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Historical Linguistics
By: Janice Lam Hiu Wah
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What is Historical Linguistics?
Campbell
Study language change
What kind of language change?
Historical Linguistic =
Diachronic Linguistics
(Language change over time)
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What Historical Linguistics
covers?
Sound change
Borrowing
Lexical diffusion
Analogical changeLinguistic Reconstruction
Semantic change
Lexical change
Syntactic change
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What is Sound Change?
Change in pronunciation of words
over time Neogrammarians 1870
All sound changes, asmechanical processes, take placeaccording to laws with noexception
A matter of physiology, beyondthe awareness of the speaker
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Really no exceptions?
Yes, there are rules to be
captured regarding the soundchanges.
X Some words are mispronounced,
but not the others.
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Sound change according to
laws?
Qing dynasty: discovery of the
change of sound from [f] to [b] or[p].
E.g.) (fuk6) - (bau1)(fung1) - (bong1)
(f>b) High plosive sounds
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Sound change according to
laws?
Nowadays, some Cantonese
words still keep high plosivesounds
E.g.)/fu1//bou6//fuk6//buk6/
/fu5//pou5/
/fu6//puk1/
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What EXCEPTIONS?
No changes in words like
(fuk6 sin3) (fu5 yan4)
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The change isbeyond the
awareness of speaker
Lisp () -Cantonese
Indistinguishable and-
n e.g.)(la5)
not (lan5)
> n/la
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The change isbeyond the
awareness of speaker
e.g. ) (hyn3) not (gyn3)
h>g
(dzik9) not (dz3)i, k >
(fei1) not (fei2) (yam4) not (yam6)
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What is Sound Change?
Shift of Tones
From upper level to upper rising
e.g. (hn1) not (hn2) (su1) not (su2)
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How words can be borrowed?Borrowing
External borrowing From another language
Analogical change
Internal borrowing
From some of its own patterns to
change to other patterns
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How Chinese has been modified by
foreign language over time?
First upsurge of borrowing
Buddhist scriptures
First borrowing from Western
Regions ()
Borrowing continued arrival ofWestern scholars
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How has Chinese changed
over time?
Official translation agencies were
set up in large cities
Second upsurge after defeat in
Opium War
Borrowing from Japanese words
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How has Chinese changed
over time?
1966-76: Cultural Revolution
1949-early 1970s: Communist rule
Borrowing from Russians
Now: in the midst of the thirdupsurge
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External borrowingFirst borrowing from Western
Regions (
)
Transliteration
Flora and faunaSecond syllable not stressed
e.g.) Persia - Arabia - India
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External borrowingFirst upsurge of borrowing
Buddhist scriptures
Concepts
Loan translation
e.g.) (yoga)
- Zen - Truth In the past
- Future
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External borrowing
Arrival of Western scholars
-Marco Polo (1254-1324)
-Matteo Ricci (1552-1610)
Official translation agencies
- Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin
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External borrowing
Borrowing from Japanese words
Kanji
Readily transplanted into Chinese
e.g.)
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External borrowing1949-1970: Borrowing from
Russians
Concepts of Communisme.g.) Semantically,
Collective farm
Communism
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External borrowingCultural Revolution until Now-
the midst of the third upsurge
1) Greater tendency for sound
translationNumber of syllables
Tones
Consonants and vowels
e.g.) Vitamin (wei4ta1ming6)Disney - (dik6si6ni4)
tart- (tat8)
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External borrowingCultural Revolution until Now-
the midst of the third upsurge
2) Semantic translation
Meaning of part-word is translated.
e.g.) miniskirt (mi2ni3qun2)Credit card +
(xin4yong4ji1)
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Summary
Reasons for borrowing in
Chinese language
1)Insufficient lexiconswithin the language
2)Need to learn from the
West3)Ease of translation
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Analogy
Two types of analogy:
1)Analogical levelling2)Analogical creation
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Analogy
1)Analogical levelling
Simplification of rules Eliminating the
alternation
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Analogy(Analogical levelling)
:
Nowadays, refers to the things
which are larger in size.
eg.)
v.s.
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Analogy
2) Analogical creation
Lexical and conceptual
resources are updated.Produces new forms by
extending an existing
form or function.
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Analogy(Analogical creation)
Examples in ChineseBackformation
e.g.)
Morphologicalcomposition Deletion of the upper parts
Semantically, half of the children
Very small kids
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Analogy(Analogical creation)
Examples in ChineseBlending
e.g.)+ =
Two different wordsCombined to form a new word
(Semantically related)
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Analogy(Analogical creation)
Examples in ChineseFolk etymology
e.g.)
Meaningful associations
New form was createdbecause of the associations
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Summary
1)To avoid confusion-> Analogical levelling
2) To create more lexicons-> Analogical extension
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Summary
Sound changes(any exceptions?)
Borrowing - externally
Analogy internal
change
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The End
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