A Phonological History of Chinese

Zhongwei Shen (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)

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English

Cambridge University Press
30 November 2024

linguistics; Historical & comparative linguistics; Phonetics, phonology

The phonological history of Chinese can be traced back to two main traditions: one starting with the Qieyun of 601, and the other starting with the Zhongyuan Yinyun of 1324. The former marks the beginning of Middle Chinese, and the latter marks the beginning of Old Mandarin. Both of these systems, as well as reconstructed Old Chinese, should be understood as ideal phonological standards and composite in nature. Until modern times, phonological standards were never based strictly on the phonology of a single dialect. This book provides the first study written in English, of the phonological history of Chinese. It provides information about the standard phonological systems for each of the language's major historical periods, drawing on a range of historical materials such as dictionaries, rhyming tables and poetry, and is the reference book for understanding the key developments in the Chinese sound system.

By: Zhongwei Shen (University of Massachusetts Amherst)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 635g
ISBN: 9781316501658
ISBN 10: 1316501655
Pages: 440
Publication Date: 30 November 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Zhongwei Shen is a Full Professor of Chinese Linguistics in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He has served as a co-editor of the Journal of Chinese Linguistics, and the co-editor-in-chief of the Bulletin of Chinese Linguistics.

Reviews for A Phonological History of Chinese

'This volume presents a balanced account of what is currently known about the phonological history of Chinese and opens a window for future work in the area with an emphasis on language contact. Much fruitful fundamental research lies ahead! Very few languages in the world offer the kind of time depth and rich cultural history that is presented in this volume. It is a great pleasure for me to highly recommend the volume, not only to readers in linguistics, but to all readers who are interested in a fascinating chapter of human history.' William S-Y. Wang, Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Hong Kong Polytechnic University