Urumqi Dialect Dictionary (Modern Chinese Dialect Dictionary · Volume)

Author: Li Rong, Editor-in-Chief, Zhou Lei, Compiler
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1995-12-01
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 results of the research in a list format, allowing readers to examine the meanings of dialect words. Linguists can use it for specialized studies, 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 involves two steps. The first step is to investigate 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 field surveys. The survey begins with identifying 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 differences in the phonemic system compared to the former. There are two requirements for the local dialect dictionaries: one is to prepare for the compilation of a 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 entries, preceded by an introduction and followed by a category index and a index of entry first letters. 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 systems of the local dialect; a 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 a phonemic table of the local dialect. The main body of the dictionary is arranged according to the pronunciation of the characters, in the order of the rhymes, initials, and tones of the local dialect. For convenience of reference, there are two indexes after the main body.