (David A. Peterson, P.I.). My own research stems from earlier projects made possible by the James O. Freedman Presidential Scholars Program and the Leslie Embs Bradford 1977 and Charles C. Bradford Fund for Undergraduate Research. i Contents Abbreviations Used vi Introduction viii Chapter 1: Basic Phonology and Morphology of Hyow 1 1.1 Phonology 1 1.1.1 Consonant Phonemes 1 1.1.2 Vowel Phonemes 3 1.1.3 Diphthongs 4 1.2 The Hyow Syllable 5 1.2.1 The Syllable Canon 5 1.2.2 Tone 6 1.2.3 Sesquisyllabic Roots 7 1.3 The Phonological Word 8 1.4 Lexical Morphology 9 1.4.1 Noun Compounding 9 1.4.2 Verb Stem Formatives 10 1.4.3 Verb Stem Ablaut 12 1.5 Inflectional Morphology 14 1.5.1 Nominal Morphology 14 1.5.2 Verbal Morphology 15 1.6 Numerals 17 1.7 Verbal Participant Coding 18 1.7.1 Basic Paradigm
  • The Zuozhuan Account of the Death of King Zhao of Chu and Its Sources

    The Zuozhuan Account of the Death of King Zhao of Chu and Its Sources

    SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS Number 159 August, 2005 The Zuozhuan Account of the Death of King Zhao of Chu and Its Sources by Jens Østergaard Petersen Victor H. Mair, Editor Sino-Platonic Papers Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305 USA [email protected] www.sino-platonic.org SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS FOUNDED 1986 Editor-in-Chief VICTOR H. MAIR Associate Editors PAULA ROBERTS MARK SWOFFORD ISSN 2157-9679 (print) 2157-9687 (online) SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS is an occasional series dedicated to making available to specialists and the interested public the results of research that, because of its unconventional or controversial nature, might otherwise go unpublished. The editor-in-chief actively encourages younger, not yet well established, scholars and independent authors to submit manuscripts for consideration. Contributions in any of the major scholarly languages of the world, including romanized modern standard Mandarin (MSM) and Japanese, are acceptable. In special circumstances, papers written in one of the Sinitic topolects (fangyan) may be considered for publication. Although the chief focus of Sino-Platonic Papers is on the intercultural relations of China with other peoples, challenging and creative studies on a wide variety of philological subjects will be entertained. This series is not the place for safe, sober, and stodgy presentations. Sino- Platonic Papers prefers lively work that, while taking reasonable risks to advance the field, capitalizes on brilliant new insights into the development of civilization. Submissions are regularly sent out to be refereed, and extensive editorial suggestions for revision may be offered. Sino-Platonic Papers emphasizes substance over form.
  • Cantonese Vs. Mandarin: a Summary

    Cantonese Vs. Mandarin: a Summary

    Cantonese vs. Mandarin: A summary JMFT October 21, 2015 This short essay is intended to summarise the similarities and differences between Cantonese and Mandarin. 1 Introduction The large geographical area that is referred to as `China'1 is home to many languages and dialects. Most of these languages are related, and fall under the umbrella term Hanyu (¡£), a term which is usually translated as `Chinese' and spoken of as though it were a unified language. In fact, there are hundreds of dialects and varieties of Chinese, which are not mutually intelligible. With 910 million speakers worldwide2, Mandarin is by far the most common dialect of Chinese. `Mandarin' or `guanhua' originally referred to the language of the mandarins, the government bureaucrats who were based in Beijing. This language was based on the Bejing dialect of Chinese. It was promoted by the Qing dynasty (1644{1912) and later the People's Republic (1949{) as the country's lingua franca, as part of efforts by these governments to establish political unity. Mandarin is now used by most people in China and Taiwan. 3 Mandarin itself consists of many subvarities which are not mutually intelligible. Cantonese (Yuetyu (£) is named after the city Canton, whose name is now transliterated as Guangdong. It is spoken in Hong Kong and Macau (with a combined population of around 8 million), and, owing to these cities' former colonial status, by many overseas Chinese. In the rest of China, Cantonese is relatively rare, but it is still sometimes spoken in Guangzhou. 2 History and etymology It is interesting to note that the Cantonese name for Cantonese, Yuetyu, means `language of the Yuet people'.
  • Volume 4-2:2011

