Exploration of Beijing Dialect

Author: Hu Mingyang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-09-01
Features: The study of modern Chinese grammar has encountered many difficulties. One of the difficulties is that the research is based on written language, yet modern Chinese written language is severely impure and (non-standard), interspersed with various dialectal elements, ancient Chinese elements, and various Europeanized grammatical elements. To organize order from such a heterogeneous object is indeed extremely challenging. Moreover, even if some order is organized, anyone can easily pick up numerous "exceptions" to criticize. Therefore, for a long time, I have wanted to choose a relatively pure object for analysis and research, and finally selected Beijing dialect. Relatively speaking, Beijing dialect is relatively pure, especially the spoken form of Beijing dialect used in daily life. Although it cannot be as pure as a chemical element and individual differences are also very obvious, compared to modern Chinese written language, it can also be considered quite "pure." This is the reason why I started studying Beijing dialect. However, once I began studying Beijing dialect, I encountered a series of new problems and research methods, gradually deviating from my initial ideas.
Beijing dialect, as a regional dialect, holds a special status and value, so the study of Beijing dialect itself is very meaningful. To study Beijing dialect, in a certain sense, is also to study modern Chinese. Additionally, few people have studied Beijing dialect in the past, so there are many research topics to explore. Unfortunately, although I have lived in Beijing for over thirty years, I am not a native Beijingner. To study Beijing dialect, I have had to frequently consult native Beijing speakers and conduct surveys, which has inevitably been time-consuming and prone to errors. However, the effort has its benefits—it has allowed me to explore new research methods and avoid excessive subjectivity.
The essays included in this small book are some that I have written in recent years, most of which have not been formally published. These essays may still have some reference value for those who want to understand Beijing dialect or are interested in researching it. Therefore, I have boldly published them to throw out a brick to attract jade and seek feedback from readers and experts.