A Handbook of Sinitic Languages, Dialects, and Non-standard Mandarin

by Cornelius C Kubler, Clement Chu Sing Lau

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.

316 pages, Hardcover

Published May 2, 2025