Initial Consonant Clusters of the Qiangic Languages in China:Types and Evolution
There are abundant initial consonant clusters in the Qiangic languages,with diverse synchronic types and uneven diachronic development.The initial consonant clusters in the Qiangic branch have great linguistic typological value and historical linguistic significance in Sino-Tibetan languages.They are excellent data for exploring the evolution of syllable structures in the Sino-Tibetan languages.In modem Qiangic languages,the consonants that can serve as pre-initials include the plosives,fricatives,nasals,laterals,trills,etc.,while those that can serve as post-initials include the fricatives,trills,laterals,approximants,etc.The initial consonant clusters in modem Qiangic branch have multiple sources.Some are retentions of the ancient initial consonant clusters;some others are later developments from ancient consonant clusters,though still in the form of consonant clusters.Some ancient consonant clusters go even further and evolve into single consonant initials in modern languages.There is a frequent interaction between the initial consonant clusters and single consonant initials,mainly manifested as the simplification of initial consonant clusters.The simplification is not an overnight development,but rather a dynamic process of gradual evolution.
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