Table Of ContentA History of the Chinese Language
(cid:4)(cid:3)(cid:44)(cid:349)(cid:400)(cid:410)(cid:381)(cid:396)(cid:455)(cid:3)(cid:381)(cid:296)(cid:3)(cid:410)(cid:346)(cid:286)(cid:3)(cid:18)(cid:346)(cid:349)(cid:374)(cid:286)(cid:400)(cid:286)(cid:3)(cid:62)(cid:258)(cid:374)(cid:336)(cid:437)(cid:258)(cid:336)(cid:286)(cid:3)provides a comprehensive introduc(cid:415) on to the
historical development of the Chinese language from its proto Sino-Tibetan roots in
prehistoric (cid:415) mes to Modern Standard Chinese. Taking a highly accessible and balanced
approach, it presents a chronological survey of the various stages of Chinese language
development, covering crucial aspects such as phonology, syntax and seman(cid:415) cs.
Features include:
● Coverage of the key historical stages in Chinese language development – such as
Old Chinese, Middle Chinese, Early Modern Chinese, Modern Standard Chinese and
regional varie(cid:415) es.
● Treatment of core linguis(cid:415) c aspects of the Chinese language – including phono-
logical changes, gramma(cid:415) cal development, lexical evolu(cid:415) on, vernacular wri(cid:415) ng,
Chinese characters and Modern Chinese dialects.
● Inclusion of many authen(cid:415) c Chinese legends and texts throughout the book,
presented through a rigorous framework of linguis(cid:415) c analysis to help students to
build up strong cri(cid:415) cal and evalua(cid:415) ve skills and acquire valuable cultural knowledge.
● Integra(cid:415) on of materials from di(cid:299) erent disciplines – such as archaeology, anthro-
pology, history and sociolinguis(cid:415) cs – to highlight the cultural and social background
of each period of the language.
● Helpful appendices to aid students with no prior knowledge of linguis(cid:415) cs or the
Chinese language.
● A companion website www.routledge.com/cw/dong o(cid:299) ering a wealth of supple-
mentary resources such as addi(cid:415) onal exercises, answer keys and audio recordings
of the sounds of Middle and Old Chinese.
Wri(cid:425) en by a highly experienced instructor, (cid:4)(cid:3)(cid:44)(cid:349)(cid:400)(cid:410)(cid:381)(cid:396)(cid:455)(cid:3)(cid:381)(cid:296)(cid:3)(cid:410)(cid:346)(cid:286)(cid:3)(cid:18)(cid:346)(cid:349)(cid:374)(cid:286)(cid:400)(cid:286)(cid:3)(cid:62)(cid:258)(cid:374)(cid:336)(cid:437)(cid:258)(cid:336)(cid:286)(cid:3)is an
essen(cid:415) al resource for beginner students of Chinese language and linguis(cid:415) cs and for
anyone interested in the history and culture of China.
Hongyuan Dong is Assistant Professor of Chinese Language and Linguis(cid:415) cs at The
George Washington University, USA.
“This is an important and valuable book for anyone interested in the Chinese
language and its history. It o(cid:299) ers a gripping account of what the language was like a
thousand years ago and how it reached its present state. The author’s clear and
reader-friendly style makes it a pleasure to read.”
Boping Yuan, (cid:104)(cid:374)(cid:349)(cid:448)(cid:286)(cid:396)(cid:400)(cid:349)(cid:410)(cid:455)(cid:3)(cid:381)(cid:296)(cid:3)(cid:18)(cid:258)(cid:373)(cid:271)(cid:396)(cid:349)(cid:282)(cid:336)(cid:286)(cid:853)(cid:3)(cid:104)(cid:60)
“The book takes us on a very interes(cid:415) ng journey through the history of the Chinese
language. The subheadings catch our imagina(cid:415) on and lead us into a rich world by
showing the language through a social and historical perspec(cid:415) ve. The reader-
friendly approach makes the reading enjoyable…a good reference for students and
teachers of Chinese as well as for scholars interested in the Chinese language.”
Lianyi Song, (cid:94)(cid:75)(cid:4)(cid:94)(cid:853)(cid:3)(cid:104)(cid:60)
“Students and amateur linguists interested in the history of Chinese language have
not always been able to (cid:302) nd introductory-level materials wri(cid:425) en in English on the
topic; (cid:4)(cid:3)(cid:44)(cid:349)(cid:400)(cid:410)(cid:381)(cid:396)(cid:455)(cid:3)(cid:381)(cid:296)(cid:3)(cid:410)(cid:346)(cid:286)(cid:3)(cid:18)(cid:346)(cid:349)(cid:374)(cid:286)(cid:400)(cid:286)(cid:3)(cid:62)(cid:258)(cid:374)(cid:336)(cid:437)(cid:258)(cid:336)(cid:286)(cid:3)remedies this lack most commendably. The
author has done a marvelous job in condensing the vast landscape of the historical
development of Chinese languages into a brief but comprehensive single volume – a
careful synthesis of Chinese linguistic facts, non-controversial research
accomplishments, and fundamental facts about the history of Chinese language
woven together with amusing stories and legends. This neatly packaged history lays
a solid founda(cid:415) on for beginning readers and prepares them for further explora(cid:415) on
of the (cid:302) eld while proving itself a fascina(cid:415) ng, engaging, and absorbing read.”
