Proposes to demonstrate that the Qieyun language, long used as the basis for Chinese dialectal comparison, is an inadequate basis for explaining the tonal evolution of some of the Min dialects; research supported by the U.S. Office of Education and the Chinese Linguistics Project at Princeton University. (RS)

Explores the semantic distinctions and tonal behaviors of four types of "lai" in Taiwanese. It is concluded that some types cannot be fully understood without reference to the underlying structure, the surface structure being often insufficient for determining the tonal shape of the syllable in utterance. (CLK)

Twentieth century studies in the field of Sino-Vietnamese linguistics, with particular emphasis on work since 1955, are examined and evaluated. The discussions focus on how the studies were developed, what the current state is, and where problems are. A bibliography of works mentioned in the main text is included. (Author/SW)