The Study Of Wuyin Tongyun

Mandarin,the predecessor of Putonghua in present China,refers to the common language used by Chinese people. Historically, Mandarin existed as the opposition of dialect. Zhou De-qing called it"nationwide language"in Zhongyuan Yinyun(《中原音韵》). In Ming and Qing dynasties it began to be known as"Mandarin", since it was originally spoken in officialdom.The study on phonetics system development of Beijing Mandarin was far from sufficient during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Although there have been much material recording Beijing Mandarin since the 19th century, the lack of early Qing Dynasty data still leavs many problems unsolved, making it difficult to describe evolution of Madarin.As an anonymous rhyming dictionary with phonetics Rhyme-table in early Qing dynasty, Wuyin Tongyun(《五音通韵》) attaches much importance to the function of Rhyme-table. It emphasizes recording the pronunciation of that time and revising traditional"Fanqie(反切)". In this book, some old regualtions not in tune with the age are abandoned, and"kai(开口呼)""qi(齐齿呼)""he(合口呼)"and"cuo(撮口呼)"are invented. In addition, 19 initials, 12 final sounds and 5 tunes are summarized in this book. Therefore this book is of great academic value in the history of Chinese phonetics, the history of rhyming dictionary and the history of Chinese linguistics. However, the copies of the book handed down are rare and hard to access, so few experts have mentioned it.This paper thoroughly studies Wuyin Tongyun(《五音通韵》),the version possessed by Yongdao Rongyilang Library. There are seven chapters in this paper.Chapter one is Introduction which reveals the value of this research and current situation of other studies on this issue. Research ideas, methods and purposes are also presented in this chapter.Chapter two is Compilation of Wuyin Tongyun(《五音通韵》).The written time and version of the book are explored. Without any block printed editions, Wuyin Tongyun(《五 音通韵》) is rarely known by people. There are only two handcopied books, of which one is a Rhyme-table of phonetics kept in the special collection room of National Taiwan Normal University Library and the other is a rhyming dictionary with Rhyme-tables kept in Yongdao Rongyilang Library of Keio University. Neither of the two has mentioned who the writer is or when the book was written. However, through investigation we claim that the book was written after 1724.Chapter three is Compilation of Wuyin Tongyun(《五音通韵》), in which the edition principle, Rhyme-table and edition features are explained in the background of phonetics history in Ming and Qing dynasties. There are three sections in this chapter. Section one thoroughly introduces the edition principle and content of the book. Section two explores status and features of every Rhyme-table according to sequence of 12 final sounds, contrasting first the representing characters in Rhyme-table and those in the book, and second compilation of the two. Section three discusses edition features of the book and infers writing motivation and starting point of the writer.Chapter four is Phonetics System of Wuyin Tongyun(《五音通韵》), the major part of this paper. Based on the analysis of phonetics framework, the phonetics nature of the book is determined. First the phonetic situation of representing charaters in Tang and Song Dynasties is examined, and then the origin of initials and finals in this system is checked. Based on the above research, the evolution of the phonetic system in this book is investigated. Through comparing with the phonetic Rhyme-table on the first part of the book, sound value is worked out, and the rhyme-tables of initial and final are formed. Accoring to the position of Rusheng(入声) characters in the Rhyme-table and the book, tunes and its classification are investigated. Meanwhile, we also discuss some significant problems in Chinese phonetics history, such as devoicing of voiced initials, relations among Jian(见)group, Jing(精) group and palatal sound, evolution of endings and position of Rusheng(入声) characters. Explainations about those exceptions violating evolution rules are also presented in this section. Secondly, the phonetic system in Wuyin Tongyun(《五音通韵》) is compared with the system in other books in the same period such as Wufang Yuanyin(《五方元音》) and Sanjiao Jingshu Wenzi Genben(《三教经书文字根本》). The succession relation between Wuyin Tongyun(《五音通韵》) and some earlier books such as Zhongyuan Yinyun(《中原音韵》) and Qieyun Zhinan(《切韵指南》) is explored. The nature of the phonetics system in this book is determined through constrasting Wuyin Tongyun(《五音通韵》) and Yuyan Zier Ji(《语言自迩集》) and the phonetics system of Present-day Mandarine. We come to the conclusion that what Wuyin Tongyun(《五音通韵》) records is the phonetics situation of Beijing Mandarin in 18th century.Chapter five is Criticism in Wuyin Tongyun(《五音通韵》) . The writer has criticized the phonetic notation in some rhyming dictionarys such as Yunfa Zhitu(《韵法直图》), Zihui(《字汇》), Zhengzi Tong(《正字通》). This chapter analyses the criticism and tries to make clear about the purpose of the criticism,and summarizes the writer's view of phonetics and the its values.Chapter six is Investigation of Reference in Wuyin Tongyun(《五音通韵》). Through analysing the reference books such as Zhongyuan Yayin(《中原雅音》); Zihui(《字汇》) and Zhengzi Tong(《正字通》), values of Wuyin Tongyun(《五音通韵》) in the history of lexicographical books and the history of language regulation are presented.Chapter seven is Summary. It summarizes the study in this chapter.