- 期刊
THE *-i-/*-ji- DISTINCTION IN THE OLD CHINESE RECONSTRUCTION SYSTEM OF LI FANG-KUEI
李方桂先生的上古漢語裡的 *-i-/*-ji-對比
摘要
This paper considers an important syllabic contrast, *-i- vs. *-ji-, in the Old Chinese reconstruction system of Li Fang-Kuei (1971). It is noted that revisions to Li's system that have been proposed over the last three decades have eliminated this contrast in all but a few phonological environments. This raises the question of whether the contrast is tenable at all, and suggests that Li's system should be further revised by eliminating the contrast altogether. Such a revision would force us to consider alternative views of the Old Chinese vowel system, and of the nature of Old Chinese medial *-j-, which have been topics of debate in the field in recent years.