Outline of General Phonetics (Revised Edition)

Author: Luo Changpei, Wang Jun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-02-01
Features: The preliminary draft of this book was originally published under the title "Common Knowledge of Phonetics" by Tian Gong in the journal Chinese Language from January 1954 to May 1955, spanning 14 issues. It has now been revised, supplemented, and compiled into this small book. Since I began teaching at Peking University in 1934, I have offered phonetics courses several times, but I never managed to compile a complete set of lecture notes or textbooks. Until the fall of 1952, when I and Comrade Wang Jun co-taught a phonetics course at the Language Department of Peking University, we decided to expand and revise the accumulated materials through collaborative effort to create a textbook as a foundation for cultivating young scholars. This book is the result of that plan. The structure of this book applies the general principles of applied phonetics while connecting them to the specific realities of Chinese languages. The examples primarily focus on Mandarin, followed by dialects when Mandarin lacks a corresponding sound, and then by the languages of ethnic minority groups in China, as needed to supplement sounds absent in Chinese or for comparative convenience. Some examples from foreign languages are cited for reference to fill gaps in Chinese phonetics or to facilitate comparison. In terms of phonetic theory, the book primarily adopts the advanced doctrines of Soviet phonetics while also incorporating valuable elements from the phonetic works of other countries. During our collaborative process, I suffered from a prolonged chronic illness, and Comrade Wang Jun contributed significantly to the work. Later, when Comrade Wang Jun joined the Zhuang script working team, Comrade Wang Fushi assisted in drafting the chapter on "Phonetic Changes." Although I participated in revisions before each printing and reread the entire manuscript two or three times, I am still concerned that some omissions or even errors may have been overlooked. We sincerely hope that readers will point out any such issues, and we will be deeply grateful for your corrections. Originally, we had planned to supplement a chapter on "Methods for Investigating Languages and Dialects," but due to the urgency of the printing schedule, we were unable to complete it in time. We will add it in the second edition.