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Xi'an Dialect - legacy of an
elegant language
There are three major dialects in Northwest China's
Shaanxi Province, namely, that of the northern, central, and southern
parts of the province, which is one of the cradles of ancient Chinese civilization.
However, the term "Shaanxi dialect" usually refers to the local talk of
the Central Plains, which can be represented by the dialect of Xi'an, the
provincial capital. Xi'an dialect collectively demonstrates the characteristics
and features of all its variations popular in the province and nearby regions,
reflecting its long development process.
Xi'an dialect was called Guanxi Qin Voice in ancient times,
and was promoted and spread as an official accent, just as Mandarin is today.
In the
Zhou Dynasty (11th century-256BC), when Xi'an was the capital of the
country for the first time, the dialect was called an "elegant language"
according to some canons.
The reasons why Xi'an dialect was called "elegant language", and considered
a national language lied not only in the necessity of uniting the country.
It was also because the people of that time considered the dialect's intonation
and pronunciation as melodious and attractive to the ear. The unique qualities
of the language helped its popularity, and it was a fashion to learn the
dialect at the time.
However, Xi'an dialect nowadays is different from the "elegant language"
in the Zhou Dynasty, and does not enjoy that popularity. It is now known
as being very unconstrained and sonorous; nevertheless, it is still regarded
as an important genre in Chinese dialects.
Legend goes that more than 4,000 years ago, Cang Jie, a local from Shaanxi's
Baoji, created
Chinese characters. As a result, Shaanxi dialect was endowed with its
natural profoundness and extensiveness from the beginning. Through the dialect,
one could look into the development track of the ancient civilization as
well as the truthful and sincere feelings the dialect still expresses today.
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