The old Chinese origin of type A and B syllables
中古汉莅之甲乙类音节的上古由来
Edwin G. Pulleyblank 蒲立本

Abstract 摘要
In previous publications it has been shown that the medial yod, [see PDF file] (= IPA j) that is a key feature of Karlgren's reconstruction of Middle Chinese and is projected back into Old Chinese is the result of a mistaken interpretation of the meaning of the Four Grades of the Late Middle Chinese (LMC) rhyme tables. It does, however, represent a basic distinction in syllable types, called here Type A (= absence of yod) and Type B (= presence of yod). In Early Middle Chinese (EMC) the distinction was between finals with a mid or low vowel nucleus (Type A) and finals with one of the high vowels. i, [see PDF file], u, either alone or as the first element in a diphthong of the type ia, [see PDF file]a, ua. It is hypothesized that this contrast arose out of a prosodic distinction in Old Chinese which was responsible for the insertion of a high central vowel, [see PDF file], as the first element in the nucleus of Type B syllables, either replacing /[see PDF file]/ or forming a diphthong with a following /a/. It is shown that Vietnamese and Mu’ò’ng must have undergone a similar diphthongization process, probably as an areal borrowing from Chinese. It is also shown that the Sino-Tibetan Sizang Chin language of Burma shows a typological parallel for the kind of prosodic distinction that is assumed for Old Chinese.

本文在前此发表的论文中曾经说明，高本汉先生之所以用介音 [参考 PDF 全文] (=IPA j) 作为关键特征来拟定中古汉语，并推拟上古汉语，是由于他对晚期中古汉语等韵表中四等的错误解释。但同时，[参考 PDF 全文] 这一介音确实代表了音节种类中一个基本区别，本文称为甲类（不含 [参考 PDF 全文]），乙类（含 [参考 PDF 全文]）。在早期中古汉语中，这一区别出现在含有中元音或低元音成分的（甲类），跟含有一高元音（i,[参考 PDF 全文] , u）的（乙类）韵母之间；这一高元音或单独出现或作为二元音（ia, [参考 PDF 全文]a, ua）的头一个字母。本文设定这一区别产生于上古汉语中的一个韵律区别。由于这个韵律区别，乙类音节前加上了高中心元音（[参考 PDF 全文]），取代了/[参考 PDF 全文]/ 或者和/a/ 成一个二元音。本文说明越南语和芒语应该也有过类似的二元音化过程。本文还说明，在属汉藏语系的缅甸Sizang钦语中，有着跟上古汉语韵律区别类似的典型情况。

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