Cantonese Grammar in Areal Perspective1

Abstract

Abstract This chapter focuses on the role of language contact in the development of the Yue dialect group, of which Cantonese represents the prestige and de facto standard variety as spoken in Hong Kong and the provincial capital, Guangzhou (Canton). The chapter begins with the historical background and a survey of the linguistic stocks which have been in contact with Cantonese. In §2, Cantonese is situated within the linguistic area constituted by mainland South-east Asia. §3 focuses on some features of Cantonese grammar which are shared with non-Sinitic languages rather than with Chinese as a whole, and which implicate effects of contact. In §4, mechanisms of contact-induced change are discussed in relation to these features, and conclusions are drawn regarding Cantonese as a layered language in the sense of Chapter 1.

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