A Comparative Study On Zyoudai And Mid-century Japanese Sounds And Mid-century Chinese Sounds

Sounds and transliteration are always an important research area in phonologie.The pronunciation of many Chinese characters in Japanese originated from Mid-century Chinese.The different pronunciations of the Chinese characters in Japanese resulted from its absorption from Mid-century Chinese in various regions and at different times. Due to their special position,analyzing Chinese characters in Japanese is crucial for the study of standard pronunciations and dialects in Mid-century Chinese language.In this dissertation,the author reviews the history of Chinese character pronunciations in both Zyoudai and Mid-century Japanese,and compares these pronunciations with their Mid-century Chinese counterparts.The Japanese Zyoudai and Mid-century periods correspond with the Chinese Mid-century period.During this period,there appeared many Japanese works,among which the authors mainly refers to Kojiki,Manyoshu,Nohonshoki,and dictionaries, Buddhist sutra and translated Chinese works,all of which were compiled in Manyo Kana.The analysis of Manyo Kana and its comparison with Mid-century initiales are based on Kojiki,Manyoshu and Nihonshoki,which consist of about a thousand Manyo Kana. Kojiki,and Manyoshu adopt Goon Phonology while Nihonshoki uses Kanon Phonology. With southern dialects of the Wei,Jin,and Southern-and-Northern-Dynasties as its mother son,Goon reflects the phonetic features of WU region at that time;Kanon,with northwestern dialects of Sui,Tang and Five-Dynasties as its mother son,reflects the dialects of northwestern regions.Through synchronic and diachronic comparison,we can find that Manyo Kana bears some features of Mid-century Chinese initiales.In regards with labiales,there is no difference between heavy labiales and light labiales, and the Mid-century labiales must be heavy ones.The disappearance of Kanon mediale (i|¨) in labiales reflects that light labiales originated from northwestern dialects in the late Tang Dynasty.As for linguals,there is no difference between Mid-century apicales and dorsales. Through comparison with corresponding linguals in Tang dynasty,we know that dorsales and ZHAO(照) rubrique dentales merged.As to dentale,there is no difference between Mid-century CHI TOU(齿头) sounds and dentales;so do ZHAO(照) 2 and ZHAO(照) 3 in dentales.ZHI(止) groupe KAIKOU (开) 3 division,XIE(蟹) groupe KAIKOU(开) 3 division and KAIKOU(开) 4 division correspond with consonnes s/z,others with ts/dz.So we hold that it is the influence of mediales that palatalized Mid-century CHI TOU(齿头) sounds and dentales.Besides,CHUAN(船) initiale and SHAN(禅) initiale are the same and so do CONG(从) initiale and XIE(邪) initiale.Some complete vocalized initiales had been devocalized in Wei,Jin,and Southern-and-Northern-Dynasties periods,although this phenomenon was not very common then.Until Tang Dynasty and Five-Dynasties periods,most complete vocalized initiales had been devocalized.In Wei,Jin,and Southern-and-Northern-Dynasties periods,nasal initiales remained unchanged,except that "NI(泥) initiale" tended to be denasalized.But in Tang Dynasty and Five-Dynasties periods,northwestern nasal initiales had gradually been denasalized.The three initiales NI(泥),NIANG(娘) and RI(日) were the same in Wei,Jin,and Southern-and-Northern-Dynasties periods,which proves that NIANG(娘) and RI(日) originated from NI(泥).On the other hand,NIANG(娘) and RI(日) were different in northwestern dialects of Tang Dynasty.When it comes to laryngales,YING(影) initiale and YU(喻) 3 are hard to tell apart, and YU(喻) 3 and YU(喻) 4 can usually be distinguished.All of the three initiales correspond to voyelles,which indicates that they are correlated with each other,that is, YU(喻) 3 and YU(喻) 4 are sometimes