Middle Chinese

By Edwin G. Pulleyblank

Published in the early part of this century, Bernhard Karlgren'sclassic work Etudes sur la phonologie chinoise laid the foundation inwestern sinology for the scientific reconstruction of Chinesepronunciation. In this present study E.G. Pulleyblank gives the firstfull-scale review of Karlgren's work, taking into account advancesin knowledge over the past fifty years in both the history of theChinese language and in general linguistic theory. The introductory chapter gives a brief history of "StandardChinese" and defines the author's own phonological theorybased on the concept of distinctive features. Pulleyblank then appliesthis theory to a detailed analysis of Pekingese, the dialect base forcontemporary Chinese. He follows this with a reconstruction of LateMiddle Chinese (LMC) which depends on a new interpretation of the FourGrades (si deng) of the rhyme tables. This interpretation provides thekey to the correct phonological structure of LMC and to anunderstanding of subsequent developments. Further chapters deal with the pre-Tang language, Early MiddleChinese (EMC). They contain a discussion of its sources as well as anactual reconstruction -- one which departs in fundamental ways from thetraditional Karlgren system. A comparison of both EMC and LMC withKarlgren's "Ancient Chinese," as he called the Qieyunlanguage, is given in one of the appendices to the book. A secondappendix gives a new reconstruction of Early Mandarin (EM) of the 13thand 14th century as presented in the Zhongyuan yin yun, a rhymedictionary of the early 14th century. This book constitutes the most comprehensive and challengingtreatment of its subject since the pioneering work of Karlgren. It willbe welcomed by specialists as an up-to-date and definitive statement ofthe views of one of the world's leading sinologists.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0774801921
• ISBN13: 9780774801928
• Release Date: January 1984
• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Age Range: 22 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher