This course is an introduction to the phonological characteristics of the Putonghua sounds and their origins in earlier Mandarin and ancient Chinese, and to the methods and materials used in the historical reconstruction of the earlier stages of the Chinese language. A main focus of the course will be the application of computer-assisted procedures to problems in the reconstruction of the history of Chinese phonology. Other topics will include: the typology and evolution of tone and the subgrouping of Chinese dialects.