Final -l in archaic Chinese
古汉语韵母 -l
Axel Schuessler 许思莱

Abstract 摘要
Karlgren’s Archaic Chinese (Arch. Chin) final -r should be amended to -l. The argument is based on the theory that Arch. Chin falling tone derives from earlier final -s, so that equating Tibeto-Burman (TB) -s with Karlgren’s -r is not any more permissible, which circumstance eliminates the basis on which he has reconstructed Arch. Chin -r (‘rhotacism’). We argue that the Arch. Chin liquid in question was -l, because (1) -l seems to justify better than -r occasional rhymes in poetry with -n; (2) initially, Arch. Chin r became Anch. Chin l, so that Sino Tibetan -r > -l is more plausible for Chinese than the opposite; (3) TB cognates indicate that our Arch. Chin -l corresponds primarily to TB -l. However, TB -l is found to correspond regularly to Arch. Chin -l in conjunction with the Ancient Chinese even tone only, while the TB equivalent to Arch. Chin -l’ (with later rising tone) is final -y.