Abstract:
Li Jinxi is a famous linguist in China and one of the early Chinese scholars who divided Chinese dialects. This paper discusses Li’s contribution to the theory of Chinese dialect regionalization from the perspective of “four regions and twelve systems” regionalization. It is embodied in the following aspects: the accuracy and hierarchy of naming with the four districts leading the twelve systems, the scientificity and forethought of using the middle ancient to enter the sound and now to read the dialect as the regional standard, and the overall and pioneering role of Chinese dialect zoning in the standardization and promotion of Beijing standard pronunciation. These theoretical contributions not only provide theoretical sources for scholars to discuss related issues, but also provide thinking power for the later generations of scholars to further discuss. At the same time, this paper also makes up and corrects some problems in Chinese dialect regionalization.