中国境内语言（汉语方言及各少数民族语言）的演变反映了中华民族各群体（各地区汉族及少数民族）的进化历史。现有的语言进化研究大多沿用基于同源词表构建的树状结构方法。但是中国境内语言不仅有进化上的纵向传承，也有频繁的横向交流，仅用树状结构不能恰当地反映中国语言间的进化关系。本项目拟使用1000多个汉语方言及少数民族语言点的材料，选择语音音系特征、音变规则以及从田野调查的语音材料中提取出的声学参数，组成语言综合特征库，并对其进行定性定量的系统分析。结合地理信息系统，通过绘制语言特征地理综合图和高程模拟，揭示了语言区域性的传播模式。最终尝试设计一种适合语言系统发生的网状构建算法，用以同时检测中国境内语言的纵向传承和横向交流的进化历史。研究结果不仅可以为中国语言演化提供新的思路和方法，也有助于我们深入了解中国境内人群迁移和文明演化。

The evolution of Chinese dialects and minority languages can help us track the evolutionary history of different ethnic groups in China. Constructing a language phylogenetic tree with a cognate list is generally used in the studies of language evolution. However, the tree structure cannot exactly represent the actual relationship between Chinese languages, under the influence of the diachronic language inheritance and synchronic language communication. Firstly, in this project, we establish a multi-modal database based on approximately 1000 samples of Chinese dialects and minority languages. This database consists of phonological features, dynamic sound change in various literature documents, and acoustic parameters of speech sounds which are collected in the field work. Using that, we can establish the phylogeny of Chinese languages with evolution networks. Secondly, we are going to use Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and draw synthetic maps with Geographic Information System (GIS) to find the regional language diffusion mode. Moreover, we seek to design a novel naïve graph-theoretical algorithm for language evolution, which is derived from network-building algorithms for biological evolution, to detect the signs of vertical and lateral language evolution. Such research not only leads us to unveil the language evolution, even cultural evolution in China, but also provides us a new idea and method to explore population migration.