Speaking of Chinese: A Cultural History of the Chinese Language

by Raymond Chang, Margaret Scrogin Chang

Overview

"This pleasant, unpretentious account [is] a small stream leading to the ocean of the culture of China."—Scientific American

Not a how-to text, this beguiling book is instead a fascinating look at Chinese language and culture. Ranging through history, literature, folklore, linguistics, and sociology, this is a breezy, straightforward primer of surprising breadth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393321876
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	11/17/2001
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Raymond Chang is a professor of chemisty at Williams College. He is the author of the widely read textbook Chemisty.

Margaret Scrogin Chang teaches at Massachusetts College of the Liberal Arts.

Table of Contents

	Preface	vii
1	Speaking of Chinese	3
2	Written Chinese	12
3	Spoken Chinese	34
4	It All Started With Dragon Bones: A Short History of the Chinese Language	50
5	Domestic Chinese	76
6	Old Wisdom, New Technology, and the Chinese Language	101
7	Chinese Calligraphy	129
Appendix 1	Chronological Chart of Chinese Dynasties	180
Appendix 2	Some Common Radicals	185
Appendix 3	Birth Years and Characteristics of the Twelve Animal Signs	191
	Bibliography	195

Editorial Reviews

This pleasant, unpretentious account [is] a small stream leading to the ocean of the culture of China.

Scientific American