论音变与音位结构的关系

Phonetic Change and Phonemic Structure: some casestudies in Chinese(abstract)

"语言学"的定义,一般认为是"对于语言的科学研究"(the scientific study of language)。这种科学的研究,不论中外,都发端于对语言历史演变的研究,尤其是语音史的研究,也就是所谓"历史语言学"(historical linguistics)。语音史的研究是建立在一条最基本的信念上的,那就是:"音变是有规律的"(sound changes are rcgular)。因此历史语言学家的任务也就是如何发现及确认音变的规律。然而总观历来的历史音韵学著作,我们难免会感到美中不足,因为我们看到的往往不是系统化的规律,而只是一些对某类音律的片断与模棱两可的解说,或是实例的排比。这样,我们就看不出音律的本质以及音律之间的交互关系,自然,更看不出历史演变的步逐情况了。

The basic premise of historical linguistics is that sound changes are regular. It is, therefore, a common practice among historical linguists to try to identify these regular changes. However, the present author believes, and has been claiming for a while, that this regularity can only be clearly seen, and logically defended, on the basis of the phonemic structure of a sound system. What is regular is only the evo-lution of the phonemic units in the sound system triggered by some phonetic chan- ge or changes which directly or indirectlv affect these units. It follows that some-times a phonetic change may actually ocour, but it may not alter the phonemic structure, while, on the other hand, a reinterpretation of the status of some phonemic units may be necessary, even though they are not directly affected by a phonetic change. The present paper aims at iltustrating this point with the following cases from the history of the Chinese language.a) phonemic structure altered, though the nature of the related phonetic change was unclear: the merging of the zhuang-initials and the zhang-initials of the Qieyun Chinese into the zhao-initials of the Dengyun Chinese.b) Phonetic change confirmed, but phonemic contrasts remain unchanged: the spl t of the labial initials of the Qieyun Chinese into the ’heavy-lips’ and the ’light-lips’ , and the denasalization of the ri-initial.c) Phonemic change interpreted in one direction, while phonetic change actually occurred in an opposing direction: the merging of the three Old Mandarin rhymes, huan-huan, ban-shan, and xian-tian.d) Phonemic reinterpretation without direct phonetic change: the coalescence of the jiang rhyme-class and the dang rhyme-class.(Paper to be written in Chinese for presentation at the 15th International Con-ference on Sine-Tibetan Languages and Linguistics.)