Lichuan Dialect Dictionary

Author: Yan Sen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1995-12-01
Features: Dialect surveys record the current state of language, while dialect comparisons reflect the historical development of language. The dialect dictionary presents 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 is divided into two steps. The first step is to survey forty dialects and compile forty local dialect dictionaries. The second step 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 dictionaries are based on dialect surveys. The survey first involves finding pronunciation collaborators. The selection of pronunciation collaborators includes the elderly and middle-aged, but does not exclude the young. Based on the former, the phonetic system is determined, and linguistic materials are recorded. The latter is used to supplement vocabulary and explain differences in the phonetic system compared to 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 dictionaries 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 includes the following eight items: the history, geography, and population of the local area; internal differences within the local dialect; the phonology, phonetics, and tones of the local dialect; a phonetic 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 a phonetic table of syllables in the local dialect. The dictionary proper is arranged by character pronunciation, following the order of rhymes, initials, and tones of the local dialect. For convenience of reference, there are two indexes after the main body.