Research on Disyllabic Words in the Book of Song

Author: Wan Jiufu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: The author chose to study the disyllabic words in the "Biographies" of Shen Yue's "History of the Southern Dynasties" (Song Shu) as research subjects because the 510,000-character "Biographies" of the "Song Shu" possess rich and vivid linguistic materials. It contains over 11,400 disyllabic words with distinctive historical characteristics, making it of great significance for the study of Middle Chinese and the entire history of the Chinese language. The author provides an in-depth and comprehensive exploration of the principles and methods for segmenting disyllabic words in historical texts from the Middle Ages, such as the "Song Shu," detailing the criteria for identifying various types of disyllabic words, demonstrating strong practicality and scientific rigor.
Building on extensive references to existing research on Middle Chinese vocabulary, the author fully utilizes electronic corpora for word frequency statistics and diachronic comparisons. As a result, this book is highly recommended as a significant academic work in the field of Middle Chinese lexical studies. The author possesses a solid foundation in linguistic theory and pays attention to expanding research perspectives, employing new methods and modern techniques. Consequently, he is able to offer detailed and insightful analyses of the types, linguistic features, and structural characteristics of disyllabic words in the "Biographies" of the "Song Shu."
With a strong command of classical Chinese, particularly the Nan dialect, the author is highly sensitive to the temporal nuances of the linguistic materials. This enables him to make substantial contributions to the study of newly coined words and meanings in ancient texts. His research findings also hold significant reference value for the collation of ancient documents and the compilation of dictionaries.