Language Collection from Self-Imitation: Beijing Dialect from the Mid-19th Century

Author: (British) Wade (Wade, T.F.), written by Zhang Weidong, translated by
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-04-01
Features: The second edition of "A Guide to the Chinese Language" by the British Wade, published in 1886, was an authoritative textbook for Beijing dialect at the time. It systematically records the phonetic system of Beijing official dialect in the mid-19th century. As a textbook, it emphasizes pronunciation, Chinese characters, vocabulary, and reading, with over 1,500 annotations providing rich linguistic, social, and cultural background knowledge, making its value far exceed that of a textbook. The article discusses some issues in the study of Chinese and challenges the claim that "Beijing pronunciation has been the standard for official dialect for at least six hundred years."