Reflections On The Miao Language And The Rhyme Class In The Miao Language

Miao language is one of the most complicated language, although researches on it have made great achievements, the studies on Phoenix dialect of Xiangxi are seldom. In this paper we will focus on the intials and finals of miao language spoken primarily in Phoenix district, west of Hunan province, China. This study offers the following significant contributions: it provides a documentation of intials and finals about miao Language based on my field work in Phoenix district and the data mainly elicited from four native speakers of Phoenix dialect; a description of how the initial and final system of proto-miao language change in Phoenix dialect of Xiangxi miao Language according to Wang fushi’s Reconstruction of proto-Miao language. The principal contents of the paper are as follow:Chapter one begins with an introduction to Phoenix and previous studies on intials and finals of miao language, then turns to contents discussed, the methodology used and the related problems we encounter in this paper.Chapter two supplies the readers with the initial and final system of Phoenix dialect in Xiangxi miao Language. Through specific description, initial and final system and characteristics in Phoenix dialect of Xiangxi miao Language are displayed.Chapter three provides the form of changes on initial system of proto-miao language in Phoenix dialect of Xiangxi miao Language. This chapter employs a descriptive approach to analyzing the form of changes in each intial according to Wang fushi’s Reconstruction of proto-Miao language, which classified the initials into 130 types. We spilt single consonants into plosives/affricates/nasals/laterals/fricatives, based upon the place and manner of articulation while consonant clusters into prenasalized initials and non-prenasalized initials, based on the prenasalized initals.Chapter four goes on to the form of changes on final system of proto-miao language in Phoenix dialect of Xiangxi miao Language. This chapter discusses the form of changes in each final according to Wang fushi’s Reconstruction of proto-Miao language, which classified the finals into 30 types. We spilt finals into monophthong finals/diphthong finals/nasal finals, based on the structure of finals.Chapter five ends with some findings show that initials in Phoenix dialect of Xiangxi miao Language display some simplification trends and finals display a similar property.Further study should no doubt account for profoundly and comprehensively the form of changes on initial and final system of proto-miao language in Phoenix dialect of Xiangxi miao Language as well as elicitation of the tones and syllables, this would aid in making the conclusions of this study in-depth. We are looking forward to doing better in the future.