Common Dialectal Chinese is a phonological system devised by Jerry Norman as a shared basis for varieties of Chinese with the exception of Min dialects.

Initials and finals

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The categories were derived from those of the Qieyun, a medieval rhyme dictionary, and later rhyme tables, by merging categories not distinguished in the modern varieties. The assignment of words to categories is determined from reflexes in the modern varieties, and occasionally differs from the placement in the Qieyun. Similarly the phonetic characteristics of the categories are based on modern reflexes, and not the Sino-Xenic readings and transcription evidence usually also used in studies of Middle Chinese.

Initials, with traditional names[1]
Labials[2] Dentals[3] Dental sibilants[4] Alveolopalatals[5] Velars[6]
Stop or
affricate
tenuis *p- *t- *ts- *c- , *k-
aspirated *ph- *th- *tsh- *ch- ,穿 *kh-
voiced *b- *d- *dz- *j- , *g-
Nasal *m- *n- , *nh- *ng-
*mv-
Fricative voiceless *f- , *s- *sh- *x-
voiced *v- *z- *zh- *h-
Approximant *w- *l- *y- *∅-
Finals
Yunjing rhyme group
(shè )
kāi division division
I II III IV I II III IV
[7] *-ie *-u *-iu[a]
guǒ[8] *-o *-io *-uo *-iuo
jiǎ[9] *-a *-ia *-ua
zhǐ[10] *-ei *-i *-uei *-ui[b]
xiè[12] *-oi *-ai *-iai *-uoi *-uai [c]
liú[13] *-eu *-ieu
xiào[14] *-ou *-au *-iau
shēn[15] *-em/p, *-im/p[d]
xián[16] *-om/p *-am/p *-iam/p
zhēn[17] *-en/t *-in/t *-un/t *-iun/t
shān[18] *-on/t *-an/t *-ian/t *-uon/t *-uan/t *-iuan/t
tōng[19] *-ung/k *-iung/k
zēng[20] *-eng/k *-ing/k *-ueng/k *-iuek
gěng[21] *-ang/k *-iang/k *-uang/k *-iuang/k
dàng, jiāng[22] *-ong/k *-(i)ong/k[e] *-iong/k *-uong/k *-iuong/k

The tones are the four tones of Middle Chinese.

Development

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Main development of initials
Old Chinese Middle Chinese Old Mandarin Beijing dialect
Early Late
*p-, *pr-, *prj-, *pj- p- 幫 p- p- p-
*pj- 非 f- f- f-
*t- t- 端 t- t- t-
*tr-, *trj- ʈ- 知 ʈ- tʂ- tʂ-
*tj-, *kj- tɕ- 照 ʈʂ-
*tsr-, *tsrj- ʈʂ-
*ts- ts- 精 ts- ts- ts-
*tsj- tɕ-
*kr-, *krj-, *kj-, *kʷrj-, *kʷj- k- 見 k- k-
*k-, *kʷ-, *kʷr- k-
Main development of finals in -n
Old Chinese Middle Chinese Old Mandarin Beijing dialect
Early Rhyme tables
*-ən 痕 -on zhēn open I -ən -ən
*-rjin, *-rjən 真 -in III -in -in
*-jin 真 -jin
*-jən 欣 -jɨn
*-un 魂 -won closed I -un -un
*-rjun 諄 -win III -yn -yn
*-ʷjin 真 -jwin
*-jun 文 -jun
*-an 寒 -an shān open I -an -an
*-ran 刪 -æn II -jan -jɛn
*-rin, *-rən, *-ren 山 -ɛn
*-rjen, *-rjan 仙 -jen III -jɛn
*-jen 仙 -jien
*-jan 元 -jon
*-in, *-en 先 -en IV
*-on 桓 -wan closed I -wɔn -wan
*-ron 刪 -wæn II -wan
*-run 山 -wɛn
*-rjon 仙 -jwen III -ɥɛn -ɥan
*-ʷjen 仙 -jwien
*-jon 元 -jwon
*-ʷin, *-ʷen 先 -wen IV

Notes

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  1. ^ The spelling *-iu- represents [y].[1]
  2. ^ The spelling *-ui represents [yi].[11]
  3. ^ Expected *-iuai has merged with *-ui.[11]
  4. ^ The final *-em/p occurs only with Middle Chinese retroflex initials, contrasting with *-im/p, which occurs with Middle Chinese palatal initials.[15]
  5. ^ Northern dialects have the palatal form after velar and laryngeal initials.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b Norman (2006), p. 238.
  2. ^ Norman (2006), pp. 233–234.
  3. ^ Norman (2006), pp. 234–235.
  4. ^ Norman (2006), p. 235.
  5. ^ Norman (2006), pp. 235–237.
  6. ^ Norman (2006), pp. 237–238.
  7. ^ Norman (2006), pp. 239–240.
  8. ^ Norman (2006), pp. 238–239.
  9. ^ Norman (2006), p. 239.
  10. ^ Norman (2006), pp. 241–242.
  11. ^ a b Norman (2006), p. 241.
  12. ^ Norman (2006), pp. 240–241.
  13. ^ Norman (2006), p. 243.
  14. ^ Norman (2006), pp. 242–243.
  15. ^ a b Norman (2006), pp. 244–245.
  16. ^ Norman (2006), pp. 243–244.
  17. ^ Norman (2006), p. 247.
  18. ^ Norman (2006), pp. 245–246.
  19. ^ Norman (2006), pp. 251–252.
  20. ^ Norman (2006), pp. 249–250.
  21. ^ Norman (2006), pp. 250–251.
  22. ^ Norman (2006), pp. 247–249.
  23. ^ Norman (2006), p. 249.

Works cited

  • Norman, Jerry (1999), "Vocalism in Chinese dialect classification", in Simmons, Richard VanNess (ed.), Issues in Chinese Dialect Description and Classification, Journal of Chinese Linguistics Monograph Series, vol. 15, Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, pp. 193–203, JSTOR 23825680.
  • —— (2003), "The Chinese dialects: phonology", in Thurgood, Graham; LaPolla, Randy J. (eds.), The Sino-Tibetan languages, Routledge, pp. 72–83, ISBN 978-0-7007-1129-1.
  • —— (2006), "Common Dialectal Chinese", in Branner, David Prager (ed.), The Chinese Rime Tables: Linguistic Philosophy and Historical-Comparative Phonology, Studies in the Theory and History of Linguistic Science, Series IV: Current Issues in Linguistic Theory, vol. 271, Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 233–254, ISBN 978-90-272-4785-8.
  • —— (2014), "A model for Chinese dialect evolution", in Simmons, Richard VanNess; Van Auken, Newell Ann (eds.), Studies in Chinese and Sino-Tibetan Linguistics, Language and Linguistics Monograph Series, vol. 53, Taipei: Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica, pp. 1–26, ISBN 978-986-04-0343-5.