Over 50 million people are native speakers of Southern Mǐn, which is mainly spoken in southeast Fujian, eastern and western Guangdong, the coastal areas of Hainan, southeast Zhejiang and Taiwan. The language is interesting in that many words can be pronounced in a colloquial or a literary way. Prof. Kwok Bit-chee, who has been delving into historical linguistics and Chinese dialectology, has unraveled the mysteries surrounding the two modes of pronunciation.
Professor Kwok trusts his project will benefit language education as it reveals the rules governing compound formation. It also uncovers some lesser-known features of the Mǐn languages and deepens our understanding of their speakers. He says, ‘The academic freedom at CUHK is the key to the smooth progression of my research.’
Having a colloquial and a different, literary pronunciation is a common feature of the Sinitic languages. The literary mode is usually used when it comes to loanwords and literary works, while the colloquial mode is used in the vernacular. ‘Since the Mǐn languages retain rich archaic features lost in their Sinitic counterparts, they are historically significant,’ Professor Kwok remarks.
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