A Cultural Anthropological Study of Local Cultures in Hainan Island

本研究的主要目的是通过对琼西北部儋州-临高地区的田野调查，了解该地区共存的各方言/语言群体的文化特征，并探讨它们之间的边界维持机制。海南岛文化的复杂性不仅来自于其少数民族居民，如黎族和苗族，而且还来自汉族人口中的各种地方文化，每个人都有自己独特的方言和习俗。我们在2002年和2003年对儋州话、军话、客家话和临高话等方言群的地方社区进行了实地调查，并收集了一些其他方言/语言群的数据，如白话、海南话、普通话和里话。我们发现了他们生活方式迅速变化的证据，特别是在过去的二三十年里。但我们也注意到，每种方言的语言社区都在增长， ...更多信息 直到世纪后期，仍保留着一些独特的文化特征，如祖先崇拜和婚姻习俗。不同方言群体之间通婚的情况很多，除了本族方言外，大多数人还可以根据情况使用其他两种或三种方言。这种异族通婚和使用多种语言的情况对这一地区的居民来说根本不是最近才出现的现象。姓氏联想似乎一直是方言群之间的重要连接点。值得注意的是，尽管不同方言群体之间有着如此密切的互动，但当地居民之间的语言和文化差异却持续了相当长的一段时间。但另一方面，至少在目前，这些群体都不能被视为严格意义上的民族群体，因为人们往往使用许多不同的因素，如地点，来源，语言或文化联系，以适应不同的社会背景。少

The main purpose of this research is to understand the cultural traits of each dialect/ language groups which have been co-existing in Danzhou-Lingao area of northwest Hainan and to investigate the boundary maintaining mechanism among them through fieldworks in the area. Cultural complexity of Hainan Island is not merely derived from its minority inhabitants such as Li and Miao, but also from various local cultures within Han Chinese population each of which has its own distinct dialect and custom. We carried out field research in 2002 and 2003 at local communities of such dialect groups as Danzhou-hua, Jun-hua, Kejia-hua (Hakka), and Lingao-hua (Limkow or Be), and also collected some data on other dialect/language groups such as Bai-hua (Cantonese), Hainan-hua (Hainanese), Putong-hua (Mandarin), and Li-hua (Li) speakers. We found evidences of rapid change in their way of life especially in the last two or three decades. But we also noticed that language communities of each dialect gro … More up are still maintained and some distinctive cultural traits such as the way of ancestor worship or marriage custom had been kept well into the late twentieth century. There are many cases of intermarriage between different dialect groups and in addition to the dialect of their own native community, most people can use other two or three dialects depending on situation. This condition of intermarriage and multi-lingual usage is not at all recent phenomenon for inhabitants of this area. Surname associations seems to have been functioning as an important junction among dialect groups. It is remarkable that, in spite of such close interactions among different dialect groups, linguistic and cultural differences among the local inhabitants have persisted for a rather long period. But on the other hand, at least at present, none of these, groups can be seen as an ethnic group in its strict sense, because people often use many different factors such as locality, origin, and linguistic or cultural affiliation for their own identification corresponding to different social contexts. Less