Protestant Bible translation and Mandarin as the national language of China / / George Kam Wah Mak.

• Superior document: Sinica Leidensia, Volume 131
• VerfasserIn: Mak, George Kam Wah,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, 2017.; ©2017
• Year of Publication: 2017
• Language: English
• Series: Sinica Leidensia ; Volume 131.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (427 pages) :; illustrations, tables.

This book represents the first monograph-length study of the relationship between Protestant Bible translation and the development of Mandarin from a lingua franca into the national language of China. Drawing on both published and unpublished sources, this book looks into the translation, publication, circulation and use of the Mandarin Bible in late Qing and Republican China, and sets out how the Mandarin Bible contributed to the standardization and enrichment of Mandarin. It also illustrates that the Mandarin Union Version, published in 1919, was involved in promoting Mandarin as not only the standard medium of communication but also a marker of national identity among the Chinese people, thus playing a role in the nation-building of modern China.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- 1 The Emergence of the Mandarin Protestant Bible and the Idea of Tongxing Mandarin in Chinese Protestant Bible Translation -- 2 Institutional Patronage and the Mandarin Bible as the Tongxing Bible in China -- 3 The Use of the Mandarin Bible and the Promotion of Mandarin as Guoyu -- 4 Biblical Mandarin and Modern Chinese Lexicon -- 5 Biblical Mandarin and Modern Chinese Grammar -- Conclusion -- Appendix -- Bibliography -- Index of Biblical Verses -- General Index.