根据近代汉语韵书资料分析韵母演变之常规与例外

Abstract

This paper studies the general rules of change and exceptional phenomena emerging in the process of the evolution of vowels based on rhyming dictionaries of the Early Modern Chinese eras, including Hongwuzhengyun, Zhongzhouyinyun, Hebingzixuejiyun, etc. The representative phenomenon among the general rules of change in vowels occurring in the process of phonetic changes in the Early Modern Chinese is the simplification of vowels, which are manifested as the merging of rhyme classes and little classes of rhymes. Through this process of change, the vowel system displayed the phenomenon of extensive simplification from the Middle Ancient Chinese era until the Early Modern Chinese era. In this paper, by considering the general rules reflecting this simplification phenomena, we take into account the overall processes of phonetic changes by diachronically comparing the rhymes of the Middle Ancient Chinese era and the phonetic phenomena of the Modern Chinese (Mandarin) era, together with rhyming dictionaries of the Early Modern Chinese era, including Hongwuzhengyun, Zhongzhouyinyun, Hebingzixuejiyun, etc., which are utilized as core materials in this thesis. This paper considers some examples reflecting exceptional phenomena that were separately studied besides the ones reflecting such general rules of change. Among the overall change processes of vowels, the change process of medials in particular is the phonetic change phenomenon that had a decisive impact on the change of the vowel system in the Early Modern Chinese era. According to the results of analyzing the change process in the medial, the vowel [y] formed during the early Ming Dynasty period, which is the Early Modern Chinese era, is estimated to be an explicit ground for determining the classification system of vowels, which are classified into four types, Kaikou-Hu, Qichi-Hu, Hekou-Hu, and Cuokou-Hu. This paper objectively verified the process of change in the vowel system during the Early Modern Chinese era as well as the confirming process of the Kaikou-Hu, Qichi-Hu, Hekou-Hu, and Cuokou-Hu system reflecting the formation of the vowel [y] by studying general rules of change and exceptional phenomena in the evolution process of vowels based on rhyming dictionaries.