Study On The Historic Division Of Anhui Dialect Areas And The Features Of The Distribution

Anhui Province, lying in the east of China, is bounded on the east by Jiangsu and Zhejiang, on the north by Shandong, on the west by Henan and Hubei and on the south by Jiangxi.Different from most provinces, the area of Anhui belonged to different administrative divisions in history and Anhui Province didn't come into being until Kangxi period in Qing Dynasty. In the same way, the division of the dialect areas within Anhui Province was very complicated, and even the different areas varied greatly in the cultural forms. This thesis intends to comb the historic division of Anhui dialect areas and discuss the characteristics of the Anhui dialect distribution from the perspective of dialects, trying to have a tentative study of Anhui regional culture.This thesis consists of five parts. Part One: Introduction. Proceeding from the academic values and practical meaning, this part points out that it is of great importance to have a study on the historic division of dialect areas. Part Two: The Historic Division of Anhui Dialect areas. This part draws the following conclusion from the present dialects and other documents: Anhui dialects in the Pre-Qin Period were supposedly the result of the coexistence of such small areas as Huaiyi and Baiyue. During Han dynasty, divided by Huaihe River, the north of Anhui belonged to Songwei dialect area, while the dialects of the south belonged to Wuyue dialect and were, to some extend, influenced by Chu culture. During Xijin period, divided by Huaihe River, the dialects of the north belonged to the dialect of Central Plains, while the dialects of the south to Wu dialect. During two Song dynasties, divided by Yangzi River, the dialects of the north belonged to the dialect of Central Plains, while the dialects of the south to Wu dialect. During Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, divided by Yangzi River, the dialects of the north belonged to the mandarin of Central Plains, while the dialects of the south to Wu dialect and the dialect of native inhabitants. Part Three: Several Factors Which Influenced the Division of the Dialect Areas. These factors mainly included administrative divisions, geographical conditions, immigration and so on. Part Four: The Features of Anhui Dialects. The features mainly included the qualities of complexity, gradual variation and fusion. Part Five: Conclusion. This part summarizes all the dialects of different historic periods and the studies on their features.This thesis focuses on the historic division of Anhui dialect areas and attempts to understand Anhui regional cultures in history with dialects as the point of penetration, hoping that this thesis will enrich the studies in the relative area of Anhui history and culture and deepen the understanding of Chinese traditional culture.