南方方言古晓组合口字唇化的动因再探

Further investigation of the motivation for labialization of the Xiao-group characters with closing medial in southern Chinese dialects

东南方言中除闽语外,各方言区的大部分方言点都有古晓组合口字今读唇擦音的现象,本文称之为唇化。南方官话中,不少西南官话和部分江淮官话也有这类表现。学界一般认为合口[u]韵母或[u]介音的圆唇作用,使得舌根擦音[x]或喉擦音[h]的摩擦前移而唇化为[f、v]等。实际上,早期南方方言古见组合口字多有唇化软腭音[kv、k^hv]或[kw、k^hw],这类音在有的南方方言点中还保留至今。古音见组和晓组关系特别密切,本文认为早期南方方言也存在唇化软腭擦音声母[xv、γv]或[xw、γw](多数南方方言喉化为[hv、v]或[hw、w])。正是[v]或[w]这类形容性的唇化成分,才是声母[x、γ]最终唇化为[f、v]等的真正动因。

In many southeastern dialects except Min,it has been extensively reported that the initials of the Xiaogroup characters with closing medial are pronounced as labial fricatives nowadays,referred to as labialization in this study.This phenomenon has also been observed in dialects of Southern Mandarin Chinese,including Southwestern Mandarin and Jianghuai Mandarin.In previous literature it was generally accepted that the rounded vowel effects of[u]vowel or[u]medial trigger the sound change:the fricatives of velar[x]or glottal[h] move forwards and are labialized as[f]or[v].The present study proposes a different mechanism.In fact,many Jian-group characters with closing medial were pronounced as labialized velar plosives[kv],[k^hv],or[kw],[k^hw]in early southern dialects,some of which have been preserved up to now.It is well known that Jian-group had a close relationship with Xiao-group in ancient Chinese phonology.This study infers that labialized velar fricatives[xv],[γv],or[xw],[γw]for Xiao-group existed in early southern dialects(which were further glottalized to be[hv],[v],or[hw],[w]in most southern dialects).This study further suggests that the labialized co-articulation of[v]or[u]should be the real motivation for the sound change from[x],[γ]to[f],[v].