LINGUIST List 13.2563

Tue Oct 8 2002

Books: Language Description: Chen

Editor for this issue: Marisa Ferrara <marisalinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. LINCOM.EUROPA, Language Description: Chen

Publication Year: 2002
Publisher: Lincom Europa
 http://home.t-online.de/home/LINCOM.EUROPA/

Author: Zhongmin Chen 

Hardback: ISBN: 3895869783, Pages: 260, Price: USD 80 / EUR 80 / 
 GBP 56
			
Abstract:
			
This study is an analysis of phonological systems and historical
developments of dialects in the Shanghai Area.

Though there are five groups in the area, it is the historical
development of The City group in the period from the 1850's to present
which will be of primary concern to us in this study. There are five
chapters and two appendices in the study. Chapter. One presents the
general information about the location, history, administration, and
population of the area, an overviewof previous studies, and a brief
discussion of the research methods and databases employed in the
study. Chapter Two addresss the internal divergence between the
dialects and classifies the dialects in the area into five groups. The
analysis includes the criteria of the classification, the
classification of the dialects, and the historical-cultural background
of the classification. I treat the characteristics of tonal systems as
a principal criterion in classifying the dialects in the area into
five groups. Finally, a brief description of the phonological systems
of the four representative dialects in the suburban area will be
given. Chapter Three is a description of the phonological system of
The City group. The sound system of The City group is based on most
people's (majority) pronunciation. The differences between "majority"
and "older", and other variations will be also discussed in this
chapter. Chapter Four presents a discussion of some major sound
changes in the dialects. This analysis includes tonal developments,
pre-glottalized stops and their developments, the difference between
literary and colloquial readings, and the pronunciation strata of the
Yu rhyme category of Middle Chinese. Chapter Five discusses the major
sound changes that have occurred in The City group from the 1850's to
present by comparing the four sound systems from three
periods. Appendix One is the language atlas in the area. There are
twenty-five maps in this appendix, including administrative maps, two
maps on the classification of the dialects, and twenty-one maps of
language features. Appendix Two is a comparative morpheme-syllabary.

The pronunciations of more than 2,000 characters from the five groups
are listed in this appendix.
			
Lingfield(s): Language Description
			 
Subject Language(s): Chinese, Wu (Language Code: WUU)

Written In: English (Language Code: ENG)