Language contact in Dongtou : Dongtou Southern Min and Wenzhou Wu

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the language contact situation in the Dongtou area, where two Sinitic languages, Southern Min and Wenzhou Wu, are traditionally spoken. A selection of contact-induced linguistic changes in phonology, morphology, and grammar are presented from the perspective of Dongtou Southern Min, by comparing them with its origin, Southern Min in the Quan-Zhang area. Additionally, we assess the extent of these changes in comparison to Cangnan Southern Min, which is also spoken in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, and predict the future changing trends. Lastly, we also examine the pattern of change in language contact between less prestigious Southern Min varieties and prestigious Wu varieties by comparing Dongtou Southern Min to Zihu Southern Min which is spoken outside of Zhejiang. The findings indicate that: firstly, Dongtou Southern Min is undergoing a transformation, wherein there are indications of convergence with the Wenzhou Wu in terms of consonant codas, intensifying adjectives, passive markers, the position of adverbs, and the typology of motion events. Secondly, after being compared to Cangnan Southern Min, Dongtou Southern Min appears undergoing a shift from Quan-Zhang Southern Min to Cangnan Southern Min, but in certain aspects such as the typology of motion events, it is already more advanced than Cangnan Southern Min to be more Wenzhou Wu-featured. Individually, we predict that Dongtou Southern Min will lose all its plosive codas in the future, leaving only the nasal coda [-ŋ]. Reduplication will not be used as a method to intensify the adjectives and it will further prefer the headinitial structures with “modified-modifier” order. Thirdly, based on the analysis of Zihu Southern Min and along with the current situation of the Southern Min varieties of Dongtou and Cangnan, we can predict that, generally, when the Southern Min varieties are less powerful or even are language islands within the Wu-dominant region, and they come into contact with significant intensity and duration, Southern Min varieties will become more similar to Wu varieties in terms of consonant codas, degree adverbs and head-directionality.