Topics in Chinese Linguistics:
Introduction to Chinese
Unit 7: Varieties and Changes
Varieties and Changes
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Language is not static. It is under constant
change.
 Language is not homogeneous, it has
varieties.
 Variation and variants
Why does a language change?
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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 change
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The vocabulary change is the most rapid
change
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Pronunciation and grammar change slower
than vocabulary
New words emerge
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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 dialects
Variables:
 age
 sex
 profession
 social economical status
Sexual variation
Prof. C. C. Cheng's
software can identify
male from female:
Female-150Hz or higher,
Male - 150Hz or lower
Sexual variation: Pronunciation
The female students' pronunciation of palatal sounds
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Syllables with palatal(s)
些 (yǒu yì) xiē (some)
急 jí (in a hurry)
雞 jī (rooster/chicken)
寄 jì (to send)
幾 jǐ (several)
細 xì (slender; fine)
積極 jījí (active)
焦急 jiāojí (worried)
Dentalized
31
14
10
21
11
9
7
3
Fronted
17
12
12
10
7
12
10
13
Total
20
26
22
21
18
21
17
16
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Source: Hu, Mingyang. 1991.Feminine accent in the Beijing
vernacular: a sociolinguistic investigation. JCLTA XXVI No.1
Sexual 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: vocabulary
Shen (1987) womanish accent 娘娘腔
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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 script
女書－中國的一種奇特的現象
Woman Script
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
(1)
Woman Script vs. Characters
(2)
Woman Script vs. Characters
(3)
Characteristics of Woman
Script
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
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Woman Script and Chinese
Characters
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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 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
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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
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 Vocabulary
拿士的
坐的士
去士多
食多士
get the stick
take a taxi
to to the store
to eat a toast
Hong Kong Vocabulary
巴士 ( a bus)
 迷你裙 (mini-skirt)
 可讀性 (readability)
 車立 (elevator)
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Vocabulary used in the
Mainland
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)
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Vocabulary used in the
Mainland
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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 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
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Taiwan Guoyu 台灣國語
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同志
集裝箱
激光
普通話
繁體字
出租汽車
表演
電子計算機
電子郵件
同性戀 (gay and lesbian)
貨櫃 (container)
鐳射 (laser)
國語 (Mandarin)
正體字 (traditional characters)
計程車 (taxi)
作秀 (to give a show)
電腦 (computer)
電子郵遞 (e-mail)
Taiwan Guoyu 台灣國語
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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)
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Taiwan Guoyu 台灣國語
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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 海外華語
燕梳 insurance
 子子給 market
 土庫 basement
 柏文 apartment
 Any more?
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Summary
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Language is not static and homogeneous
 Variation exists in phonology, vocabulary
and grammar
 Social varieties are related to the social
variables
 Social varieties are equally good