闽方言:音韵篇

Min(闽) Dialects:Phonology

闽方言音韵问题主要有两个,其一是保守与创新,其二是层次分析。前者得从汉语语音史的连续性去衡量,后者有必要注意层次不等和同层异读。这两个问题较大的意义是在:启发人们重新透视文献材料的性质,提供线索探讨闽方言如何形成与发展。作为汉语方言保守的一支,闽方言像是一座汉语史博物馆,其地位相当于日耳曼语系的立陶宛,拉丁语系的古典拉丁文;如就层次之丰富多样来说,汉语方言鲜有其匹。

Min（闽） is a museum of Chinese historical linguistics, a repository of old and new artefacts from different periods of time as well as from a diverse base of ancient dialects. In terms of archaism, Min（闽） is comparable to the Germanic language of Lithuanian; but at the same time it is as modern as any other Chinese dialect--conservatism co-exists side by side with various wayward innovations, making it one of the most enigmatic languages on earth. A museum？ Yes, for a taste, the earliest evidence bearing on Chinese retroflexion process is recovered from the Min territory, unheard of elsewhere on China＇s soil, ancient or mordern.