Издательство: HUTCHINSON & CO
Год: 1968
Количество страниц: 200
ISBN: 0-09-084651-6
This is an excellent overview of standard spoken Chinese. The book does include a chapter on the written language as well. This is a scholarly book, not to be skimmed through quickly.
The purpose of this book is to describe the main features of the standard variant of Chinese spoken at present in Mainland China, and also to point out some of the major general issues reflected in the process of its formation. Although the book roughly outlines the system of the standard form of Mode Chinese, it is not a textbook or a grammar; neither is it primarily conceed with writing or the overall historical development of Chinese, and comments in these respects are made only where they are of some importance to the main topic.
One of the major problems which arise when a language like Chinese is discussed is a certain lack of a general frame of reference: relatively little of what has now become universally taken for granted about the more familiar languages appears valid for Chinese, or at least valid without reservations. On the other hand, the Chinese language has acquired an unfortunate position among the kind of exotic phenomena about which various myths and misconceptions persevere with surprising tenacity in the West. On the whole, this means that any attempt at a serious discussion of any aspect of Chinese tends to be directed towards elementary matters rather than delicate points. This book is intended to be such an attempt, and the preceding statement should perhaps partly explain the author's awareness of its obvious shortcomings.
Год: 1968
Количество страниц: 200
ISBN: 0-09-084651-6
This is an excellent overview of standard spoken Chinese. The book does include a chapter on the written language as well. This is a scholarly book, not to be skimmed through quickly.
The purpose of this book is to describe the main features of the standard variant of Chinese spoken at present in Mainland China, and also to point out some of the major general issues reflected in the process of its formation. Although the book roughly outlines the system of the standard form of Mode Chinese, it is not a textbook or a grammar; neither is it primarily conceed with writing or the overall historical development of Chinese, and comments in these respects are made only where they are of some importance to the main topic.
One of the major problems which arise when a language like Chinese is discussed is a certain lack of a general frame of reference: relatively little of what has now become universally taken for granted about the more familiar languages appears valid for Chinese, or at least valid without reservations. On the other hand, the Chinese language has acquired an unfortunate position among the kind of exotic phenomena about which various myths and misconceptions persevere with surprising tenacity in the West. On the whole, this means that any attempt at a serious discussion of any aspect of Chinese tends to be directed towards elementary matters rather than delicate points. This book is intended to be such an attempt, and the preceding statement should perhaps partly explain the author's awareness of its obvious shortcomings.