The Languages of China

About this book

An incredible source of information about the Chinese language and Chinas minority languages In this accessible and informative book S. Robert Ramsey lucidly explains what the Chinese language isits social and geographical situation its history its range of dialects the structure of the modern standard language and the writing system. He goes on to describe the languages of Chinas national minorities showing how they interrelate with each other and with Chinese. Readers learn about the peoples who speak the languages of China what China is like linguistically and the cultural and historical settings of the countrys languages. For those who want more linguistic detail Ramsey provides lists maps charts and descriptions along with technical references in notes at the end of the book. Invaluable to general linguists and Sinologists alike The Languages of China is an excellent introduction to Chinese and East Asian linguistics.