Modern Chinese : History and Sociolinguistics

by Chen, Ping

• ISBN13: 9780511036453
• ISBN10: 0511036450
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780511036453, 9780511036453
• Additional ISBN(s): 9780511036453, 9780521645720
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 1999-04-01
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The Chinese language, spoken by over one billion people, has undergone drastic changes over the past century in a way unparalleled at any time previously. This book presents a comprehensive account of the development of Modern Chinese from the late nineteenth century up to the 1990s, concentrating on three major aspects: Modern Spoken Chinese, Modern Written Chinese, and the Modern Chinese writing system. It describes and analyses in detail, from historical and sociolinguistic perspectives, the establishment and promotion of Modern Spoken Chinese and Modern Written Chinese and the reform of the Chinese script. Through an integrated discussion of these three areas of the language it highlights the close interrelationships between them and reveals the interaction of linguistic, historical and social factors in the development of Modern Chinese.

Table of Contents

Tables	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgements	p. xiii
Abbreviations	p. xiv
Introduction	p. 1
Modern Spoken Chinese	p. 5
Establishment and Promotion of Modern Spoken Chinese	p. 7
Norms and Variations of Modern Standard Chinese	p. 34
The Standard and Dialects	p. 50
Modern Written Chinese	p. 65
Development and Promotion of Modern Written Chinese	p. 67
Norms and Variations of Modern Written Chinese	p. 91
Dialect Writing	p. 114
The Modern Chinese Writing System	p. 129
Basic Features of the Chinese Writing System	p. 131
Simpli.Cation of the Traditional Writing System	p. 148
Phonetization of Chinese	p. 164
Use and Reform of the Chinese Writing System: Present and Future	p. 191
Conclusion	p. 202
Notes	p. 204
References	p. 210
Index	p. 222
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.