Examining Cantonese Through Western Materials

Abstract

This paper introduces the study of modern Cantonese phonology through Western materials produced in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and sheds light on the effectiveness of using them for linguistic study and discusses some cautionary points when doing so. In general, the study of Cantonese in that period was based on Western materials. In the past two decades, linguistic studies on so-called “Early Cantonese” have widened in Chinese academia and new studies are being conducted using recently found materials. We trace the development and current state of the research, demonstrate its academic value, and make suggestions for future research directions.