John Strickland
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789888028382
- eISBN:
- 9789882207400
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888028382.003.0073
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This chapter provides reports from administrative officers' visits to the Sai Kung Peninsula which is composed of the Ho Chung Group of Villages, the Pak Sha Wan Group of Villages, the Pak Kong Group ...
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This chapter provides reports from administrative officers' visits to the Sai Kung Peninsula which is composed of the Ho Chung Group of Villages, the Pak Sha Wan Group of Villages, the Pak Kong Group of Villages, Sai Kung Town, the Sha Kok Mei Group of Villages, the Tai Wan Group of Villages, the Tai Mong Tsai Group of Villages, the Pak Tam Chung Group of Villages, East Sai Kung Peninsula, and the Tai Long Group of Villages. It notes that the Sai Kung region is predominantly Hakka with the exception of Sha Kok Mei, Pak Kong, and Ho Chung, which are Cantonese. It reports that the region is entirely agricultural, with a small amount of fishing and rice as the principal crop. It further reports that pig-keeping is the principal source of livelihood in the Ho Chung Valley.Less
This chapter provides reports from administrative officers' visits to the Sai Kung Peninsula which is composed of the Ho Chung Group of Villages, the Pak Sha Wan Group of Villages, the Pak Kong Group of Villages, Sai Kung Town, the Sha Kok Mei Group of Villages, the Tai Wan Group of Villages, the Tai Mong Tsai Group of Villages, the Pak Tam Chung Group of Villages, East Sai Kung Peninsula, and the Tai Long Group of Villages. It notes that the Sai Kung region is predominantly Hakka with the exception of Sha Kok Mei, Pak Kong, and Ho Chung, which are Cantonese. It reports that the region is entirely agricultural, with a small amount of fishing and rice as the principal crop. It further reports that pig-keeping is the principal source of livelihood in the Ho Chung Valley.
James C. Mohr
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195162318
- eISBN:
- 9780199788910
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195162318.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Cases of grave illness began to appear in December 1899 among members of Honolulu's sharply divided Chinese community. Traditional Chinese healers denied the existence of bubonic plague and concealed ...
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Cases of grave illness began to appear in December 1899 among members of Honolulu's sharply divided Chinese community. Traditional Chinese healers denied the existence of bubonic plague and concealed deaths, while pro-Western Chinese physicians, led by Li Khai Fai and Kong Tai Heong, urged disclosure and cooperation with the Board of Health. An autopsy by Board physicians confirmed the presence of bubonic plague on December 12, and a state of emergency was declared the next day.Less
Cases of grave illness began to appear in December 1899 among members of Honolulu's sharply divided Chinese community. Traditional Chinese healers denied the existence of bubonic plague and concealed deaths, while pro-Western Chinese physicians, led by Li Khai Fai and Kong Tai Heong, urged disclosure and cooperation with the Board of Health. An autopsy by Board physicians confirmed the presence of bubonic plague on December 12, and a state of emergency was declared the next day.
Angela S. Chiu
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780824858742
- eISBN:
- 9780824873684
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824858742.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This work is the first in-depth historical study of the Thai tradition of donation of that most iconic of Thai art objects, the Buddha image. The book introduces stories from tamnan(chronicles), ...
