A re-examination of the phonological reconstruction of Khitan language
Based on Jurchen literature,the Mongolian pronunciation of Chinese words,and the transcription of Chinese characters with Khitan small script,this paper analyzes the sound laws of Chinese variants in spoken Khitan language and discusses the reconstruction of Khitan language.The Khitan-style Chinese has the following phonological characteristics:The ŋ-and l-initials in standard Chinese are pronounced as*əŋ-and*əl-;The xia(匣)initials are read as h-/g-/k-and some yu(喻)and ying(影)initials are changed into*əi-;The fei(非)and fu(敷)initials are pronounced as p-;The ts-,ts'-,s-are combined into s-;The ri(日)initials are read as š-or s-;The words of entering tones ended in-t,-k,-p would become words with open ending;The nasal endings-m and-ŋ are changed into-n;There is only one set of stops in Khitan language and the Chinese aspirated and non-aspirated stops are not distinguished.The use of such Khitan-style Chinese of the Liao Dynasty were further strengthened in Northern China during the Jin Dynasty.
Khitan small scriptphonological reconstructionKhitan-style Chinese
万方数据
维普
