"wei Shu Vocabulary Study

From the fourth Century to the sixth century A.D., China was divided into a Northern Dynasty and a Southern Dynasty during the time known as the Northern and Southern Dynasties Period. Lexigraphically this is called the Medieval Period. During this era, the languages used in the North underwent changes and fusions different from those used in the South. Specifically, the Northern languages fused with those of Yi and Lu, while the Southern languages fused with those of Wu and Yue. To this Phonetic researchers pay more attention than Lexical researchers. And the same time, the reseachers have focused primarily on the Southern languages. However, to gain a thorough understanding of the differences between the Northern and Southern lexes as well and to fully comprehend the changes that occurred in the Northern lexis during the Northern and Southern Dynasties Period, it is necessary to study the Northern languages systematically.This dissertation makes a systematic study for the very first time of the lexis of Weishu, compiled by Wei Shou in the Northern Qi period, in order to ascertain its broad characteristics. This dissertation also explores the features of the Northern languages based on the lexis of Weishu as well as lexical studies of other documents from the Northern Dynasty. Additionally, a comparison is made between the lexis of the North and the South during this period to highlight differences between them. As an exploration in historical lexicology of Chinese language, the contents of this dissertation are as follows.Chapter 1: The introduction argues that the study of the lexis of Weishu not only is an indispensable part of studying the Chinese language of the Northern Dynasty, but also is a crucial element for making a sound comparison of the Northern lexis with the Southern lexis. This part also analyzes the possible results of the study and describes the principles and methods used.Chapter 2: Studies characteristic words such as folk words, proper nouns and loanwords used in the Northern Wei Period, illustrating the use of Chinese in the Northern Wei Period, as well as reflecting the distinguishing features of Chinese language in northern documents.Chapter 3: Studies the lexical meaning. It describes and analyzes the meaning of mono-syllable, disyllable and four character pattern words, fold songs and proverbs. This part also discusses the extension of the meaning of mono-syllabic words and the development of words in the same semantic fields.Chapter 4: Compares the lexis of Weishu with that of Songshu, both of the same period, to show their features and to find synchronic differences between them. In addition, a comparison is made between the lexis of Weishu and that of Beishi to illustrate the diachronic change and development of Chinese from the Northern Dynasty to Tang Dynasty.Chapter 5: The conclusion summarizes the changes and development of the Chinese lexis in the Northern and Southern Dynasties Period and points out the features and differences between the North and the South.