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This work is the first in-depth historical study of the Thai tradition of donation of that most iconic of Thai art objects, the Buddha image. The book introduces stories from tamnan(chronicles), monastic histories and legends from the Lanna region centered in today’s northern Thailand. Examination of themes, structures and motifs illuminates the conceptual and material aspects of Buddha images that influenced their functions in Lanna society. As agents and mediators of social agency, Buddha images were focal points of pan-regional political-religious lineages and rivalries, indeed, the very generators of history itself. Statues also unified the Buddha with the northern Thai landscape, integrating Buddhist and local significances of place. The book also compares Thai statues with Sri Lankan and Burmese-Mon Buddha relics and images, contributing to broader understanding of how materially different types of Buddhist representations mediated the Buddha’s ‘presence.’ Moreover, the book considers fundamental yet rarely critically deliberated questions such as how particular statues were selected as models to be copied. This involves the image’s aspect as an exchange of financial outlay for merit, ‘commoditized’ even as it is ‘singularized’ through enshrinement. Throughout its ‘life,’ the Thai Buddha image is always a part of wider society beyond monastery walls.Less
This work is the first in-depth historical study of the Thai tradition of donation of that most iconic of Thai art objects, the Buddha image. The book introduces stories from tamnan(chronicles), monastic histories and legends from the Lanna region centered in today’s northern Thailand. Examination of themes, structures and motifs illuminates the conceptual and material aspects of Buddha images that influenced their functions in Lanna society. As agents and mediators of social agency, Buddha images were focal points of pan-regional political-religious lineages and rivalries, indeed, the very generators of history itself. Statues also unified the Buddha with the northern Thai landscape, integrating Buddhist and local significances of place. The book also compares Thai statues with Sri Lankan and Burmese-Mon Buddha relics and images, contributing to broader understanding of how materially different types of Buddhist representations mediated the Buddha’s ‘presence.’ Moreover, the book considers fundamental yet rarely critically deliberated questions such as how particular statues were selected as models to be copied. This involves the image’s aspect as an exchange of financial outlay for merit, ‘commoditized’ even as it is ‘singularized’ through enshrinement. Throughout its ‘life,’ the Thai Buddha image is always a part of wider society beyond monastery walls.
Angela S. Chiu
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780824858742
- eISBN:
- 9780824873684
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824858742.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter summarizes the main findings of each chapter.
This chapter summarizes the main findings of each chapter.
M. A. Aldrich
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789622097773
- eISBN:
- 9789882207585
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789622097773.003.0056
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
The Great Wall of Ten Thousand Miles is a destination that cannot be omitted from any trip to China. The Great Wall starts from the seacoast at the Pass of the Mountains and Seas on the Bo Hai Gulf ...
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The Great Wall of Ten Thousand Miles is a destination that cannot be omitted from any trip to China. The Great Wall starts from the seacoast at the Pass of the Mountains and Seas on the Bo Hai Gulf and continues towards the Tibetan highlands passing through four provinces as well as Peking and Tianjin municipalities. While it conjures images of antiquity, the Great Wall also was the basis for a delightful urban myth in the 1980s. During the Warring States Period, the various kingdoms in China built extended walls as a tactical defense. Qin Shi implemented this construction project with a vigorous adherence to schedules and brutal treatment for infractions. The three most commonly visited portions of the Great Wall are at Ba Da Ling, Mu Tian Yu, and Si Ma Tai. Both Mu Tian Yu and Si Ma Tai entail a long day trip from Peking, and the trips themselves are worth the effort.Less
The Great Wall of Ten Thousand Miles is a destination that cannot be omitted from any trip to China. The Great Wall starts from the seacoast at the Pass of the Mountains and Seas on the Bo Hai Gulf and continues towards the Tibetan highlands passing through four provinces as well as Peking and Tianjin municipalities. While it conjures images of antiquity, the Great Wall also was the basis for a delightful urban myth in the 1980s. During the Warring States Period, the various kingdoms in China built extended walls as a tactical defense. Qin Shi implemented this construction project with a vigorous adherence to schedules and brutal treatment for infractions. The three most commonly visited portions of the Great Wall are at Ba Da Ling, Mu Tian Yu, and Si Ma Tai. Both Mu Tian Yu and Si Ma Tai entail a long day trip from Peking, and the trips themselves are worth the effort.
John Strickland
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789888028382
- eISBN:
- 9789882207400
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888028382.003.0036
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This chapter provides the administrative officers' reports on details and visits in Lantao Southwest, Shek Pik and Valley, Tai O and Valley, Lantao Central Plateau, Lantao North Coast: Tai O to Tung ...
