Fanyi Laoqida Piaotongshi and the Division of the Entering Tone in Ming Mandarin

Abstract

The so-called “right side sound system” (右音系統) of the Fanyi Laoqida Piaotongshi (翻譯老乞大•朴通事) shows that the entering tone was divided into two categories according to vowel height. Based on data from Yue, Southern Min, Jin and Jianghuai Mandarin dialects which show that entering tone and stop final changes were caused by vowel height, this paper argues that the division pattern of the entering tone in the Fanyi Laoqida Piaotongshi has a factual basis. In the 16 th century, the entering tone of Mandarin which Cui Shizhen (崔世珍) recorded had been divided into two categories according to vowel height. This pattern is very similar to the modern Lu’an (六安) and Shucheng (舒城) dialects. The similarity may indicate that the 16 th century Mandarin of Cui Shizhen (崔世珍) and modern Jianghuai Mandarin share a genealogical relationship, but it may also just be a typological similarity caused by the same motivating factors. (This article is in Chinese.)提要《翻譯老乞大•朴通事》右音入聲調存在按主元音高低分化的現象。本文結合粵語、閩南語、晉語和江淮官話等方言中元音差異影響入聲調和入聲尾演變的情況，證明《翻譯老乞大•朴通事》右音入聲調分化模式可能是有實際語音依據的，崔世珍記錄的十六世紀漢語官話入聲調消變的過程中出現過按主元音分化的現象，和現代江淮官話六安、舒城方言最為接近。這種相似性可能說明十六世紀官話和江淮官話之間存在某種淵源關係，但更可能只是相同音理導致的類型上的一致。