The Influenceof Medial Sound’s Evolution Pattern To Initiials And Finals

This thesis mainly utilizes diachronic and synchronic methods. With the methods of diachronic and synchronic combined, this thesis investigates Chinese and the languages which have genetic relation and language contact with Chinese, in order to make a more comprehensive study on medial sounds.The thesis can be divided into five chapters. Chapter one is the introduction part of this paper, including the status quo of this research at home and abroad. It also introduces the research contents, purpose, significance and research methods. In chapter two, the author discusses the definition of medial sound at first, then classifies medial sound and describes its distribution of type. At last, the author shows the split situation of vowel and consonant. On definition part, the author mainly defines it according to the contents of this paper and the predecessors’ ideas about medial sound. The type and distribution of medial sound also happens to be for the development of the body part. Medial sound can be divided into two categories:vowel and consonant medial sound. The first one can divided into pure vowel and semi vowel medial sound. The third chapter summarizes the pattern type of evolution systematically. This part is mainly combined with the origin of medial sound. The evolution of medial sound has different types in different languages. It is also different in the same language’s different periods. Through summarize the different pattern types of hyperplasia, frustration, evolution, integration and combination; we have got to know clearly about the condition of medial sound and its possible changes. The fourth chapter summarizes the evolution of medial sound and the influence of initials and finals to the entire syllable structure. It mainly presents the influence of medial sound to initials, such as palatalization, labialization, retroflex, and the influence of finals including rising and backward phenomenon. The fifth chapter is the conclusion part of the thesis. The author introduces and summarizes the solutions of the related problems.