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This chapter provides the administrative officers' reports on details and visits in Lantao Southwest, Shek Pik and Valley, Tai O and Valley, Lantao Central Plateau, Lantao North Coast: Tai O to Tung Chung, Tung Chung and Valley, Pak Mong Group of Villages, Lantao South Coast: Shek Pik to Pui O, Pui O Group of Villages, Shap Long Group of Villages, Chi Ma Wan Peninsula, Mui Wo (Silvermine Bay) Group of Villages, Lantao South Coast: East of Mui Wo and Northeast Lantao. It provides reports that contain the population statistics of each village; the dialects or languages spoken by the natives; the means of livelihood in each village, which is mostly farming, animal raising, and fishing; the presence or absence of health care workers and facilities; religious practices; ancestral lineages and family names; infrastructures; and forms of recreational and other cultural activities.Less
This chapter provides the administrative officers' reports on details and visits in Lantao Southwest, Shek Pik and Valley, Tai O and Valley, Lantao Central Plateau, Lantao North Coast: Tai O to Tung Chung, Tung Chung and Valley, Pak Mong Group of Villages, Lantao South Coast: Shek Pik to Pui O, Pui O Group of Villages, Shap Long Group of Villages, Chi Ma Wan Peninsula, Mui Wo (Silvermine Bay) Group of Villages, Lantao South Coast: East of Mui Wo and Northeast Lantao. It provides reports that contain the population statistics of each village; the dialects or languages spoken by the natives; the means of livelihood in each village, which is mostly farming, animal raising, and fishing; the presence or absence of health care workers and facilities; religious practices; ancestral lineages and family names; infrastructures; and forms of recreational and other cultural activities.
Gary Ka-wai Cheung
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789622090897
- eISBN:
- 9789882207011
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789622090897.003.0012
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This chapter discusses the views and beliefs of some of the key players in the 1967 disturbances. These men were Jack Cater (personal assistant of the governor), Liang Shangyuan (former director of ...
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This chapter discusses the views and beliefs of some of the key players in the 1967 disturbances. These men were Jack Cater (personal assistant of the governor), Liang Shangyuan (former director of the Hong Kong branch of the Xinhua News Agency), Tsang Tak-sing, Tsang Yok-sing, Wu Tai-chow (the man who took part in writing history), Chak Nuen-fai (an accidental political prisoner), Wong Kin-lap (a leader of one of the unions), Liu Yat-yuen, and Chong Wai-hang. It also examines the lives of some of the people who did not belong to the leftist camp but had their careers ruined by the disturbances and whose stories were seldom told by historians. Leung Yiu-wah was a bomb-planter who remains unrepentant about the bomb attacks. Luk Kai-lau was a police constable during the 1967 riots. For him, both policemen and the general public were in a helpless situation during the riots.Less
This chapter discusses the views and beliefs of some of the key players in the 1967 disturbances. These men were Jack Cater (personal assistant of the governor), Liang Shangyuan (former director of the Hong Kong branch of the Xinhua News Agency), Tsang Tak-sing, Tsang Yok-sing, Wu Tai-chow (the man who took part in writing history), Chak Nuen-fai (an accidental political prisoner), Wong Kin-lap (a leader of one of the unions), Liu Yat-yuen, and Chong Wai-hang. It also examines the lives of some of the people who did not belong to the leftist camp but had their careers ruined by the disturbances and whose stories were seldom told by historians. Leung Yiu-wah was a bomb-planter who remains unrepentant about the bomb attacks. Luk Kai-lau was a police constable during the 1967 riots. For him, both policemen and the general public were in a helpless situation during the riots.
Christophe Boesch and Hedwige Boesch
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198522638
- eISBN:
- 9780191688652
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198522638.003.0009
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
Genetic aspects are important for explaining why primates use tools more frequently and for more tasks than any other zoological order. However, the importance of non-genetic factors is best revealed ...
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Genetic aspects are important for explaining why primates use tools more frequently and for more tasks than any other zoological order. However, the importance of non-genetic factors is best revealed by a comparison of tool use within the same species. The chimpanzee is the best candidate for such an approach. Data from three long-term studies on wild populations in East and West Africa facilitate the analysis for the first time the impact of the environment on tool use and tool-making. This chapter compares tool use and tool-making in three wild chimpanzee populations: Tai National Park, Mahale Mountains National Park, and the Gombe Stream National Park.Less
Genetic aspects are important for explaining why primates use tools more frequently and for more tasks than any other zoological order. However, the importance of non-genetic factors is best revealed by a comparison of tool use within the same species. The chimpanzee is the best candidate for such an approach. Data from three long-term studies on wild populations in East and West Africa facilitate the analysis for the first time the impact of the environment on tool use and tool-making. This chapter compares tool use and tool-making in three wild chimpanzee populations: Tai National Park, Mahale Mountains National Park, and the Gombe Stream National Park.
Mamoru Akamine
Robert Huey (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780824855178
- eISBN:
- 9780824872953
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824855178.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
In what became controversially known as the “Ryukyu Shobun,” the new Meiji government gradually took over Ryukyu, starting by using a massacre of Ryukyuan sailors in Taiwan as a pretext to claim ...
