The pronounced divergence between literary and colloquial pronunciations found in Hokkien dialects is attributed to the presence of several strata in the Min lexicon. The earliest, colloquial stratum is traced to the Han dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE); the second colloquial one comes from the period of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420 - 589 CE); the third stratum of pronunciations (typically literary ones) comes from the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE) and is based on the prestige dialect of Chang'an (modern day Xi'an), its capital. COUNT 5
QSN1 Colloquial stratum can be traced to several strata in what lexicon? ANS1 Min QSN2 The earliest colloquial stratum can be traced to what? ANS2 Han dynasty QSN3 When was the Han Dynasty? ANS3 206 BCE - 220 CE QSN4 When were the Southern and Northern Dynasties? ANS4 420 - 589 CE QSN5 When was the Tang Dynasty? ANS5 618–907 CE