A Handbook of Sinitic Languages, Dialects, and Non-standard Mandarin offers a comprehensive analysis of the linguistic diversity across Chinese-speaking societies. Drawing on original research and leading scholarship, it examines major Sinitic families-Mandarin, Wu, Xiang, Gan, Hakka, Yue, and Min-highlighting structural features, geographic distribution, and sociolinguistic roles. It also explores non-standard Mandarin varieties shaped by contact with speakers' first languages. Comparative analyses of sixty-six expressions across ten languages are paired with annotated transcriptions and translations of sixteen speech samples from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. A Non-standard-Standard Mandarin conversion table, discussion of writing systems, and over an hour of audio recordings make this a vital resource for scholars, students, and advanced learners interested in the past, present, and future of Sinitic languages.
Cambria Sinophone World Series.
About the Author :
Cornelius C. Kubler is the Stanfield Professor of Asian Studies at Williams College, where he teaches courses in Sinitic languages and linguistics. Clement Chu Sing Lau was Associate Dean of Libraries and Director of Zach S. Henderson Library at Georgia Southern University.
Review :
"This book is a must-read for Chinese pedagogy professionals wanting to teach the depth and complexities of Chineseness." -Haohsiang Liao, Director of Chinese Language Program, MIT
"This book is a fine compilation of Standard Mandarin, non-Standard Mandarin forms, and the eight Chinese dialects. A remarkable characteristic of the book is that it includes audio files that are an excellent accompaniment to the textual material. The authors are uniquely qualified to produce such a work, bringing up many small details about the languages, as between them they possess a wealth of knowledge of all the languages covered. Exquisitely detailed, this book will serve as an excellent source for anyone-students and teachers alike-who want to learn or teach the various Chinese languages/dialects in today's complex Chinese language environment." -Jerome L. Packard, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Illinois
