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Chinese Languages and Their Neighbours in Southeast Asia
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Chinese Languages and Their Neighbours in Southeast Asia

A special issue of Languages (ISSN 2226-471X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 3525

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pui Yiu Szeto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Humanities, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
Interests: language contact; linguistic typology; Sinitic languages
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Umberto Ansaldo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Arts and Sciences, VinUniversity, Hanoi, Vietnam
Interests: linguistic typology, language contact, pidgin and creole languages, languages of East, South, and Southeast Asia
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the successful publication of our Special Issue "Typology of Chinese Languages: One Name, Many Languages", we are delighted to announce a sequel dedicated to the Chinese languages of Southeast Asia.

We invite original and innovative research on the multifaceted interactions between Chinese and the languages of Mainland and Insular Southeast Asia. Topics of particular interest include linguistic perspectives on minority and endangered language communities, language contact phenomena, and sociolinguistic dynamics. While the main focus is on varieties of Chinese spoken in Southeast Asia, studies centered on other languages in the region are also welcome, as long as they analyze their synchronic or diachronic engagement with Chinese.

Southeast Asia presents one of the most diverse linguistic landscapes on earth, where ancient language families have coexisted and interacted for centuries. This history of migration and sustained contact has woven a complex tapestry of languages and cultures, offering fertile ground for linguistic inquiry. This Special Issue will bring the intriguing and nuanced realities of this region to the forefront of the linguistic community.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400–600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors, Pui Yiu Szeto (pyszeto@gmail.com) and Umberto Ansaldo (uansaldo@gmail.com), and to the Languages Editorial Office (languages@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for ensuring their proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

Dr. Pui Yiu Szeto
Prof. Dr. Umberto Ansaldo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Languages is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • language contact
  • Southeast Asia
  • Chinese languages
  • sociolinguistics
  • minority languages

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 455 KB  
Article
Generational Variation in Language Convergence: Lexical and Syntactic Change in Dai Lue Under Chinese Influence
by Nuola Yan, Sumittra Suraratdecha and Chingduang Yurayong
Languages 2026, 11(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages11010003 - 24 Dec 2025
Viewed by 1363
Abstract
This study examines lexical and syntactic convergence between Dai Lue and Chinese in the multilingual environment of Sipsongpanna, employing an apparent-time approach across three generational cohorts (N = 90, balanced gender). Through mixed-methods analysis (structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews), significant diachronic variation was [...] Read more.
This study examines lexical and syntactic convergence between Dai Lue and Chinese in the multilingual environment of Sipsongpanna, employing an apparent-time approach across three generational cohorts (N = 90, balanced gender). Through mixed-methods analysis (structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews), significant diachronic variation was observed. Younger speakers exhibited pronounced convergence, adopting Chinese-derived syntactic patterns (e.g., prenominal quantifiers and preverbal adjunct phrases) and borrowing Chinese lexical elements (e.g., an adverb sɛn55 ‘first’ ← Chinese 先 xiān, and a superlative marker tsui35 ‘most/best’ ← Chinese 最 zuì). Middle-aged speakers use transitional hybrid structures, while older speakers more consistently maintain native Dai Lue features. The results conform with Labov’s age-grading model in contact linguistics and refine Thomason’s borrowing hierarchy by revealing two factors: First, the prestige of the Chinese language drives convergence among youth. Second, syntactic compatibility with Chinese is mediated not merely by language structure, but by discourse-pragmatic needs, functional load redistribution, and the social indexicality of borrowed structures. This underscores the interplay between sociolinguistic motivations and structural-adaptive constraints in language change. The findings provide critical insights into language contact mechanisms among ethnic minorities of China, with implications for sociolinguistic theory, language revitalization efforts, and bilingual education policy implementation in linguistically diverse communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chinese Languages and Their Neighbours in Southeast Asia)
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