I discuss the mechanism of the creation of Japanese-Chinese isomorphous neologisms in modern times. I predominantly centered on the word “keiken” (experience) but also examined other words, such as “kesseki” (calculus) and “kesshoo” (crystal). Many modern Chinese words with a shared use appeared in translated works in Rangaku (Dutch Studies) during the Edo period. Focusing on that fact, I used works such as the Fushi Keiken Ikun, Kaijoo Hoojutsu Zensho, and Seimi Kaisoo to investigate 13 Japanese-Chinese isomorphous words from the very end of the Edo period. These words include “sabetsu” (discrimination), “kinshin” (probation), “dooro” (route), “densen” (infection), and “bokki” (erect). Finally, this paper discusses the Japanese-Chinese isomorphous word “sankoo” (reference) to point out that it is used as a verb with the particles wo and to in the Rangaku literature, although Japanese only uses it as a noun while Chinese also uses it as a verb. There are several other words like this, such as “shuei” (guard), “kankaku” (interval), and “eiyoo” (nutrition).

“Bungaku” and “kyōiku” are ancient Chinese words, but in nineteenth-century English–Chinese dictionaries, they are given as translational equivalents of “literature” and “education,” respectively. Since the latter had conventionally often been used as a verb without any established noun usage, the former was sometimes used as a noun. Influenced by Japan in modern times, “kyōiku” acquired noun usage and “bungaku” came to be used exclusively as a translation of “literature.” In Japanese, words originally from the Chinese classics that later became translational equivalents are known as “semantic transfers” (ten’yōgo), while those such as “bungaku” and “kyōiku” that acquired the meaning of modern concepts in Japanese are also referred to as “Japanese-made Chinese words” (Wasei Kango). However, this study argues the contributions made by missionaries who came to China and completed relationships of translational equivalence need to be objectively assessed. This research also focuses on how the Japanese language was introduced to modern concepts as it received these words. As such, this study classifies words like “bungaku” and “kyōiku” as “Chinese–Japanese-made words” (Nicchū gassaku go). This will contribute to describing the formation process of modern concepts more accurately, eliminating inconsistencies and confusion in the classification of translated words, as well as countering the nationalistic tone that occasionally appears in translation studies.

In our study, 4 native Chinese speakers spoke 22 sentences with a focus on (or immediately after) 6 sets of minimal pairs that included both rounded and unrounded sounds in the same location. We recorded both the front and sides of the participants’ heads and used these recordings to generate 1,152 rounded and unrounded sounds. The movement of the lips and mouth were then depicted and measured diagrammatically, followed by statistical analysis on the resultant data. Our results show that the degree of openness of the mouth was the most important parameter for pronunciation when generating rounded and unrounded sounds.

This paper investigates the phonology of non-labialized Division III finals of the Zhǐshè rime class having zhī series initials and non-labialized Division III finals of the Xièshè rime class having zhī/zhāng series initials in the Fénzhōu sub-group of the greater Lǚliáng Jìn dialect group. It is argued that in Proto-Fénzhōu the relevant syllables can be reconstructed with initial *tʃ- plus final *-i and had not yet developed an apical vowel final. Furthermore, there is a clear distinction between zhī-1 group syllables and non-labialized Zhǐshè rime class syllables having zhuāng 庄/zhāng 章 series initials.

Yingzi Rumen by Cao Xiang, a native of Shanghai in the late Qing era, was one of the earliest textbooks to record the pronunciation of English using the Shanghai dialect. This was a landmark publication in the history of English-language education, but little attention has been paid to its utility in the study of Shanghai dialect. This paper explores the phonetic correspondences between English and Chinese characters to ascertain the phonetic features of the Shanghai dialect, and then by comparing the ones of which presented in European materials, it sheds new light on the significance of paired speech materials.