Current issues in the study of the Yue dialects
粤语研究的当前课题
Anne Yue-Hashimoto 余霭芹

Abstract 摘要
Summarizing the research achievement on the Yue dialects so far, this article presents three major topics as urgent tasks for current research: gathering as much dialectal materials as possible, comprehensive comparative study and historical research. Since the spread of the Common Language is gradually encroaching upon and may eventually replace the dialects, gathering dialectal materials is of utmost urgency, especially in the field of dialectal syntax which lags behind phonology and lexicon. For it is only with sufficient data that accurate, general and profound observations and conclusions on linguistic phenomena can be made. Through comparative dialectal studies, not only can linguistic phenomena be given proper explanation, loci of linguistic history can also be reconstructed. Through derivation of change in the consonantal endings of the Yue dialects, the important role of these dialects in explicating the process of change across Chinese dialects was emphasized, since the Yue dialects are relatively conservative in this respect and such process can be observed in its initiative stage. The study of the history of the Yue dialect has barely begun. The value of early historical documents of the C19 compiled mostly by missionaries is emphasized, through demonstration of using such materials in tracing the early syntactic characteristics of Cantonese in such structures as the negative potential form and the attributive construction.

本文总结了迄今为止粤语研究的成果，提出了三大课题作为当前粤语研究的迫切任务﹕一是大量方言资料的收集，二是综合性的比较研究，三是历史研究。鉴于普通话有逐渐取代方言的趋势，方言资料的收集，刻不容缓，尤其是落在最后头的语法，有充足的资料，才能对语言现象作出深入、准确、普遍的观察和结论。通过方言的比较研究，不但语言现象能够得到合理的解释，语言历史演变的轨迹也可以稳步重建。以粤语阳声、入声韵尾的变化为例，本文特别指出，研究汉语阳声、入声韵尾的历时变化过程，粤语方言可以提供宝贵的线索，因为粤语方言比较保守，这种变化还在开始的阶段，不可让人逐步追寻演变的途径。粤语的历史研究，还在起步阶段，本文以十九世纪傅教士编写的材料为例，列举否定可能式和定语结构的早期特征，说明这类资料对历史语法的研究，尤其有不容忽视的价值。

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