    Volume 4-2:2011

    JSEALS Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society Managing Editor: Paul Sidwell (Pacific Linguistics, Canberra) Editorial Advisory Board: Mark Alves (USA) George Bedell (Thailand) Marc Brunelle (Canada) Gerard Diffloth (Cambodia) Marlys Macken (USA) Brian Migliazza (USA) Keralapura Nagaraja (India) Peter Norquest (USA) Amara Prasithrathsint (Thailand) Martha Ratliff (USA) Sophana Srichampa (Thailand) Justin Watkins (UK) JSEALS is the peer-reviewed journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society, and is devoted to publishing research on the languages of mainland and insular Southeast Asia. It is an electronic journal, distributed freely by Pacific Linguistics (www.pacling.com) and the JSEALS website (jseals.org). JSEALS was formally established by decision of the SEALS 17 meeting, held at the University of Maryland in September 2007. It supersedes the Conference Proceedings, previously published by Arizona State University and later by Pacific Linguistics. JSEALS welcomes articles that are topical, focused on linguistic (as opposed to cultural or anthropological) issues, and which further the lively debate that characterizes the annual SEALS conferences. Although we expect in practice that most JSEALS articles will have been presented and discussed at the SEALS conference, submission is open to all regardless of their participation in SEALS meetings. Papers are expected to be written in English. Each paper is reviewed by at least two scholars, usually a member of the Advisory Board and one or more independent readers. Reviewers are volunteers, and we are grateful for their assistance in ensuring the quality of this publication. As an additional service we also admit data papers, reports and notes, subject to an internal review process.
  • Highlights from Three Language Families in Southwest China

    Highlights from Three Language Families in Southwest China

    Highlights from three Language Families in Southwest China Matthias Gerner RFLR Monographs Matthias Gerner Highlights from three Language Families in Southwest China RFLR Monographs Volume 3 Matthias Gerner Highlights from three Language Families in Southwest China Burmese-Lolo, Tai-Kadai, Miao Research Foundation Language and Religion e-Book ISBN 978-3-947306-91-6 e-Book DOI https://doi.org/10.23772/9783947306916 Print ISBN 978-3-947306-90-9 Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie and available in the Internet at https://www.dnb.de. © 2019 Research Foundation Language and Religion Duisburg, Germany https://www.rflr.org Printing and binding: Print Simply GmbH, Frankfurt Printed in Germany IX Acknowledgement God created rare language phenomena like those hidden in the Burmese-Lolo, Tai-Kadai and Miao languages which are the subject of this monograph (Proverbs 25:2). I am grateful to Emil Reschke and Siegfried Lechner of Research Foundation Language and Religion for their kind assistance. The following native speakers have provided helpful discussion: Michael Mǎhǎi 马海, Zhū Wén Xù 朱文旭, Hú Sùhúa 胡素华, Āyù Jĭpō 阿育几坡, Shí Défù 石德富, Zhāng Yǒngxiáng 张永祥, Wú Zhèngbiāo 吴正彪, Xióng Yùyǒu 熊玉有, Zhāng Yǒng 张勇, Wú Shìhuá 吴世华, Shí Lín 石林, Yáng Chéngxīng 杨成星, Lǐ Xùliàn 李旭练. The manuscript received feedback from colleagues who commented on the data presented at eleven international conferences between 2006 and 2016. Thanks are due to Jens Weigel for the cover design and to Jason Kline for proofreading the manuscript. X Preface The Burmese-Lolo, Tai-Kadai, Miao-Yao and Chinese languages form a loose Sprachbund in Southwest China with hundreds of languages coexisting and assimilating to each other.
  • A Comparative Analysis of the Simplification of Chinese Characters in Japan and China

    A Comparative Analysis of the Simplification of Chinese Characters in Japan and China

