The Returning-to-prototype Change(RTC)is a different type of sound change from continuous change and phonological superposition.The RTC is usually manifested as the return of the tone sandhi of Chinese characters to the independent tones of them(i.e.,the prototype).The emergence of RTC is not the result of the influence of authoritative dialects,but the improvement of the degree of recognition on the morpheme identity of Chinese characters by native speakers of dialects.This is different from the change in the reclassification of phonetic sounds when the authoritative dialect phonology is applied to the dialect phonology like the superimposed phonetic change.RTC is a type of phonological change related to the characteristics of the Chinese language.It is formally the inverse process of the vocabulary diffusion of some historical changes.
关键词
汉语方言/音变类型/回归式音变/连读变调
Key words
Chinese dialect/type of sound change/Returning-to-prototype Change(RTC)/tone sandhi
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