Topics in Cantonese Linguistics

This course focuses on distinctive aspects of the Cantonese language as spoken in Hong Kong. The language will be viewed in its areal and historical context. Grammatical topics will include parts of speech in Cantonese, verbal aspect, noun classifiers, and sentence-final particles, with a particular focus on aspects of syntax which diverge from written Chinese and Putonghua such as dative, passive and comparative constructions. Topics of sociolinguistic interest such as the use of Cantonese as a written language, ‘lazy pronunciation’ and the growth of ‘trendy language’ will also be addressed.