Янкивер С. Б.Гуанчжоуский (кантонский) диалект китайского языка. / Отв. ред. М. В. Софронов.
Москва : Наука, Главная редакция восточной литературы, 1987. (Серия «Языки народов Азии и Африки»).
106 с. Мягкая издательская обложка. Тираж 1350 экз.
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Yankiver, S. B.Guangzhou (Cantonese) Dialect of Chinese (Guanchzhouskiy (kantonskiy) dialekt kitayskogo yazyka). / Edited by M. V. Sofronov.
Moscow : Nauka, Main Editorial Office of Oriental Literature, 1987. (Languages of the Peoples of Asia and Africa Series).
106 pp. Softcover publisher’s binding. Print run: 1,350 copies.
This 1987 monograph is a specialized linguistic study published as part of the prestigious "Languages of the Peoples of Asia and Africa" series by the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Written by S. B. Yankiver, it provides a concise yet rigorous academic overview of the Guangzhou (Cantonese) dialect, which stands as one of the most influential and widely spoken varieties of the Chinese language globally, particularly within the diaspora.
The book is structured as a comprehensive linguistic sketch, covering the essential aspects of Cantonese grammar, phonology, and morphology. A significant portion of the work is dedicated to the unique phonetic system of the dialect, specifically its complex tonal structure (featuring 6 to 9 tones depending on classification), which distinguishes it sharply from Standard Mandarin. Yankiver explores the historical development of the dialect, its preservation of archaic features of Middle Chinese, and its distinctive vocabulary and idiomatic expressions.
Beyond phonetics, the monograph examines the syntactic peculiarities of Cantonese and the specific use of particles and classifiers that define its colloquial character. Edited by the prominent Sinologist M. V. Sofronov, the text serves as both a descriptive grammar and a comparative tool for linguists studying the evolution of Sinitic languages. The work remains an important reference for understanding the "Yue" group of languages in a scholarly, Soviet-era context.
With a limited print run of 1,350 copies, this edition is a notable find for Sinologists, linguistic typologists, and collectors of Orientalist studies. It captures the depth of late-Soviet academic interest in the regional variations of Chinese culture and language, making it a valuable addition to any library focused on East Asian philology.