The Four Languages of „Mandarin“ [1]
by Robert M. Sanders

Assistant Professor of Chinese
Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures
University of Hawaii

Sino-Platonic Papers, 4 (November 1987)

1.0 Introduction

Many hours have been spent at scholarly meetings and many pages of academic writing have been expended discussing what is to be considered acceptable Mandarin. Very often these discussions degenerate into simplistic and narrow-minded statements such as “That’s not the way we say it in …!” or “We had better ask someone from Peking.”

Objectively speaking, these disagreements on style reflect a less-than-rigorous definition of which type of Mandarin each party is referring to. Because there has been a failure by all concerned to define fully the linguistic and socio-linguistic parameters of their assumed language(s), Mandarin oranges are often unwittingly being compared with Mandarin apples. (още…)

C—Translating the Language

Dictionary Bibliographies

U.S. Department of State. Office of External Research. List of Chinese Dictionaries in All Languages. Washington D.C. 1967.
Mathias, J. and Sandra Hinson. A Compilation of Chinese Dictionaries. New Haven: Far Eastern Publications, Yale University, 1975.
Yang, Paul Fu-mien. Chinese Lexicology and Lexiography a Selected and Classified Bibliography. Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 1985. ref Z3108 L5 Y286 1985

Comprehensive Dictionaries

Morohashi Tetsuji 諸橋轍次. Dai Kan-Wa jiten 大漢和辭典. 13 vols. Tokyo: Taishōkan shoten, 1957–1960; rev. and enlarged, Tokyo: Taishōkan shoten, 1989–1990. Vol. 14, glossary of all words and phrases arranged according to the Japanese syllabary. Supplement: Dai Kan-Wa jiten. hokan 大漢和辭典補卷. Tokyo: Taishōkan shoten, 2000.
Zhang Qiyun 張其昀 et al., comps. Zhongwen da cidian 中文大辭典. Taipei: Zhongguo wenhua yanjiusuo, 1962-1968. 38 vols. + 2 vol. index. Ref PL 1420 C57 10-vol. edition also available.
Luo Zhufeng 羅竹風, ed. Hanyu da cidian 漢語大詞典. 13 vols. Shanghai: Cishu chubanshe, 1986–1993; Hong Kong: Sanlian shudian, 1987–1993. Three-volume small print edition also available. (още…)