| Based on the theories of language variation and lexical diffusion, this paper describes and analyzes the variation and change of Xuanhua dialect from various angles. It combines not only the diverse methods of descriptive linguistics, linguistic geography and sociolinguistics, but also the data of apparent time and real time.The paper includes the following five chapters.Chapter One is the brief introduction. It mainly deals with the geography, history, population and, dialect of Xuanhua. The data, methods, purposes and significances of this research are also given here.The data for the research of apparent time in Xuanhua dialect is collected through the author's own fieldwork, while that for the research of real time in Xuanhua dialect includes mostly the works of Willem A. Grootaers and Wang Fushi based on their fieldwork in Xuanhua region in 1948. Chorography and other matters relevant to this research are also referred to.Describing and comparing are the main methods used in this research.The main purposes of this paper are as follows:One is to do basic research of Xuanhua dialect. Based on fieldwork, the phonological and lexical features of Xuanhua dialect are described and analyzed.The other is to observe the variation and change of Xuanhua dialect.Firstly, based on the systematic fieldwork, some items are selected to do further research which is of so-called linguistic geography. The geographical distribution in this region of the two age groups (2003 elders and 2003 youngsters ) is described, and its causes and characteristics are analyzed. Moreover, the variation and change of the isoglosses of the 1948 youngsters, the 2003 elders and the 2003 youngsters is compared and analyzed.Secondly, by combining the methods of linguistic geography and sociolinguistics, this chapter mainly discusses the mechanism and process of the variation and change of Xuanhua dialect, and tries to find out good explanation for them. Furthermore a reasonable prediction is made of the future of Xuanhua dialect.Chapter two introduces Xuanhua dialect in detail. Based on a great deal of fieldwork, the paper makes thorough discussion about the phonological and lexical features of Xuanhua dialect spoken by the elders. First, the phonological features of the four dialect areas are described and compared, considering that they are located between Jin dialects and Mandarin dialects. Finally, a brief introduction is given about the lexical features of Xuanhua dialect.Chapter three studies the geographical variation and change of Xuanhua dialect. The geographical distribution of the 2003 elders and the 2003 youngsters is described, and its causesand characteristics are analyzed. The variation and change of the bundles of the 1948 youngsters, the 2003 elders and the 2003 youngsters is discussed and concluded.According to the characteristics of isoglosses, we divide the bundles of the 2003 elders into two types and three groups: I type and II type (including A group and B group), while dividing the bundles of the 2003 youngsters into two types: I type and 11 type (almost the same as the B group above).Through the comparison of the bundles, we find out that the relationship among them can be described as follows:(1948 youngsters→2003 elders)<(2003 elders→2003 youngsters)<(1948 youngsters→2003 youngsters)Chapter four studies the mechanism of the variation and change of Xuanhua dialect.Firstly, the analysis of the language phenomena shows that Xuanhua dialect develops in the way of lexical diffusion. Sound changes do not take place at the same time, nor do they spread in step geographically. Instead, language evolution is full of variation and language may develop by leaps, which causes the geographical imbalance.Secondly, this paper points out that lexical diffusion caused by language contact is very common in Xuanhua dialect, such as the ebb and flow of aspirated sounds and Ru tone (入声).Chapter five discusses the causes for the variation and change of Xuanhua dialect from linguistic and non-linguistic perspectives.Inner-linguistic factors af...
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