Chinese (Paperback)

Preface; Major chronological divisions of Chinese history; 1. Introduction; 2. The historical phonology of Chinese; 3. The Chinese script; 4. The classical and literary languages; 5. The rise development of the written vernacular; 6. The modern standard language I; 7. The modern standard language II; 8. Dialectal variation in North and Central China; 9. The dialects of the Southeast; 10. Language and society; Notes; References; Index.