FREQUENCY-INDUCED TONAL CHANGES: GRADUAL CUMULATIVE EFFECTS versus ABRUPT FINAL SWITCH

频率引发的声调变化：渐进的效用累积与突发的终极转变

陈重瑜(Chen Chung-Yu)

《Journal of Chinese Linguistics》 30卷2期 (2002/06) Pp. 241-265

摘要

This paper attempts to explore the nature of sound change, whether it is phonetically gradual or abrupt, as well as the catalytic effects of word frequency in the prelude leading to the final actuation of the change. Various types of tonal changes in Modern Peking have shown strong indications of having been frequency-induced. Three types of on -going changes are presented for illustration. Accumulation of occurrences (frequency) is accumulation of effects; sufficient effects eventually trigger a change of state. While the accumulation of effects is gradual, the triggering of change is abrupt. Hence, sound changes are phonetically both gradual and abrupt, a gradual prelude leading to an abrupt change-of-state. In the process of lexical diffusion, frequency may have been a criterion for the selection of participating members in various types of tonal changes between Middle Chinese and Modern Peking. However, in retrospect, only the abrupt change-of-state is visible, the gradual prelude built on frequency is perhaps invisible from a historical perspective. In that sense, gradualness is compressed into abruptness. This is perhaps the middle ground between the Neogrammarians' view of sound changes being phonetically gradual and the Diffusionists' view of their being phonetically abrupt.

並列摘要

音变在词汇上是渐进扩散的；但是，在语音上是渐进或是突发的呢？本文探讨这个问题以及词条频率的催化作用。现代北京话里有一些声调变化往往出现在高频率词条里。这显示高频率是引发变化的一个因素。高频率来自词语出现次数的累积，变化发生于高频率词条，表示某些效用累积到一个程度就会引发调类上的变化。本文举出三种还在进行中的变化说明频率的效用。效用的累积是缓慢渐进的，当它终于引发调类上的转变时，那个转变却是突然的。因此，音变在语音上可说是兼有渐进与突发两种本质；一个缓慢渐进的前奏引发一个突然的转变。由中古音至今的一些声调变化里，频率可能是决定哪些字参与变化的一个因素。然而由频率累积的缓慢前奏，从历史的角度却是不易看到的；在远距离的回顾中，只看得到突然生变。这一点可能是新语法学派与词汇扩散学派两种理论之间的一个相会点，因为音变（声调变化）在语音的层面上其实同时具有渐进与突发两个阶段，两种特质。