The Language of Táng Poetry as Entryway into the Spoken Language of the Táng: A Preliminary Exploration

Abstract:This study examines features of the living colloquial language of the Táng Dynasty as found to be reflected in Táng poetry. The operating postulate for this study is that Táng poetry and its prosody had a strong orality, and hence also had a connection to the spoken language that went beyond the formulaic and codified system of Middle Chinese phonology. A corollary to this postulate is that across and between regional varieties, or dialects, of the Táng spoken language there also was a prestige koine, that had evolved out of those spoken dialects and that had wide currency in the Táng empire. Within that linguistic environment, colloquial elements are found in Táng poems that fall outside the received phonology or that comprise words not found in Chinese prior to the Táng. These colloquial elements are of particular utility in characterizing the colloquial and regional nature of the Táng language. Such colloquial forms can be uncovered, for example, where a syllable is found in an unexpected tone category in order to fit a poem's expected prosody. This study considers examples of these kinds of unexpected forms that are identified in passages cited by Jiǎng Shàoyú 蒋绍愚 in his 1990 study, Tángshī yǔyán yánjiū 唐诗语言研究. The examination finds that while Táng prosody is more closely reflected in the modern southern dialects, colloquial words and elements that made their way into poetry in Táng times more commonly originated in the regional northern dialects of the period, or in the Táng koine, or in both. Finally, two appendices are included following the main body of this study. The first is a detailed and annotated translation of a short passage discussing tone variants in Táng poety in Jiǎng Shàoyú 1990. The second is a brief outline of Táng poetic prosody that provides some background to the issues of tone that underly the analysis.