The Chinese rime tables : linguistic philosophy and historical-comparative phonology / edited by David Prager Branner.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Branner, David Prager.

Series:

Amsterdam studies in the theory and history of linguistic science. Current issues in linguistic theory ; Series IV, v. 271.

Amsterdam studies in the theory and history of linguistic science. Series IV, Current issues in linguistic theory, 0304-0763 ; v. 271

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Chinese language--Phonology.

Chinese language.

Physical Description:

viii, 358 p. : ill.

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Linguistic philosophy and historical-comparative phonology

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam ; Philadelphia : J. Benjamins Pub., c2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book, the first in its field in a Western language, examines China's native phonological tool with regard to reconstruction, theory, and linguistic philosophy.After an introductory essay on the nature of the tables and the history of their interpretation, the book concentrates on three areas: application of rime table theory to reconstruction, the history of rime table theory, and the application of the tables to descriptive linguistics. An appendix details a number of 20th century systems for transcribing their phonology into Roman letters.Major topics include Altaic contact-influence on Chinese, early native understanding of the tables' meaning, the phonological work of Yuen Ren Chao, and Stammbaumtheorie/diasystemic thinking about Chinese. New reconstructions of Han and "Common Dialectal" phonology appear here, as do complete texts and translations of the Shouwen fragments and Yunjing preface.

Contents:

THE CHINESE RIME TABLES

Editorial page

Title page

LCC data

Dedication page

FOREWORD

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION: WHAT ARE RIME TABLES AND WHAT DO THEY MEAN?

1. What is a rime table?

2. Origins

3. Interpretation

Part I. Rime Tables and Reconstruction

ON THE PRINCIPLE OF THE FOUR GRADES

1. Introduction

2. Previous Theories of the Four Grades

3. A New Principle of the Four Grades

4. Conclusion

THE FOUR GRADES: AN INTERPRETATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SINO-ALTAIC LANGUAGE CONTACT

ON OLD TURKIC CONSONANTISM AND VOCALIC DIVISIONS OF ACUTE CONSONANTS IN MEDIEVAL HÀN PHONOLOGY

2. The Bilinguals

3. The Primary Language

4. The Secondary Language

5. The Interference - Bipolarity and Sound Harmony

6. Conclusions

THE QIÈYÙN SYSTEM 'DIVISIONS' AS THE RESULT OF VOWEL WARPING

2. The LHan vowel system

3. Vowel warping

4. Implications of vowel warping hypothesis

5. Summary

6. Individual vowels

Part II. The History of Rime Table Texts and Reconstruction

REFLECTIONS ON THE SHOUWEN FRAGMENTS

2. Description of the Manuscript and Fragments

3. Transcription and Translation of the Fragments

4. Discussion

5. Concluding Thoughts

ZHANG LÍNZHI ON THE YÙNJÌNG

2. The Yùnjìng

3. Translation of the Texts

4. Reflections on the Content of the Texts

5. Conclusion

SIMON SCHAANK AND THE EVOLUTION OF WESTERN BELIEFS ABOUT TRADITIONAL CHINESE PHONOLOGY

2. Schaank's idea

3. The Life of the Medial Idea After Schaank

4. Reconstruction vs. Formal Treatment of a Formal System

Part III. Rime Tables as Descriptive Tools

HOW RIME BOOK BASED ANALYSES CAN LEAD US ASTRAY

2. The Problems

3. Conclusion

4. Sources of Dialect Data.

MODERN CHINESE AND THE RIME TABLES

COMMON DIALECT PHONOLOGY IN PRACTICE -Y.R. CHAO'S FIELD METHODOLOGY

2. Contents and Description of the Notes

3. Chao's Wú Syllabary

4. The Representativeness of Chao's "Wú Syllabary"

5. How Chao Used His Wú Materials to Characterize Hángzh¢u

6. Where Chao Might Have Strengthened His Method

7. Conclusion

8. Sources for the Dialect Data

SOME COMPOSITE PHONOLOGICAL SYSTEMS IN CHINESE

1. Introduction : the question of dialect congruence

2. Universal orthography

3. Diasystems

4. Rime table phonology as a diasystem substitute

5. The work of Yuen Ren Chao

6. Conclusion and prospects

COMMON DIALECTAL CHINESE

2. Initials

3. Finals

4. CDC Tones

APPENDIX I. A NOTE ON THE PRONUNCIATION GUIDE TO PETER BOODBERG'S AGN

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE TO BOODBERG'S ALTERNATIVE GRAMMATONOMIC NOTATION

0. Introduction

1. Position I (

- )

2. Positions II and III ( - - )

3. Position IV (

4. Klangs

APPENDIX II COMPARATIVE TRANSCRIPTIONS OF RIME TABLE PHONOLOGY

2. Tones

3. Initials

4. Finals

5. Tables of rimes

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX OF BIOGRAPHICAL NAMES

GENERAL INDEX

The series CURRENT ISSUES IN LINGUISTIC THEORY.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [303]-325) and indexes.

ISBN:

9786612444814

9781282444812

1282444816

9789027288479

902728847X

OCLC:

649901460