Abstract：Based on the empirical data obtained through a small-scale survey, this study examines the current situation of Hakka vocabulary use in rural areas in Meixian District. The findings show that the ability to use Hakka vocabulary manifests an intergenerational downward tendency with age decrease. Whereas the older generation has a stronger ability in vocabulary use, the respondents among the younger generation demonstrate a weaker ability in vocabulary use. As compared with people over the age of 40, adolescent students’ ability to use Hakka vocabulary has seen a radical decline. There are also differences between urban and rural people in their ability to use Hakka vocabulary. The ability of rural inhabitants is stronger than that of people living in the county seat. There exists a negative correlation between the proficiency of Mandarin and the ability to use Hakka vocabulary, and the age of 40 years emerges as a watershed not only for vocabulary mastery but also for Putonghua proficiency. This is believed to be closely related to the rural life experience of people over 40 old and the vigorous nationwide promotion of Putonghua on primary and secondary school campuses since the 1980s. Some reflections and explorations on the preservation of Hakka dialect and culture are also made from the perspective of the ongoing movement of rural revitalization. The article concludes with two suggestions. One is to effectively integrate dialectal and cultural maintenance with the initiative for intangible traditional heritage protection, so as to form a benign interaction between dialectal and cultural maintenance and local economic development; the other is to make full use of media technology to make the dialect attractive to young people.
邱春安，严修鸿. 梅县农村客家话词汇使用现状调查研究[J]. 语言战略研究, 2022, 7(1): 61-74.
Qiu Chun’an and Yan Xiuhong. A Survey of the Current Situation of Hakka Vocabulary Use in Rural Areas in Meixian District. , 2022, 7(1): 61-74.
