Journal article
GUTTURAL FRICATIVES AND INITIAL w- IN COMMON MǏN
Journal of Chinese Linguistics, Vol.51(2), pp.347-376
06/2023
DOI: 10.1353/jcl.2023.a902793
Abstract
In his earlier Proto-Mǐn reconstructed phonological system the late Professor Jerry Norman posited three guttural fricative initials, i.e., *x-,*h-, and *-h-. In early unpublished manuscripts dealing with this system, *x- was classed as velar, while *h- and *-h- were described as laryngeals. Initial *x- was characterized as voiceless and *h- and *-h- as voiced. In Norman (1974), however, *h- was transcribed as phonetic [ɣ], a voiced velar (rather than laryngeal) fricative, while *-h- was interpreted as [ɦ], a voiced laryngeal. In his much more recent Common Mǐn system, as represented in certain of his final dialectological publications and posthumous papers, Norman posited one voiceless velar fricative, *x-, and two laryngeals, *h-, and *ɦ-, the former voiceless and the latter voiced. Additionally, he reconstructed a rounded semivowel, Common Mǐn *w-, which had not been explicitly mentioned in his published presentations of Proto-Mǐn but was posited without comment in manuscript materials in a single word, i.e., huáng 黃 "yellow". In the Common Mǐn system, on the other hand, this *w- plays a more prominent role and is also associated with the guttural fricatives in certain ways. The purpose of the present paper is to exemplify and compare Norman's new Common Mǐn *x-, *h-, *ɦ-, and *w-.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- GUTTURAL FRICATIVES AND INITIAL w- IN COMMON MǏN
- Creators
- W. South Coblin
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of Chinese Linguistics, Vol.51(2), pp.347-376
- DOI
- 10.1353/jcl.2023.a902793
- ISSN
- 2411-3484
- eISSN
- 2411-3484
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 06/2023
- Academic Unit
- Asian and Slavic Languages and Literatures
- Record Identifier
- 9984413069902771
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