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Modern Chinese: History and Sociolinguistics

Modern Chinese: History and Sociolinguistics

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Ping Chen
Cambridge University Press, 4/1/1999
EAN 9780521641975, ISBN10: 0521641977

Hardcover, 244 pages, 23.6 x 15.8 x 2.1 cm
Language: English

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.

List of tables
Preface
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
1. Introduction
Part I. Modern Spoken Chinese
2. Establishment and promotion of Modern Spoken Chinese
3. Norms and variations of Modern Standard Chinese
4. The standard and dialects
Part II. Modern Written Chinese
5. Development and promotion of Modern Written Chinese
6. Norms and variations of Modern Written Chinese
7. Dialect writing
Part III. The Modern Chinese Writing System
8. Basic features of the Chinese writing system
9. Simplification of the traditional writing system
10. Phonetization of Chinese
11. Use and reform of the Chinese writing system
present and future
12. Conclusion
Notes
References
Index.