Taihu Wu Phonological Evolution

Wu dialect is one of the most important dialects in China,Taihu Lake Wu dialect (also called north Wu,thereafter NW) has the most wide geographical distribution.In Six Dynasties,Wu dialect has come into being as an independent dialect,which has direct relationship between ancient dialect such as modern Wu,Hui,Min,etc. Furthermore,it is widely accepted that south Wu preserves the most features of ancient Wu,but NW doesn't.Up to now,there is lack of any thorough and systematic study of the phonological evolution of the whole NW.In the thesis,relying on previous and recent field works of ours,we inquire into different feature and origin of kinds of phonological categories,and we will try our best to explain them.The thesis includes six chapters.In chapter 1,we introduce research background, aims,methodology and data resource of this study and other relative issues.Chapter 2 is on the topic of the evolution of initials in NW.It includes the phonological development of labials,dentals and velars.Especially,we discussed the palatalization of Jian见and Jing精group.Also,we probe into the sound change of rhyme Xiao萧with Jian initial referring to the materials of early rhyme books,modern dialect and minor ethic group languages.The modern reflexes of Zhi知,Zhang章and Zhuang庄initials in NW is come to talk about.In chapter 3,we propose the evolution of Guo果group,rhyme Yu鱼(fish, thereafter F)& Yu虞(worry,thereafter W),rhyme Ma麻&Jia佳,Qi齐,the closed finals of Xie蟹& Zhi止groups and Hou侯&You尤.For example,we find that there is not only one colloquial layer of rhyme F in NW,and it is different stage of those layers.There is a colloquial layer of rhyme W in NW which comes from ancient Jiangdong江东dialect in Six Dynasties and accords with south Wu and Min.Three layers -a,-o,-e appear in rhyme Ma &Jia.The layer -o is belong to Ma 2 and Ma 3 in early Wu,and -a of Ma 3 comes from north Mandarin in Tang-Song Dynasty afterward.We should take a close look into the merge of Ma &Jia.The phonological and chronological strata of the closed finals of Xie& Zhi groups and Hou& You in NW and the relative dialects are also discussed in detail.Chapter 4 includes the phonological evolution of Dang宕& Jiang江,Zeng曾& Geng梗and Tong通groups.For instance,we will see there are both two strata -a,-o of Dang & Jiang in NW and other dialects,which is the later reflex of these two groups in Qieyun切韵.Furthermore,stratum -o comes in north Wu before a from the perspective of literary and colloquial layers.We also discuss the colloquial strata of rhyme Yang阳with closed initials,which also appears in south Wu,Hakka and Min, etc.As for Zeng & Geng,their literary and colloquial layers are put forward to discuss in the light of lax and abrupt tones.We will find the capacity of resist the literary impacts against north Mandarin is so different from the kinds of division and ending. Then,the closed finals of Zeng & Geng in Wu and Jianghuai江淮Mandarin date from early Mandarin in Tang-Song dynasty,and the closed finals reflex of Tong group division 3 with medial -i- also comes from north Mandarin in that period.The development of abrupt final and the phenomenon so-called "lagged in division 2"(滞二等) of Tong group is discussed.In Chapter 5,we pay attention to the tonal evolution in NW,which includes tonal types,distribution,patterns of merge and the tonal development of cizhuo次浊,ciqing次清initials.Chapter 6 discusses two related issues.One topic is on the phonological features and their origins of Hangzhou dialect,in order that we want to know which come from early Wu and north Mandarin.The other topic is on the etymons and development of some particles in NW,in the light of the relative historical phonological knowledge of NW.