A Study On The Lexicon Comparisons Of The Dialects In Northern Anhui

The Dialect in Northern Anhui mainly refers to the Central Mandarin dialects in the area north of Huaihe River, Anhui Province. Surrounded by other Central Mandarin dialects and the Eastern Mandarin dialects, the Dialects in Norther Anhui has the intermediacy between other Central Mandarin dialects and the Eastern Mandarin dialects, which is prominently reflected in the lexicon. This study takes the approaches of inquiry, statistics, comparison and analysis to reveal the characteristics of the lexicon in the Dialect in Northern Anhui.Both horizontal and longitudinal comparisons of lexicon in the Dialects in Northern Anhui are carried out. The horizontal study includes the internal comparison of the lexicon within the Dialects of Northern Anhui, the comparison of the lexicon of the Dialects of Northern Anhui to that of the vicinity and to that of Mandarin. From the internal comparison, it is demonstrated that while there is difference in the lexicon within the same geographic region, the similarity is greater than the difference. The comparison with the vicinity dialects reveals the relationship of the Dialects in Northern Anhui with the vicinity dialects, namely, it has strong ties with the Central Mandarin dialects in Northern Jiangsu, Southern Shandong and Eastern Henan, while it's relationship with the Eastern Mandarin dialects is less strong. However, its lexicon cannot be separated from that of the Eastern Mandarin dialects and has the cline to the latter. The comparison with Mandarin reveals some features of the Dialects in Northern Anhui in meaning, structure and origin. The longitudinal study includes comparison of the lexicon in the Dialect in Northern Anhui with that in the AncientChinese and the Modern Chinese. From the comparison with Ancient Chinese, it is found that some words in the Ancient Chinese are preserved in the Dialects in Northern Anhui, which suggests its historical origin. The comparison with the Neoteric Chinese shows that a large amount of lexicon in the Modem Chinese is preserved in the Dialects in Northern Anhui, which suggests that it has very strong ties with the Modern Chinese and is developed on the basis of the Modern Chinese.