The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Language and Culture (Routledge Language Handbooks)

The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Language and Culture represents the first English anthology that delves into the fascinating and thought-provoking relationship between the Chinese language and culture, exploring various macro and micro perspectives. Chinese culture boasts a history of ten thousand years, while the Chinese language’s recorded history spans at least three thousand years, dating back to the Shang dynasty oracle bone inscriptions (OBI). This handbook is comprised of 17 chapters from 18 scholars including Victor Mair and William S-Y. Wang. Many chapters approach their respective topics with a comprehensive and historical outlook. Certain extensive subjects are addressed in multiple chapters, complementing one another. These topics include: The languages and peoples of China, and the southern Chinese dialects Mandarin’s evolution into a national language and its related writing reforms Language as a propaganda tool in the Cultural Revolution and in contemporary China Chinese idioms and colloquialisms This book offers an approachable exploration of the subject, appealing to both specialists and enthusiasts of the Chinese language and culture. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents List of figures List of tables List of contributors Acknowledgments Introduction PART I Writing, Sounds, and Culture 1 Chinese Manuscript Culture 2 A Century of Chinese Writing Reform 3 Chinese Phonology and Cross-Cultural Exchange in History 4 Monosyllabicity of Chinese in a Quadripartite Classification of World Languages: Exceptions Explained PART II Philosophy, Politics, and Culture 5 The Linguistics of Chinese Philosophical Keywords 6 Power and Persuasion: Language and Politics in China 7 Chinese Exceptionalism: Linguistic Construction of a Superpower 8 Distinguishing Between Early Modern and Modern Chinese Lexicons: Mandarin's Journey to Becoming a National Language PART III Words, Expressions, Discourse, and Culture 9 Chinese Idioms and Culture 10 Colloquialisms and Chinese Culture 11 Chinese Place Names 12 Chinese Emotions: Words, Meaning, and Culture 13 Research on Classroom Discourse in Chinese as a Second Language PART IV China, Chinese, Dialects, and Culture 14 Sinophone Studies 15 A Dynamic Perspective on the Languages and Peoples of China 16 On the Origin of Han Chinese and Chinese Dialects of South China 17 The Common Language, Dialects, and Chinese Cultural Traditions Index The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Language and Culture represents the first English anthology that delves into the fascinating and thought-provoking relationship between the Chinese language and culture, exploring various macro and micro perspectives.Chinese culture boasts a history of 10,000 years, while the Chinese language’s recorded history spans at least 3,000 years, dating back to the Shang dynasty oracle bone inscriptions.This handbook is composed of 17 chapters from 18 scholars, including Victor Mair and William Shiyuan Wang. Many chapters approach their respective topics from a comprehensive and historical outlook. Certain extensive subjects are addressed in multiple chapters, complementing one another. These topics include the following:• The languages and peoples of China and the southern Chinese dialects • Mandarin’s evolution into a national language and its related writing reforms • Language as a propaganda tool in the Cultural Revolution and in contemporary China • Chinese idioms and colloquialismsThis book offers an approachable exploration of the subject, appealing to both specialists and enthusiasts of the Chinese language and culture.