Topics in Chinese Linguistics: Topics in Chinese Linguistics: Introduction to ChineseIntroduction to Chinese

Unit 7: Varieties and Changes

Varieties and ChangesVarieties and Changes

Language is not static. It is under constant change.  

Language is not homogeneous, it has varieties.

Variation and variants

Why does a language change? Why does a language change? The language changes when the society has

some changes  Emergence of new concepts and disappearance

of old things  Language contacts: mobility The internal linguistic rule

The speed of changeThe speed of change

The vocabulary change is the most rapid change

Pronunciation and grammar change slower than vocabulary

New words emergeNew words emerge New words emerge 人造衛星，團伙，責任制， kleenex, xerox New meaning is added to the old words 朋友（女朋友），愛人 The meaning changes (shrinks) 批評，反省 Foreign words

雷達，迪士科，軟件，克隆

Social variance – Social dialectsSocial variance – Social dialects

Variables: age sex profession social economical status

Sexual variation Sexual variation

Prof. C. C. Cheng's software can identify male from female: Female-150Hz or higher, Male - 150Hz or lower

Sexual variation: Pronunciation Sexual variation: Pronunciation The female students' pronunciation of palatal sounds

Syllables with palatal(s) Dentalized Fronted Total 些 (yǒu yì) xiē (some) 31 17 20 急 jí (in a hurry) 14 12 26 雞 jī (rooster/chicken) 10 12 22 寄 jì (to send) 21 10 21 幾 jǐ (several) 11 7 18 細 xì (slender; fine) 9 12 21 積極 jījí (active) 7 10 17 焦急 jiāojí (worried) 3 13 16   Source: Hu, Mingyang. 1991.Feminine accent in the Beijing vernacular: a

sociolinguistic investigation. JCLTA XXVI No.1

Sexual variation: PronunciationSexual variation: Pronunciation

/w/ vs. /v/

為，文，萬，聞wèi, wén, wàn wén

vèi, vén, vàn vén

新聞，一萬，為了，外文xīnwén, yíwàn, wèile, wàijiāo

xīnvén, yívàn, vèile, vàijiāo

Sexual variation: vocabularySexual variation: vocabulary

Shen (1987) womanish accent 娘娘腔

Adding softner particles ：呀，呢，啦，耶 ya, ne, la, ye Male －我今天忙極了。 Female －我今天忙死了。 Wǒ jīntiān máng jí le. Wǒ jīntiān máng sǐ le.

(I am extremely busy today.) (I am busy to death.)

Male －我 wǒ Femal －人家 rénjiā In one sentence: “ 人家想死你了耶！”

Rénjiā xiáng sǐ nǐ le ye!

(I am terribly missing you!)

Sexual variation: Woman scriptSexual variation: Woman script

女書－中國的一種奇特的現象女書－中國的一種奇特的現象

Woman Woman ScriptScript

Shangjiangyu Village, Jiangyong County, Hunan Province

湖南省江永县上江圩乡

Mrs. Yang Huanyi – the last lady who is able to write woman script

最后一位能写女书的杨焕宜老太太

Yi Nianhua Tang Baojin Gao Yinxian

Woman Script vs. Characters Woman Script vs. Characters (1)(1)

Woman Script vs. Characters Woman Script vs. Characters (2)(2)

Woman Script vs. Characters Woman Script vs. Characters (3)(3)

Characteristics of Woman Characteristics of Woman ScriptScript

Based on Hunan dialect 以湖南方言記音Syllabic 一字一音Limited number of syllables 音節有限Non-standardized 不規範

Woman Script and Chinese Woman Script and Chinese CharactersCharacters

Strokes are simpler (maximum of 18 strokes)

Fewer number of woman characters (total number is fewer than 1,000. Commonly used about 400)

Phonetic

Uses of Woman ScriptUses of Woman Script

Religious worship 宗教祭祀Chanting for entertainment 讀唱娛樂Making sworn sisters 結拜姐妹Correspondence 書信來往Complaining and biography 訴苦寫傳Event recording 記事記史

Three sister authors

Burning sheets written in woman script to mourn the dead sisters.

烧女书祭奠去世的姐妹

Young girls’ workshop to learn woman script

年轻女子学认女书

Campus vocabulary in Taiwan Campus vocabulary in Taiwan

鬥陣（一起 together）代誌大條（事態很嚴重 serious situation）520 （我愛你 I love you）LKK （很老氣 old looking） Any more? The students from Taiwan may

contribute.

Hong Kong VocabularyHong Kong Vocabulary

拿士的get the stick

坐的士 take a taxi

去士多 to to the store

食多士 to eat a toast

Hong Kong VocabularyHong Kong Vocabulary

巴士 ( a bus)迷你裙 (mini-skirt)可讀性 (readability)車立 (elevator)

Vocabulary used in the Vocabulary used in the MainlandMainland

反右鬥爭 (the struggle against the rightists) 文革 (Cultural Revolution) 紅五類、黑五類 (red, black five categories) 紙老虎 (paper tiger)

Vocabulary used in the Vocabulary used in the MainlandMainland

先生，小姐，太太，女士＝ >同志 =>師傅老 X，小 X 叔叔－解放軍叔叔 阿姨－保姆，幼兒園老師 獨生子女 愛人，老伴，孩子他爹（娘），老頭（我老頭

出差了）， 我那一口子

Taiwan Guoyu Taiwan Guoyu 台灣國語台灣國語 Phonetic difference 語音差別

No retroflex sound 台灣國語常缺少卷舌音

Modal particle ‘ye’ at the end of sentences

“ ”句尾帶 耶‘Hǎo’ is used for ‘hěn’ “ ” “ ”用 好 代替 很 Vocabulary difference 詞彙差別

Taiwan Guoyu Taiwan Guoyu 台灣國語台灣國語 同志 同性戀 (gay and lesbian) 集裝箱 貨櫃 (container) 激光 鐳射 (laser) 普通話 國語 (Mandarin) 繁體字 正體字 (traditional characters) 出租汽車 計程車 (taxi) 表演 作秀 (to give a show) 電子計算機 電腦 (computer) 電子郵件 電子郵遞 (e-mail)

Taiwan Guoyu Taiwan Guoyu 台灣國語台灣國語

The words that are not used in the mainland.大陸沒有的詞：

寫作診所 (writing clinic)工作坊 (workshop)

Taiwan Guoyu Taiwan Guoyu 台灣國語台灣國語

Grammatical differences 語法差別

用走的有去過電子郵件，用說的嘛也通。

(1999/3/4 sinanet)

Chinese beyond China Chinese beyond China 海外華語海外華語

燕梳 insurance 子子給 market 土庫 basement 柏文 apartment Any more?

SummarySummary

Language is not static and homogeneousVariation exists in phonology, vocabulary

and grammarSocial varieties are related to the social

variablesSocial varieties are equally good