T Yizhongtian - A Big Talk on Dialects

Author: Yi Zhongtian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: China has long had various sayings about the South and the North: "Southward in a carriage heading north," "Southern campaigns and northern battles," "Traveling to and fro between the south and the north," "Going south and going north," and so on. These sayings cannot be reversed or interchanged. For example, "Southward in a carriage heading north" cannot be said as "Northward in a carriage heading south," "Southern campaigns and northern battles" cannot be said as "Southern battles and northern campaigns," and similarly, "Southern tones and northern accents" cannot be said as "Southern accents and northern tones." Strange! Why is the "South" the "tone" while the "North" is the "accent"? A Humorous Look at Dialects is another distinctive linguistic work by Professor Yi Zhongtian after his historical and urban commentary. In the book, Yi Zhongtian delves into a completely new field for him—linguistics—where he conducts a comprehensive examination of Chinese regional dialect cultures and explains them in his (unusually witty and humorous) style. The content spans from ancient to modern times, across various provinces, tracing the origins of dialects, showcasing their unique features, and making readers laugh out loud, unable to put it down, leave with a lingering aftertaste, broaden their horizons, and is highly regarded by industry professionals as a highly readable academic work.