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In what became controversially known as the “Ryukyu Shobun,” the new Meiji government gradually took over Ryukyu, starting by using a massacre of Ryukyuan sailors in Taiwan as a pretext to claim Ryukyuans as “people who belong to the nation of Japan,” who needed Tokyo’s protection. In 1874, the Meiji government compelled Ryukyu to cut its ties to China. In 1879, Tokyo annexed Ryukyu and designated it Okinawa Prefecture. That same year, the Ryukyu King was forced to move to Tokyo, and died there in 1901. China did not have sufficient military power to resist the move, but the chapter also describes activities between China and restorationists in Ryukyu, some of whom went to China, rather than remain as Japanese subjects. However, the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), in which China was defeated, effectively brought the restoration movement to an end.Less
In what became controversially known as the “Ryukyu Shobun,” the new Meiji government gradually took over Ryukyu, starting by using a massacre of Ryukyuan sailors in Taiwan as a pretext to claim Ryukyuans as “people who belong to the nation of Japan,” who needed Tokyo’s protection. In 1874, the Meiji government compelled Ryukyu to cut its ties to China. In 1879, Tokyo annexed Ryukyu and designated it Okinawa Prefecture. That same year, the Ryukyu King was forced to move to Tokyo, and died there in 1901. China did not have sufficient military power to resist the move, but the chapter also describes activities between China and restorationists in Ryukyu, some of whom went to China, rather than remain as Japanese subjects. However, the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), in which China was defeated, effectively brought the restoration movement to an end.
David Der-wei Wang
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231170468
- eISBN:
- 9780231538572
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231170468.003.0008
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter discusses the artistic transition made by Tai Jingnong from literature to calligraphy amid a mid-century crisis. A native of Anhui, Tai belonged to the May Fourth generation aspiring for ...
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This chapter discusses the artistic transition made by Tai Jingnong from literature to calligraphy amid a mid-century crisis. A native of Anhui, Tai belonged to the May Fourth generation aspiring for cultural reform and national rejuvenation through literature. During the early years of Nationalist rule in Taiwan, he tried to find solace in figures such as Tao Qian and Ruan Jin, both witnesses to a tumultuous time in medieval China, the Wei-jin era. This chapter explains how Tai, by turning to the graphic “surface” rather than the textual depth of writing, came to a different understanding of artistic agency and historical representation. Where literature betrays its finitude, the performance of writing generates new configurations of history, nationhood, and “Chinese” identity. The chapter explores three issues: the dissemination of modern Chinese writing in visual terms, calligraphy and its geopolitical implications, and the poetics of “muted” Sinophone articulations.Less
This chapter discusses the artistic transition made by Tai Jingnong from literature to calligraphy amid a mid-century crisis. A native of Anhui, Tai belonged to the May Fourth generation aspiring for cultural reform and national rejuvenation through literature. During the early years of Nationalist rule in Taiwan, he tried to find solace in figures such as Tao Qian and Ruan Jin, both witnesses to a tumultuous time in medieval China, the Wei-jin era. This chapter explains how Tai, by turning to the graphic “surface” rather than the textual depth of writing, came to a different understanding of artistic agency and historical representation. Where literature betrays its finitude, the performance of writing generates new configurations of history, nationhood, and “Chinese” identity. The chapter explores three issues: the dissemination of modern Chinese writing in visual terms, calligraphy and its geopolitical implications, and the poetics of “muted” Sinophone articulations.
Leonard Blussé
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824852764
- eISBN:
- 9780824869021
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824852764.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This chapter examines the mutual interactions and inner dynamics of the Zheng lineage, casting new light on Koxinga and his son Zheng Jing to show that not all was harmonious and peaceful within the ...
