The Languages of China
The Languages of China by S. Robert Ramsey
English | May 21, 1987 | ISBN: 0691066949, 069101468X | True EPUB | 355 pages | 15.7 MB
English | May 21, 1987 | ISBN: 0691066949, 069101468X | True EPUB | 355 pages | 15.7 MB
An incredible source of information about the Chinese language and China’s minority languages
In this accessible and informative book, S. Robert Ramsey lucidly explains what the Chinese language is—its social and geographical situation, its history, its range of dialects, the structure of the modern standard language, and the writing system. He goes on to describe the languages of China’s national minorities, showing how they interrelate with each other and with Chinese.
Readers learn about the peoples who speak the languages of China, what China is like linguistically, and the cultural and historical settings of the country’s languages. For those who want more linguistic detail, Ramsey provides lists, maps, charts, and descriptions along with technical references in notes at the end of the book. Invaluable to general linguists and Sinologists alike, The Languages of China is an excellent introduction to Chinese and East Asian linguistics.