Dialect and Nationalism in China, 1860-1960

Challenging the widely accepted narrative that national languages create national identity, Tam narrates the history of the Chinese nation and Chinese nationalism from the perspective of fangyan - dialects or regional languages distinct from Mandarin - and in so doing, shows how they were central to the making of modern nationalism in China.

List of contents

Introduction; 1. A Chinese language: Fangyan before the twentieth century; 2. Unchangeable roots: Fangyan and the creation of a national language; 3. The sounds of authenticity: defining linguistic modernity in Republican China; 4. The people's language: Fangyan under the CCP; 5. The Mandarin revolution: the great leap to a standard language; Epilogue.

About the author

Gina Anne Tam is Assistant Professor of Modern Chinese History at Trinity University, Texas.

Summary

Challenging the widely accepted narrative that national languages create national identity, Tam narrates the history of the Chinese nation and Chinese nationalism from the perspective of fangyan - dialects or regional languages distinct from Mandarin - and in so doing, shows how they were central to the making of modern nationalism in China.

Product details

• Authors: Gina Anne Tam, Gina Anne (Trinity University Tam
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.09.2021
• EAN: 9781108745697
• ISBN: 978-1-108-74569-7
• No. of pages: 275
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; China, Oral History, 20th Century, HISTORY / Asia / General, Social & cultural history, c 1800 to c 1900, 19th century, c 1800 to c 1899, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Social and cultural history, Asian History, Historical & comparative linguistics, Historical and comparative linguistics