distinct and sometimes exchangeable.YU (喻) 3 and HEKOU(合) XIA(匣) both correspond to w,which shows that they are exchangeable.As is mentioned above,the comparison between Manyo Kana and Mid-century Chinese is based on Manyo Kana in Kojiki,Manyoshu,Nihonshoki,and "Zyoudai Special Kanadzukai" as well.Moreover,the author also refers to dictionaries,Buddhist sutras and translated Chinese works.Within "Zyoudai Special Kanadzukai",type A and type B correspond to different finales but they merge as well,which reflects the CHONG NIU(齿头) phenomenon and the merging of rimes in Mid-century Chinese.The difference between type A and type B in "Zyoudai Special Kanadzukai" reflects different pronunciations in Japanese.The two types correspond respectively to CHONG (重) 3 and CHONG(重) 4 in Mid-century Chinese,which proves CHONG NIU(重纽) 3 division and CHONG NIU(重纽) 4 division are different in pronunciation.In Kojiki,Manyoshu and Nihonshoki,type A ofイcolumn(i,(i|¨)) in "Zyoudai Special Kanadzukai" correspond only to ZHI(支) rime and ZHI(脂) rime.And type A ofキ/ki (ギ/gi)in Kojiki and Manyoshu only correspond to the ZHI(脂) rime.This proves that by Wei,Jin,and Southern-and-Northern-Dynasties periods,ZHI(支) rime and ZHI(脂) rime had not merged together.While in northwestern dialects of Tang Dynasty,ZHI(支) rime and ZHI(脂) rime merged but they were different from ZHI(之) rime and WEI (微) rime then.On the other hand,type B in Nihonshoki include ZHI(支),ZHI (脂),ZHI(之) and WEI(微) four rimes of the ZHI(止) groupe;this indicates that in northwestern dialects of Tang Dynasty,the four rimes had already merged together. Inαgroup of Nihonshoki,type A ofエ(e,(e|¨)) in "Zyoudai Special Kanadzukai" correspond to QI(齐) rime JI(祭) rime in Mid-century Chinese,with QI(齐) rime being KAIKOU(开) 4 division.This shows that in northwestern dialects of Tang Dynasty,QI(齐) rime and JI(祭) rime merged.Type B correspond with HAI(咍) rime and HEKOU(开口) HUI(灰) rime,which only applies in labialesへ/F(e|¨) andめ/m(e|¨).This proves that in the north part of China in Tang Dynasty,HAI(咍) rime and HUI(灰) rime merged.In Kojiki and Manyoshu,type A of Columnオ(o,(o|¨)) in "Zyoudai Special Kanadzukai" correspond primarily to MO(模) rime and HOU(侯) rime,in some cases ZHONG(钟) rime,XIAO(宵) rime,DONG(冬) rime and YU(虞) rime;type B correspond to YU (鱼) rime,DENG(登) rime,ZHI(之) rime,YU(虞) rime ZHENG(蒸) rime,HAI(咍) rime,HUN(魂) rime and ZHI(职) rime.There are similar kinds of corresponding in Nihonshoki.The complexity of rime corresponding here reflects actual pronunciations in Mid-century Chinese.And through the complex corresponding,we have verified that YU(鱼) and YU(虞) are exchangeable,ZHENG(蒸) and DENG(登) rhyme,and some nasal consonne finales merge.Through the analysis of such Chinese resources as dictionaries,Buddhist sutras and biographies,and different marks in the pronunciation of Chinese characters in Japanese and the changes of these marks,the real situation of some Mid-century consonne finales are reflected.Occlusive consonne finales:occlusive consonne finales in Mid-century Chinese were syllabe overte.In WU dialect of Wei,Jin,and Southern-and-Northern-Dynasties periods, consonne finales -p,-t and -k were distinct.While in northwestern dialects in Tang Dynasty,-p,-t and -k developed into glottal stop consonne finales,merging with each other.In southern dialects of Song Dynasty period,-p,-t and -k had merged into one occlusive consonne finale.Nasal consonne finales:nasal consonne finales in Mid-century Chinese were syllabe overte,including -m,-n and -(?).In WU dialect of Wei,Jin,and Southern-and-Northern-Dynasties periods,-m and -n began to merge.In northwestern dialects of Tang Dynasty,-n and -(?) started to disappear,and -m,-n and -(?) began to merge.In southern dialects of Song Dynasty period,-(?) was incorporated into -n.