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This chapter examines the mutual interactions and inner dynamics of the Zheng lineage, casting new light on Koxinga and his son Zheng Jing to show that not all was harmonious and peaceful within the family. Drawing on the dagregisters, or diaries, of the Dutch East India Company's Deshima trading factory at Nagasaki, the chapter analyzes the problematic relationship between Koxinga and, after his death, Zheng Jing with “elder brother” Zheng Tai. It also considers the gossip and scandals involving Zheng Jing and shows how frictions within the Zheng family led to murder and created fissures within the ranks. The feud between Zheng Tai and Zheng Jing even almost led to the collapse of the family's trade network overseas, including Japan.Less
This chapter examines the mutual interactions and inner dynamics of the Zheng lineage, casting new light on Koxinga and his son Zheng Jing to show that not all was harmonious and peaceful within the family. Drawing on the dagregisters, or diaries, of the Dutch East India Company's Deshima trading factory at Nagasaki, the chapter analyzes the problematic relationship between Koxinga and, after his death, Zheng Jing with “elder brother” Zheng Tai. It also considers the gossip and scandals involving Zheng Jing and shows how frictions within the Zheng family led to murder and created fissures within the ranks. The feud between Zheng Tai and Zheng Jing even almost led to the collapse of the family's trade network overseas, including Japan.
Yuri Pines
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824832759
- eISBN:
- 9780824870171
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824832759.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This chapter discusses the belief in the exceptional political importance of “the people”. A statement from the Tai shi (The Great Oath), a putatively early Zhou document, notes that “heaven sees ...
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This chapter discusses the belief in the exceptional political importance of “the people”. A statement from the Tai shi (The Great Oath), a putatively early Zhou document, notes that “heaven sees through the people's seeing, Heaven hears through the people's hearing” and follows the people's desires. Many of the early Zhou documents of the Shu jing display a similar belief regarding the relationship between the people and Heaven. This interrelationship is twofold. On the simplest level, the people serve as a barometer of Heaven's intent, a kind of vox Dei: “the awesomeness and intentions of Heaven are discernible from the people's feelings.” On the more substantial level, Heaven's intervention in human affairs is motivated primarily by its concern for the people.Less
This chapter discusses the belief in the exceptional political importance of “the people”. A statement from the Tai shi (The Great Oath), a putatively early Zhou document, notes that “heaven sees through the people's seeing, Heaven hears through the people's hearing” and follows the people's desires. Many of the early Zhou documents of the Shu jing display a similar belief regarding the relationship between the people and Heaven. This interrelationship is twofold. On the simplest level, the people serve as a barometer of Heaven's intent, a kind of vox Dei: “the awesomeness and intentions of Heaven are discernible from the people's feelings.” On the more substantial level, Heaven's intervention in human affairs is motivated primarily by its concern for the people.
Toby Lincoln
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824841003
- eISBN:
- 9780824868017
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824841003.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
This chapter describes how those same industrial families who were responsible for the urbanization of Wuxi City invested in industry and infrastructure in the countryside. It takes the example of ...
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This chapter describes how those same industrial families who were responsible for the urbanization of Wuxi City invested in industry and infrastructure in the countryside. It takes the example of Yanjiaqiao in the northeast of the county, which by the 1930s boasted several factories, many shops, electric lighting, and had urbanized to such an extent that it was known as the ‘Little Wuxi.’ In addition to establishing factories and other businesses, local entrepreneurs invested in rural infrastructure and tourist sites on the shores of Lake Tai. Descriptions of Wuxi in guidebooks and travel magazines show how writers recognized that the county as a whole was urbanizing rapidly. The chapter concludes by examining how changes in the daily lives of farmers in their homes and out in the fields mirrored to some extent those of their urban counterparts.Less
This chapter describes how those same industrial families who were responsible for the urbanization of Wuxi City invested in industry and infrastructure in the countryside. It takes the example of Yanjiaqiao in the northeast of the county, which by the 1930s boasted several factories, many shops, electric lighting, and had urbanized to such an extent that it was known as the ‘Little Wuxi.’ In addition to establishing factories and other businesses, local entrepreneurs invested in rural infrastructure and tourist sites on the shores of Lake Tai. Descriptions of Wuxi in guidebooks and travel magazines show how writers recognized that the county as a whole was urbanizing rapidly. The chapter concludes by examining how changes in the daily lives of farmers in their homes and out in the fields mirrored to some extent those of their urban counterparts.
William H. Baxter and Laurent Sagart
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780199945375
- eISBN:
- 9780199369812
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199945375.003.0002
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
Chapter 2 details the sources of evidence used in the reconstruction of Old Chinese. Section 2.1 introduce Middle Chinese, a system of pronunciation of Chinese characters widely used in China in the ...