Song Jiang, (cid:100)(cid:346)(cid:286)(cid:3)(cid:104)(cid:374)(cid:349)(cid:448)(cid:286)(cid:396)(cid:400)(cid:349)(cid:410)(cid:455)(cid:3)(cid:381)(cid:296)(cid:3)(cid:44)(cid:258)(cid:449)(cid:258)(cid:349)(cid:859)(cid:349)(cid:3)(cid:258)(cid:410)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:264)(cid:374)(cid:381)(cid:258)(cid:853)(cid:3)(cid:104)(cid:94)(cid:4)
A History of the
Chinese Language
Hongyuan Dong
First published 2014
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
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© 2014 Hongyuan Dong
The right of Hongyuan Dong to be iden(cid:415) (cid:302) ed as author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with sec(cid:415) ons 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or u(cid:415) lised
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
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storage or retrieval system, without permission in wri(cid:415) ng from the publishers.
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the Bri(cid:415) sh Library
(cid:62)(cid:349)(cid:271)(cid:396)(cid:258)(cid:396)(cid:455)(cid:3)(cid:381)(cid:296)(cid:3)(cid:18)(cid:381)(cid:374)(cid:336)(cid:396)(cid:286)(cid:400)(cid:400)(cid:3)(cid:18)(cid:258)(cid:410)(cid:258)(cid:367)(cid:381)(cid:336)(cid:349)(cid:374)(cid:336)(cid:3)(cid:349)(cid:374)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:437)(cid:271)(cid:367)(cid:349)(cid:272)(cid:258)(cid:415)(cid:3)(cid:381)(cid:374)(cid:3)(cid:24)(cid:258)(cid:410)(cid:258)
Dong, Hongyuan, 1976–
A history of the Chinese language / Hongyuan Dong.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Chinese language–History. 2. China–Languages–History. 3. Language and
culture–China. 4. Historical linguis(cid:415) cs–China. I. Title.
PL1075.D64 2014
495.109–dc23
2013041327
ISBN: 978-0-415-66039-6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-66040-2 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-79423-5 (ebk)
Typeset in Calibri
by Saxon Graphics Ltd, Derby
This book is dedicated to the memory of my father, Dong Ruiyun
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Figures
Figure 2.1 A schema(cid:415) c family tree of Sanskrit, Greek and La(cid:415) n 13
Figure 2.2 A schema(cid:415) c family tree of Sino-Tibetan 17
Figure 3.1 Pitch contours of Modern Standard Chinese tones 28
Figure 4.1 A sample page from the (cid:39)(cid:437)(cid:1709)(cid:374)(cid:336)(cid:455)(cid:438)(cid:374)(cid:3) 49
Figure 4.2 A sample page from the (cid:122)(cid:438)(cid:374)(cid:361)(cid:350)(cid:374)(cid:336)(cid:3) 51
Figure 4.3 The tree model of language change 57
Figure 4.4 Grimm’s Law 62
Figure 5.1 A sample page from the (cid:127)(cid:346)(cid:387)(cid:374)(cid:336)(cid:455)(cid:437)(cid:260)(cid:374)(cid:3)(cid:122)(cid:355)(cid:374)(cid:455)(cid:438)(cid:374)(cid:3) 72
Figure 11.1 The rela(cid:415) onship between speech and wri(cid:415) ng 181
Tables
Table 1.1 The major groups of Chinese dialects 4
Table 1.2 Periodiza(cid:415) on of the Chinese language 7
Table 2.1 Indo-European cognate words 12
Table 2.2 Numerals in Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese 14
Table 2.3 Sino-Tibetan cognate words 17
Table 3.1 A sample poem from the (cid:94)(cid:346)(cid:355)(cid:361)(cid:355)(cid:374)(cid:336) 25
Table 3.2 The four tones in Modern Standard Chinese 27
Table 3.3 The syllable structure of Chinese 28
Table 3.4 Sample analysis of the syllable structure of Modern
Standard Chinese 28
Table 3.5 The linking method for rime classes 30
Table 3.6 Examples of xiésh(cid:292)ngzì 31
Table 3.7 Ini(cid:415) als of xiésh(cid:292)ngzì 33
Table 3.8 Labiodental and labial sounds in xiésh(cid:292)ngzì 34
Table 3.9 Dentals and retro(cid:327) ex sounds in xiésh(cid:292)ngzì 34
Table 3.10 Consonant clusters and xiésh(cid:292)ngzì 36
Table 3.11 Old Chinese ini(cid:415) als 41
Table 3.12 Old Chinese rimes 41
Table 4.1 Combina(cid:415) on table of ini(cid:415) als, rimes and tones 50
Table 4.2 The 36 ini(cid:415) als of Yùnjìng 55
Table 4.3 Classes of ini(cid:415) als and rimes in Middle Chinese 56
Table 4.4 A sample reconstruc(cid:415) on 58
Table 4.5 Cognate set for Grimm’s Law 60
Table 4.6 Correspondences for Grimm’s Law 61
Table 4.7 A sample reconstruc(cid:415) on of Middle Chinese ini(cid:415) als 63
Table 4.8 A sample reconstruc(cid:415) on of Middle Chinese rimes
and the d(cid:290)ng 64
Table 4.9 Middle Chinese ini(cid:415) als 66
Table 4.10 Middle Chinese rimes with vocalic codas 67
Table 4.11 Middle Chinese rimes with non-vocalic codas 68
Table 5.1 Early Modern Chinese ini(cid:415) als 75
Table 5.2 Early Modern Chinese rimes 76
