The Xiang dialects comprise one of the major families of modern Sinitic languages. However, a number of modern linguists doubt that, as currently constituted, this group forms a valid taxonomic unit. In confronting this problem, the present work identifies twelve dialects, currently considered to be Xiang, which can be associated with one another on the basis of a complex of shared innovations, vis-a-vis earlier common Chinese sound systems. This group of dialects, which clusters in the middle portion of the Xiang-speaking area, is designated here as "Central Xiang"; and its members are subjected to a comparative reconstructive analysis, resulting in a phonological proto-system, called "Common Central Xiang". The book also examines related questions of demographic and migration history, together with possible historical connections between Central Xiang and the Gan family of dialects. It is suggested that Gan and Central Xiang may ultimately have belonged to a dialect continuum and that this possibility should be investigated in future studies.