19세기 중국 『海國圖志』와 일본『米歐回覽實記』에 수록된 외국 지명 음역 성모 비교 연구

Abstract

This study compares and analyzes the similarities in the initials (聲母) of foreign place names recorded in two 19th-century texts: the Chinese Haiguotuzhi (『海國圖志』) from the early to mid-19th century, and the official Japanese government document Tokumeizenkentaishi Beiokairanjikki (『特命全權大使米歐回覽實記』) from the late 19th century. The goal is to investigate the relationship between the Chinese and Japanese transcriptions of foreign place names, with a focus on the initials. Foreign place names were first extracted from Beiokairanjikki, and the initials of the phonetic elements used in these transcriptions were reclassified according to the system of Middle Chinese initials. The transcriptions were then compared with Japanese kanji readings to determine whether the Japanese modified the Chinese transcriptions according to Japanese phonological rules or directly adopted Chinese phonetic elements without alteration. Labial initials (唇音系), such as 幫母, appear as /h/ in Japanese kanji readings, but in Beiokairanjikki, they consistently appear as /b/ or /p/, with no instances of /h/. For 非母 (f, p), the phonetic elements relate to either /f/ or /p/, and 明母 appears as /m/ in most cases, even though it would be /m/ in Wu readings and /b/ in Han readings of Japanese kanji. This suggests that the transcriptions align more closely with Chinese phonological patterns than with Japanese. For dental initials (舌音系), such as 泥母 and 娘母, which appear as /n/ in Wu readings and /d/ in Han readings of Japanese kanji, Beiokairanjikki consistently uses /n/, indicating that the Han reading sounds /d/ and /t/ were not used. Once again, this suggests a closer affinity to Chinese phonology. Regarding velar initials (牙音系), 疑母 (ŋ, g) appears as /g/ in Japanese kanji readings, reflecting the loss of the nasal sound in Japanese, and in Beiokairanjikki, 疑母 is also represented as /g/. This suggests that Japan either rearranged Chinese phonetic elements or created new terms independently. In the case of glottal initials (喉音系), 匣母 (g, k) appears as /g/ in Wu readings and /k/ in Han readings of Japanese kanji. Sibilant initials (齒音系), especially those translating the sound /s/, seem to be derived from Chinese transcriptions, indicating that Japanese may have referenced or borrowed directly from Chinese translations. Similarly, the use of 日母 (/l, r/) phonetic elements likely follows the Chinese model. In summary, the initials in Beiokairanjikki align almost perfectly with Middle Chinese phonology, except for 疑母 (ng-), which matches at about 50%. Overall, the foreign place names in Beiokairanjikki appear to be direct borrowings or rearrangements of Chinese phonetic elements, rather than transcriptions modified by Japanese kanji phonological rules.