The Geographic Distribution of the Diminutives in Yuebei Tuhua:

Abstract

粵北土話小稱詞已受到許多研究探討。然而，粵北土話小稱詞的歷時演變類型及其地理分佈具有一對一的對應關係，這種關係的存在卻鮮少受到關注。因此，本文分別從社會歷史因素及語言因素，探討粵北土話小稱詞中這種對應關係的形成。除了粵北地區的地區性移民與區域開發的影響之外，本文主張，這種歷時類型與地理分佈之間的對應關係，主要來自於漢語東南方言兩股小稱形成勢力的彼此衝突，而粵北土話小稱詞的地理分佈便是這兩股勢力衝突後妥協的結果。

A great body of related literature has been devoted to the diminutives in Yuebei Tuhua (YBTH). Yet, little attention is directed to the fact that, in YBTH diminutives, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the temporal order and the geographic distribution. For this reason, this study aims to explore such a correspondence in terms of socio-historical and linguistic factors. It is argued that, besides the areal immigration and development in northern Guangdong, the temporal-geographic correspondence results mainly from a linguistic conflict between two forces of diminutive formation in southeastern Chinese dialects, and the geographic distribution of YBTH diminutives represents a compromise of this conflict.