Yinchuan Dialect Dictionary

Author: Li Rong (Editor-in-Chief) / Li Shuyan / Zhang Ansheng (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-10-01
Features: The dialect survey records the current state of the language, while the dialect comparison reflects the historical evolution of the language. The dialect dictionary presents the preliminary research findings in a list format, allowing readers to look up the meanings of dialect words. Linguists can use it for specialized research, and scholars in literature and history can also utilize the linguistic materials. In recent years, research on Chinese dialects has made progress. Under this background, we plan to compile a comprehensive modern Chinese dialect dictionary based on field surveys. This plan consists of two steps. Step one is to investigate forty dialects and compile forty local dialect dictionaries. Step two is to supplement additional dialect materials based on the forty local dialect dictionaries and compile a comprehensive Chinese dialect dictionary. Both the local dialect dictionaries and the comprehensive Chinese dialect dictionary will be published by Jiangsu Education Press. The dialect dictionary is based on field surveys. The first step of the survey is to identify phonetic collaborators. The selection of phonetic collaborators includes the elderly and middle-aged, but does not exclude the young. Based on the former, the phonemic system is determined, and the linguistic materials are recorded. The latter is used to supplement vocabulary and explain the differences between the phonemic system and the former. There are two requirements for the local dialect dictionaries: one is to prepare for the classified dialect dictionary, and the other is to reflect the characteristics of the local dialect. The content of the local dialect dictionary is divided into three parts: the main body is the dictionary proper, preceded by an introduction and followed by a category index and a stroke index of entries. The introduction generally includes the following eight items: the history, geography, and population of the local area; internal differences within the local dialect; the phonemic, rhyming, and tonal system of the local dialect; the phonemic table of single-character sounds in the local dialect; the characteristics of the local dialect; the preface to the dictionary; annotations of common words in example sentences in the dictionary; and the phonemic table of the local dialect. The dictionary proper is arranged according to the phonetic order of the local dialect, with the rhyme, initial, and tone as the sequence. For convenience of reference, there are two indexes after the main body.