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Chapter 2 details the sources of evidence used in the reconstruction of Old Chinese. Section 2.1 introduce Middle Chinese, a system of pronunciation of Chinese characters widely used in China in the 6th century CE, known to us through phonetic annotations in contemporary dictionaries and commentaries of classic texts. A series of tables present the elements of Middle Chinese syllable structure, including tones, initial consonants, and finals, and gives the conventional transcription we use to represent them. Section 2.2 discusses the issues involved in extracting information from Old Chinese poetic rhyming, most of it from the Book of Odes. Section 2.3 describes how phonological information about pronunciation can be inferred from the Chinese script; examples are given to illustrate the inferences suggested by newly available paleographic evidence. Section 2.4 introduces the phonologically conservative Mĭn, Kèjiā and Wăxiāng dialects, and section 2.5 describes the languages of the Vietic, Hmong-Mien and Kra-Dai families that contain layers of Old Chinese loanwords. Section 2.6 discusses the evidence on Old Chinese pronunciation that can be inferred from explicit comments in classical Chinese texts. Finally, in section 2.7 the authors warn against using evidence from related Tibeto-Burman languages to test hypotheses on Old Chinese phonology.Less
Chapter 2 details the sources of evidence used in the reconstruction of Old Chinese. Section 2.1 introduce Middle Chinese, a system of pronunciation of Chinese characters widely used in China in the 6th century CE, known to us through phonetic annotations in contemporary dictionaries and commentaries of classic texts. A series of tables present the elements of Middle Chinese syllable structure, including tones, initial consonants, and finals, and gives the conventional transcription we use to represent them. Section 2.2 discusses the issues involved in extracting information from Old Chinese poetic rhyming, most of it from the Book of Odes. Section 2.3 describes how phonological information about pronunciation can be inferred from the Chinese script; examples are given to illustrate the inferences suggested by newly available paleographic evidence. Section 2.4 introduces the phonologically conservative Mĭn, Kèjiā and Wăxiāng dialects, and section 2.5 describes the languages of the Vietic, Hmong-Mien and Kra-Dai families that contain layers of Old Chinese loanwords. Section 2.6 discusses the evidence on Old Chinese pronunciation that can be inferred from explicit comments in classical Chinese texts. Finally, in section 2.7 the authors warn against using evidence from related Tibeto-Burman languages to test hypotheses on Old Chinese phonology.
Hilário de Sousa
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198723790
- eISBN:
- 9780191791130
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198723790.003.0007
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Language Families, Syntax and Morphology
Five languages/dialects are traditionally spoken in the Nanning area: the Sinitic languages of Nanning Pinghua, Nanning Cantonese, and Old Nanning Mandarin, and the indigenous Tai languages of ...
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Five languages/dialects are traditionally spoken in the Nanning area: the Sinitic languages of Nanning Pinghua, Nanning Cantonese, and Old Nanning Mandarin, and the indigenous Tai languages of Northern Zhuang and Southern Zhuang. They have all influenced each other in various ways, and have also remained distinct in a number of ways. This chapter discusses aspects of this complex language contact situation from the viewpoint of Nanning Pinghua and Nanning Cantonese. A selection of similarities and differences in their phonology, lexicon, and grammar will be presented. Curiously, Nanning Cantonese, which has been spoken in the area for about 150 years, in some respects resembles the indigenous Zhuang languages more in its phonology and grammar than does Nanning Pinghua, which has been spoken in the area for a millennium. The last section discusses some of the possible sociolinguistic factors that might have caused this unusual outcome for language contact.Less
Five languages/dialects are traditionally spoken in the Nanning area: the Sinitic languages of Nanning Pinghua, Nanning Cantonese, and Old Nanning Mandarin, and the indigenous Tai languages of Northern Zhuang and Southern Zhuang. They have all influenced each other in various ways, and have also remained distinct in a number of ways. This chapter discusses aspects of this complex language contact situation from the viewpoint of Nanning Pinghua and Nanning Cantonese. A selection of similarities and differences in their phonology, lexicon, and grammar will be presented. Curiously, Nanning Cantonese, which has been spoken in the area for about 150 years, in some respects resembles the indigenous Zhuang languages more in its phonology and grammar than does Nanning Pinghua, which has been spoken in the area for a millennium. The last section discusses some of the possible sociolinguistic factors that might have caused this unusual outcome for language contact.
