ABSTRACT
Nantong Chinese has a rich and unique vocabulary with multiple origins. Some Nantong Chinese words appear in ancient texts or dictionaries from various historical periods. Others appear in other Chinese dialects. A small number of words even appear to have come directly from English. This chapter is devoted to an etymological study of the Nantong Chinese lexicon. It starts with a review of previous studies of the Nantong Chinese vocabulary. It then explores the issue of language contact and lexical borrowing, discussing how lexical items spread from language to language, contributing to various strata of the lexicon. Finally, it investigates the various origins of Nantong Chinese words.
