Part I presents findings that show the important interplay of research into diachronic linguistics and typology in China, beginning with a discussion of how to tackle the issue of linguistic diversity in Sinitic languages. Chapters in Part II examine the Sinitic languages from a crosslinguistic perspective with pan-Sinitic explorations of demonstrative paradigms; bare classifier phrases in relation to the coding of definiteness; and of the diachronic development of two main structures for comparatives of inequality with respect to issues in language contact. Part III is devoted to individual studies of linguistic micro-areas in China: Pinghua and the Guangxi Autonomous Region in the far South of China; Shaowu Min in the northwestern corner of Fujian province; the Wu dialect of Fuyang; and the Hui'an Southern Min dialect in the South of Fujian province.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgements
Notes on contributors
PART I: Approaches to Diversity in Sinitic Languages
1: Introduction: Ways of tackling diversity in Sinitic languages, Hilary M. Chappell
2: Linguistic areas in China for differential object marking, passive, and comparative constructions, Hilary M. Chappell
3: Grammatical change in Sinitic languages and its relation to typology, Alain Peyraube
PART II: Typological Studies of Sinitic Languages
4: The semantic differentiation of demonstratives in Sinitic languages, Yujie Chen
5: Bare classifier phrases in Sinitic languages: A typological perspective, Wang Jian
6: The comparative construction in Sinitic languages: Synchronic and diachronic variation, Hilary M. Chappell and Alain Peyraube
PART III: Individual Studies of Linguistic Micro-Areas
7: Language contact in Nanning: Nanning Pinghua and Nanning Cantonese, Hilário de Sousa
8: On the origin of special numerals for 'one' in southeastern China: [kɛi213] in the northwestern Min dialect of Shaowu, Sing Sing Ngai
9: Complex pronouns in Wu Chinese: Focalization and topicalization, XuPing Li
10: Comparative constructions of inequality in the Southern Min dialect of Hui'an, Weirong Chen
References
Index