A Comparative Phonological Study On Guangzhou Cantonese

It is generally acknowledged that Cantonese is best represented by Guangzhou dialect. It helps to emphasize the significant role of Guangzhou dialect in Cantonese, and view Guangzhou dialect as an internal unified local dialect whose pronunciation differences are unapparent. However, it is not the real case for Cantonese pronunciation at present which differs from each other in various regions resulting from government district variation and economic development. With regard to the vast territory of Guangzhou City, the dramatic change of different districts and the distinct pronunciations in each district, it is indispensable to conduct research exploring pronunciation in different districts of Guangzhou.It is important to point out that both consistency and diversity lie in Guangzhou Cantonese, to explain more fully, this research undertakes collecting first hand data from 11 investigation sites and analyzing the pronunciation of each site. In an attempt to find the regulation evolution and development path, this study sorts out the phonology systems in different dialect and classifies the initials, finals and tones separately in comparison to the Middle Chinese phonology system.This paper consists of 6 chapters. Chapter One introduces the geography and history of Guangzhou, reviews the previous studies home and abroad, and proposes the purpose, significance and method of this study. Chapter One also explain the selection of the investigation sites and the participants in the pronouncing process. Next it will clarify the way for giving the name of the investigation sites and the usages of the recording symbols. Chapter Two contains 11 Cantonese phonology systems and some explanations. Chapter Three, Four and Five conducts the comparative study by initials, finals and tones separately, and the foothold is the Middle Chinese phonology system. Chapter Six is the conclusion part, in addition to the summary of the whole paper, this part will also propose the prospects of Guangzhou Cantonese study in the future. In the last part of this paper, it attaches with two tables: Table of the information of the participants in the pronouncing process and Table of the comparison of word pronunciation in Guangzhou.