    CONTRASTING APPROACHES TO CHINESE CHARACTER REFORM: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE SIMPLIFICATION OF CHINESE CHARACTERS IN JAPAN AND CHINA A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I AT MĀNOA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN ASIAN STUDIES AUGUST 2012 By Kei Imafuku Thesis Committee: Alexander Vovin, Chairperson Robert Huey Dina Rudolph Yoshimi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express deep gratitude to Alexander Vovin, Robert Huey, and Dina R. Yoshimi for their Japanese and Chinese expertise and kind encouragement throughout the writing of this thesis. Their guidance, as well as the support of the Center for Japanese Studies, School of Pacific and Asian Studies, and the East-West Center, has been invaluable. i ABSTRACT Due to the complexity and number of Chinese characters used in Chinese and Japanese, some characters were the target of simplification reforms. However, Japanese and Chinese simplifications frequently differed, resulting in the existence of multiple forms of the same character being used in different places. This study investigates the differences between the Japanese and Chinese simplifications and the effects of the simplification techniques implemented by each side. The more conservative Japanese simplifications were achieved by instating simpler historical character variants while the more radical Chinese simplifications were achieved primarily through the use of whole cursive script forms and phonetic simplification techniques. These techniques, however, have been criticized for their detrimental effects on character recognition, semantic and phonetic clarity, and consistency – issues less present with the Japanese approach. By comparing the Japanese and Chinese simplification techniques, this study seeks to determine the characteristics of more effective, less controversial Chinese character simplifications.
  • Language Contact in Nanning: Nanning Pinghua and Nanning Cantonese

    Language Contact in Nanning: Nanning Pinghua and Nanning Cantonese

    20140303 draft of : de Sousa, Hilário. 2015a. Language contact in Nanning: Nanning Pinghua and Nanning Cantonese. In Chappell, Hilary (ed.), Diversity in Sinitic languages, 157–189. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Do not quote or cite this draft. LANGUAGE CONTACT IN NANNING — FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF NANNING PINGHUA AND NANNING CANTONESE1 Hilário de Sousa Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, École des hautes études en sciences sociales — ERC SINOTYPE project 1 Various topics discussed in this paper formed the body of talks given at the following conferences: Syntax of the World’s Languages IV, Dynamique du Langage, CNRS & Université Lumière Lyon 2, 2010; Humanities of the Lesser-Known — New Directions in the Descriptions, Documentation, and Typology of Endangered Languages and Musics, Lunds Universitet, 2010; 第五屆漢語方言語法國際研討會 [The Fifth International Conference on the Grammar of Chinese Dialects], 上海大学 Shanghai University, 2010; Southeast Asian Linguistics Society Conference 21, Kasetsart University, 2011; and Workshop on Ecology, Population Movements, and Language Diversity, Université Lumière Lyon 2, 2011. I would like to thank the conference organizers, and all who attended my talks and provided me with valuable comments. I would also like to thank all of my Nanning Pinghua informants, my main informant 梁世華 lɛŋ11 ɬi55wa11/ Liáng Shìhuá in particular, for teaching me their language(s). I have learnt a great deal from all the linguists that I met in Guangxi, 林亦 Lín Yì and 覃鳳餘 Qín Fèngyú of Guangxi University in particular. My colleagues have given me much comments and support; I would like to thank all of them, our director, Prof. Hilary Chappell, in particular. Errors are my own.
  • Mandarin Chinese: an Annotated Bibliography of Self-Study Materials Duncan E

    Mandarin Chinese: an Annotated Bibliography of Self-Study Materials Duncan E

    University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Faculty Publications Law School 2007 Mandarin Chinese: An Annotated Bibliography of Self-Study Materials Duncan E. Alford University of South Carolina - Columbia, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/law_facpub Part of the Legal Profession Commons, Legal Writing and Research Commons, and the Library and Information Science Commons Recommended Citation Duncan E. Alford, Mandarin Chinese: An Annotated Bibliography of Self-Study Materials, 35 Int'l J. Legal Info. 537 (2007) This Article is brought to you by the Law School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Mandarin Chinese: An Annotated Bibliography of Self- Study Materials DUNCAN E. ALFORD The People's Republic of China is currently the seventh largest economy in the world and is projected to be the largest economy by 2050. Commensurate with its growing economic power, the PRC is using its political power more frequently on the world stage. As a result of these changes, interest in China and its legal system is growing among attorneys and academics. International law librarians similarly are seeing more researchers interested in China, its laws and economy. The principal language of China, Mandarin Chinese, is considered a difficult language to learn. The Foreign Service Institute has rated Mandarin as "exceptionally difficult for English speakers to learn." Busy professionals such as law librarians find it very difficult to learn additional languages despite their usefulness in their careers.