Wang Li Linguistics Series – serie

As the first volume of a two-volume set on the history of Chinese phonology, this book introduces the basics of the discipline and charts the history of phonology from the pre-Qin period to the Song dynasty.Based on abundant phonological materials, the author divides the history of Chinese phonology into nine historical periods, which helps illuminate its evolutions and principles. The first part of the book explains the fundamental concepts of the history and studies of Chinese phonology, including the rhyme dictionary, the rhyme table, dialect, and methodology, as well as fanqie, rhyme sets, division, and articulation. The second part discusses Chinese phonology across the first six periods, from the pre-Qin era (before 206 BCE) to the Song dynasty (960–1279), elucidating the phonological development and characteristics in terms of initials, rhyme groups, and tones.This title will be of great value for scholars and students studying Chinese phonology, Chinese linguistics, and readers interested in the essence of rhyming behind classic Chinese lyrics, poetry, drama, and other forms of verse.

As the second volume of a two-volume set on the history of Chinese phonology, this book studies the history of phonology from the Yuan dynasty until modern times and discusses the four approaches of sound change.Based on abundant phonological materials, the author divides the history of Chinese phonology into nine historical periods, which helps illuminate its evolutions and principles. Following on from the first volume, the first part of this second volume deals with the initials, rhymes, and tones of Chinese phonology from the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) to modern times (since 1911), illustrating the diachronic sound changes with detailed tables. Based on an historical review of Chinese phonology, the second part of the book classifies sound changes via four major approaches: no change, gradual shift, split, and merger. It then analyzes the natural, conditional, and irregular sound changes, respectively, and the reasons for these changes.This title will be of great value for scholars and students studying Chinese phonology and Chinese linguistics, and readers interested in the essence of rhyming behind Chinese classic lyrics, poetry, drama, and other forms of verse.