The Linʿi dialect is thus determined in formal terms to be a Mandarin dialect (perhaps of the Northwestern group). A tentative list of essential characteristics for Mandarin dialects is then suggested for the purpose of testing if a Chinese dialect can be classified as a Mandarin dialect or not, and if so, which subgroup of Mandarin dialects it belongs to. The question "What is Mandarin?" is raised. A unique dialect of North China is chosen here for analysis in strictly structural terms, with a view to displaying how divergent dialects can be, even within such a limited concept as "Mandarin Chinese." The phonemic system of the dialect is set up, and it is found that its tone and vowel systems are drastically different from those of the Peking dialect, while the two dialects share practically.
0 kommentar(er)
