A Study On The Phonology

Liangzhou Xianxiao Changci is taken as the object of our study in this paper. Through analysis verses and misused characters which were in 61 different songs selected,we generalized phonology characteristics of Liangzhou dialects,and explored the development and evolution of the Northwestern dialects based on our researches.Through analysis Liangzhou Xianxiao Changci, we obtained some conclusions as follows:1. Liangzhou Xianxiao Changci rhymed more freely than Guangyun《广韵》.The rime categories had reduced greatly,and the familiarly sounded rimes had been converged gradually.2.LiangzhouXianxiao Changci could be divided into 10 categories:7 YinSheng Rimes阴声韵(Rime Ge Ge歌戈部、Rime Jia Ma家麻部、Rime Yu Mo鱼模部、Rime Jie Hai皆咍部、Rime Zhi Wei支微部、Rime Xiao Hao萧豪部、Rime You Hou尤侯部),3 Yang Sheng Rimes阳声韵(Rime Jiang Yang江阳部、Rime Yuan Tan元覃部、Rime Dong Qin东侵部).Yang Sheng Rimes ending [-m] had disappeared and merged into [-n], Yang Sheng Rimes endings [-n] and [-η] had merged(or disappeared).The three plosive engings [-p]、[-t]、[-k] of enterning Rimes had completely disappeared,enterning Rimes had disappeared,and had basically merged into corresponding YinSheng Rimes.3.The level tone had divided into Yin阴and Yang阳,and were similar to the falling tone, the voiced rising tone had evolved into falling tone.The entering tonehad merge into four tones。In short,the Northwestern dialects which were reflected by Liangzhou xianxiao changci on one hand inherited some features from the Northwestern dialects in Tang and Five Dynasties,on the other hand appeared some new features.The phonology characteristics were similar to the phonology characteristics of the modern Northwestern dialects.