The confusion between chuan(船)and chan(禅)initials in Jingdian shiwen(经典释文)and their development in Middle Chinese
Based on Jindian shiwen(经典释文)as well as other related literature and rhyme books,this paper analyzes the confusion between chuan(船)and chan(禅)initials in Middle Chinese and suggests that it occurred twice in history.The first occurrence took place during the Eastern Jin and Southern dynasties with chuan initials being incorporated into chan initials.The cong(从)and xie(邪)initials were also merged during this period.These can be found in works of Liu Changzong(刘昌宗)and Gu Yewang(顾野王)as well as the later literature of Cao Xian(曹宪)and Gongsun Luo(公孙罗)during the Sui and early Tang dynasties.As for Guo Pu(郭璞),Xu Miao(徐邈),Lu Deming(陆德明),Lu Fayan(陆法言)and the later Yan Shigu(颜师古)and Xuan Ying(玄应),the chuan and chan initials remained distinct.During the early Kaiyuan period of Tang dynasty,the two groups of initials were confused again as attested in the Wuchen zhu wenxuan(五臣注文选).Works of Sima Zhen(司马贞),Zhang Shoujie(张守节)and Hui Lin(慧琳)also present the same merge of the two initial groups.However,this second occurrence was not a continuation of the first but an independent sound change.The cong and xie initials were not combined in the Tang dynasty until the times of Kehong(可洪).Hence,the merge of chuan and chan initials could be caused by either the unbalanced distribution of the two groups with a lack of opposition,or the historical language contact after large-scale immigration of southern inhabitants into the north which would also lead to the loss of opposition between the two groups.
confusion between chuan(船)and chan(禅)initialssound changesound change layerJindian shiwen(经典释文)Middle Chinese
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