The Phenomena of the Shifting of Alveolar Nasal and the Related Phonological Features in Chinese Language

本文討論漢語舌尖鼻音的源流、變化及與之有關的音韻現象。上古聲類的研究，涉及舌尖鼻音者，錢大昕曾提出「古無舌上音」， 但因認為泥、娘不易區分，而不考泥、娘二母；章太炎提出「娘日歸泥」；黃侃已為知系、照系三等歸端系，娘母、日母皆為泥母的變聲；李方桂提出泥、娘、日特殊的諧音現象。等韻圖將端系置於一、四等，知系置於二、三等，構成互補關係；日母為半齒音，亦出現在三等。和上古音相較，等韻圖中泥、娘、日三者的關係已經有了變化。在漢語方言中，泥、娘、日母的字，聲母讀音參差不一，分屬多種發音部位。凡此種種有關於漢語舌尖鼻音的現象，本文同時考慮時間與地域的差異，藉由分析歷史音韻文獻、出土簡牘帛書資料、梵漢對音、域外漢字音和現代漢語方音，進一步釐清了其中的關係。依據語言通則而言，娘、日、泥既然曾同屬一個音位，則韻圖中三等位置的衝突、文獻中的互有出入、漢語方言中參差不一的音讀等現象，都必須加以合理的說明。因此，語音演變的條件、演變的規律與方向，成為探究漢語舌尖鼻音流變的重要線索，從而諧聲、通假、聲訓、反切、梵漢對音、域外漢字音等材料所反映的語音關係，以及方音的差異，也可以進一步獲致適切的解釋。This paper is mainly concerned with the historical shifting of alveolar nasal and the related phonological features in Chinese language. In the study of the initial in ancient Chinese language, especially of alveolar, Ch'ien Ta-hsin ever mentioned “Ku Wu She Shang Yin”, and Chang T'ai-yan suggested “Niang Jih Kuei Ni”; Huang K'an believed “Chih Hsi and Chao Hsi San Teng Kuei Tuan Hsi”, “Niang Moo” and “Jih Moo” are the allophones of “Ni Moo”. Li Fang-kuei ever mentioned the special features of Hsie Sheng in Ni, Niang and Jih. The rhyme table forms a complementary distribution by putting “Tuan Hsi” in the first and fourth division, and “Chih Hsi” in the second and third. Jih Moo, a semi-dental sound, appears in the third division. This shows some changes, comparing with the Old Chinese sound system. In Chinese dialects, the initial sounds are different in the words Ni, Niang and Jih, showing the various places of articulation. All these phenomena of the alveolar nasal in Chinese language will be studied through the analysis of the historical documents concerned with phonology, of the slips of bamboo for writing, of the silk fabrics for writing, of the contemporary Chinese dialects and the pronunciation of Chinese characters in other countries. According to language universals, Niang, Jih and Ni once consisted of the same phoneme. So the conflict with the third division, the condition of shifting, and the rules and directions of the changes, are the most important clues to the research of the changes of alveolar nasal in Chinese language. Then the relation between the sounds in T'ung Chia, Hsie Sheng, Sheng Hsun, Fan Ch'ieh and the pronunciation of Chinese characters spoken in other countries, and the differences between dialects, can possibly be given an appropriate interpretation