Abstract Previous orthoepical practice lacked adequate investigation of Putonghua and other Chinese dialects and constructed the principles of orthoepy largely relying on the traditional rhyme books and dictionaries. In recent years, five principles of orthoepy have been established via in-depth review of historical documents, special investigation of Putonghua in use, and extensive fieldwork in Chinese dialects. This paper aims to further elaborate and explain the new principles of orthoepy of Standard Chinese with examples for each principle of orthoepy and support of statistical data from urban fieldwork.
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