Routledge Handbook of Chinese Language and Culture

<p><i>The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Language and Culture </i>represents the first English anthology that delves into the fascinating and thought-provoking relationship between the Chinese language and culture exploring various macro and micro perspectives.</p><p>Chinese culture boasts a history of ten thousand years while the Chinese language’s recorded history spans at least three thousand years dating back to the Shang dynasty oracle bone inscriptions (OBI).</p><p>This handbook is comprised of 17 chapters from 18 scholars including Victor Mair and William S-Y. Wang. Many chapters approach their respective topics with a comprehensive and historical outlook. Certain extensive subjects are addressed in multiple chapters complementing one another. These topics include:</p><ul> <li>The languages and peoples of China and the southern Chinese dialects</li> <li>Mandarin’s evolution into a national language and its related writing reforms</li> <li>Language as a propaganda tool in the Cultural Revolution and in contemporary China</li> <li>Chinese idioms and colloquialisms</li> </ul><p>This book offers an approachable exploration of the subject appealing to both specialists and enthusiasts of the Chinese language and culture.</p>