The document outlines a project focused on exploring a specific Chinese dialect through interviews and linguistic analysis, stating requirements for a written report that includes geographic, linguistic, and sociolinguistic characteristics. Key components include an introduction to the dialect, examination of linguistic features compared to standard Chinese, detailed methodology on informants, and sociolinguistic findings from interviews. The project emphasizes understanding the social status, perceptions, and changes of the dialect in recent years.

1. Project 1: Chinese Dialect Exploration and Interview
You will need to cite references whenever you get the
information from an article or from some online resources. In
the written report, you need to include the following:
Title: An Exploration of [Dialect Name (spoken
where
)]
1.
Introduction
Introduce the geography of the dialect and which particular
dialect variant you are focusing on. Give basic introduction
about how many people are using this dialect and its current
situation. Provide a map to indicate the dialectal grouping and
the location of the speakers of the dialect.
2.
Linguistic Features of [Dialect Name (spoken
where
)]
Explore the following topics and introduce the
differences between this dialect and Standard Chinese
(Mandarin)
in an organized and systematic way.
·
Syllable structure
·
Initial consonants
·

2. Finals (Rhymes)
·
Medials
·
Basic tones
·
Tone changes (optional: you get additional points if you explore
this one)
·
Lexical or syntactic differences
To be able to do this section, you need to find resources online
or from the library that reliably analyzed a dialect and
systematically introduces this dialect or a dialect closely related
to it. At the end of this linguistic description, summarize the
speech features of speakers of this dialect when s/he uses
Standard Chinese. What features do you expect a speaker of this
dialect may carry into Standard Chinese? Are the differences
going to be drastic enough to be detectable?
3.
Method:
In this section, you introduce the linguistic and social
background of your interviewee(s).
1.
Informant Background:
Personal profile (gender, age, relevant linguistic and
educational history, family background) [Have your interviewee
fill out a linguistic background form provided by Prof. Lin]
2.

3. Setting (time and location of the interview, how was it
documented?)
4.
Findings: Sociolinguistic aspect of the dialect according to the
interview
You will present the interview results in an organized way. You
should discuss the following issues related to the dialect:
·
What is the status of the particular dialect in relation to
Mandarin? Discuss the issues related to diglossia (high versus
low varieties). What are the social functions of the dialects?
When do people use them and when do they not use them but
opt for other languages and dialects? Compare the different uses
of different dialects or speech variants.
·
Ask your interviewee his or her experiences with “accents”.
How do people sound if they have accents? Do people using the
dialects carry a special accent speaking Mandarin? How are
people with accents perceived? Are there social stigma,
attitudes, and identity issues associated with the dialect? How
are people speaking this dialect usually perceived? Why do you
think there are these social meanings that go with the accented
speech?
·
How has this dialect changed in recent years, which may be
associated with the above social political properties?
5.
Online resources useful for understanding the social and
cultural situation of the dialect

4. List online or other resources that you find particular useful.