Phonetic And Geographical Differences In Junan County Dialects

JuNan County is situated at the border of three Mandarin dialects:Jilu Mandarin,Zhongyuan Mandarin,and Jiaoliao Mandarin.It is located in the transitional area between two dialect regions in Shandong province,and belongs to the Juzhao section of the Canghui sub-branch of the Jilu Mandarin.The unique geographic location and dialectal status result in complex dialectal characteristics and significant internal differences.Existing research on Junan dialectal phonetics mainly focuses on the overall description of the phonetic system in the county town,with little attention paid to the phonetic characteristics of surrounding villages and towns,and geographic differences within the county areas rarely discussed by scholars.As Mr.Xu Tongqiang said,"where dialects meet,the intersection of different dialectal features is inevitable,and there is no clear dividing line." Therefore,it is valuable to conduct further analysis,description,and comparative studies on the phonetic differences of the county’s dialects.This paper takes the phonetic characteristics of the Junan dialect as the research object,based on existing research materials on the Junan dialect.Through field investigations and geographical comparisons,this paper describes and compares in detail the various phonetic differences within the Junan dialect,aiming to present the overall phonetic profile and geographic differences of the Junan dialect.Furthermore,this paper discusses the reasons for the internal differences in its phonetic characteristics by incorporating theories of dialect contact and phonetic evolution.The paper is divided into six chapters:Chapter one,introduction.Which mainly introduces the natural geography,social humanities,and historical evolution of Junan County,as well as the current status of research on Junan dialect.It also outlines the significance of this study and the research methods used,explains the selection of dialect points for investigation,and introduces the characteristics of the pronouncers.Chapter two,an overview of the phonetics of the county town dialect in Junan,taking Shizi Road as the representative location.This chapter mainly describes the tone and rhyme system of the county town dialect in Junan,outlines the main phonetic features of the Junan dialect,and compares the phonetic system of the Junan dialect recorded in relevant literature,examining the evolution of the phonetic system of the Junan dialect from a historical perspective and providing a reference for the later study of its internal differences.Chapter three,discussing the geographic differences in the consonants of the Junan dialect.This chapter mainly analyzes the differences in consonants among dialects in various towns in Junan County.Specifically,it focuses on the reading types of consonants in the Middle Ancient Jingjian group,the situation of pointed and round sounds,the reading types of consonants in the Middle Ancient Zhizhuangzhang group,and the reading types of consonants in the Middle Ancient Duan group and Yingyiwei group,respectively.Throughout the chapter,various forms,such as maps and tables,are used to visually present the phonetic differences.The chapter summarizes the commonalities and differences among these dialects and explains the reasons for the formation of phonetic differences from the perspectives of historical evolution,dialect contact,and language attitude.Chapter four,discussing the geographic differences in the vowels of the Junan dialect,focusing on the pronunciation of the Middle Ancient Xiezhi closing-end series in contemporary usage and the rhyme reading of the Ri character.Based on the recorded descriptions and descriptions of the phonetics,combined with the phonetic features of surrounding dialect points,the chapter analyzes and explains the reasons for internal differences in the Junan dialect.Chapter five,exploring the geographical differences in tonal patterns of the Junan dialect.Specifically,this chapter focuses on the internal variations in the falling tone category and the tone patterns of syllables with clear and unclear entering tones.Through statistical analysis and comparison with other dialects,the chapter investigates the reasons for these internal variations.Chapter six,delving into the geographical differences in connected tone variations in the Junan dialect.The chapter highlights the tone variations occurring before the light tone,such as the "yinping+light tone" and "yangping+light tone," as well as the geographical differences in tone variations resulting from the repetition of monosyllabic verbs.