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18 - Dialectal Elements

from Part III - Other Signs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2024

Zheng-sheng Zhang
Affiliation:
San Diego State University
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Summary

Reflecting the cultural and regional diversity in China, signs may contain dialectal elements, especially those of the major dialects such as Cantonese, Min, and Shanghai/Wu. Dialects can differ in vocabulary and grammar, and particularly in sound. The differences in sound can sometimes be seen in phonetic transliterations. Dialectal words are those that do not have counterparts in the standard language. They are often written by borrowing standard characters just for the sound without regard for their original meaning (Rebus Principle); they can also be written in specially created dialectal characters. Dialects can also resemble classical Chinese, as they tend to retain features of older Chinese.

Type
Chapter
Information
Chinese Signs
An Introduction to China's Linguistic Landscape
, pp. 169 - 176
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • Dialectal Elements
  • Zheng-sheng Zhang, San Diego State University
  • Book: Chinese Signs
  • Online publication: 29 February 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108979603.021
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  • Dialectal Elements
  • Zheng-sheng Zhang, San Diego State University
  • Book: Chinese Signs
  • Online publication: 29 February 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108979603.021
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Dialectal Elements
  • Zheng-sheng Zhang, San Diego State University
  • Book: Chinese Signs
  • Online publication: 29 February 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108979603.021
Available formats
×