Jiangsu Province Gubai Dialect Differences Between Generations

Based on dialectology and social linguistics, this paper reflects the present situation and prospects of Gubai dialect by comparing the differences of the use of words between three generations of a family in Gubai, Gaochun town, Jiangsu Province.The full text divides into five chapters:The first chapter is the introduction, introduces the humanistic geography of Gaochun, the brief research situation of Gaochun dialect, the purpose, methods and the steps of this paper, etc. The second chapter, according to a survey of the elderly dialect vocabulary, introduces the local dialect phonology and the situation of the words usage of the elderly. The third chapter explains the main features of the older generation’s use of words by the comparison with Mandarin vocabulary. The fourth chapter, according to the investigation and analysis of the middle-aged dialect words, points out the differences of words’use between the middle-aged and the elderly, and the middle-aged generation’s change in the use of word; at the same time, according to the survey of young people dialect words, reveals the differences between the young and the middle-aged in word usage, and the young generation’s change in the use of word. The fifth chapter exams the previous research by carrying out the investigation in other local people, analyses the causes of the formation of generational differences between the three generations on the base of the existing research conclusions confirmed, and predicts the future prospects of the local dialect.This paper thinks:Gubai dialect’s intergenerational differences are mainly caused by Mandarin’s rapid popularization and wide use, Gubai dialect assimilated by Mandarin is the general trend; but because Gubai dialect has distinct cultural characteristics as well as the historical foundation, there is still a fairly long time for it to be completely replaced by Mandarin.