A Brief History of the Chinese Language II

As the second volume of a multivolume set on Chinese phonetics, this book examines the phonetical systems of Middle Chinese and phonetical changes from Old Chinese to Middle Chinese. Chinese language history is generally split into three phases: (1) Old Chinese, the form of the Chinese language spoken between the 18th century BCE and the 3rd century CE; (2) Middle Chinese, between the 4th century CE to around the 12th century CE; and (3) Modern Chinese, since the 13th century. This volume studies the phonological system of Middle Chinese, including the initials system, finals system, and tonal system, examining the evolution of these systems from the period of Old Chinese to that of Middle Chinese. This comprehensive groundwork on Chinese phonetical history will be a must read for scholars and students studying Chinese language, linguistics and, especially, for beginning learners of Middle Chinese phonetics.

Xi Xiang is Professor at Sichuan University (China) and a distinguished linguist. His research interests are focused on Chinese language history and Chinese linguistics. His major works include A Brief History of Chinese, the Dictionary of Poetry Classics, Commentary on the Translation of Poetry Classics, the Dictionary of Ancient Chinese Knowledge, and the Concise Ancient Chinese Dictionary, among others.

1. Middle Chinese Initials System 2. Middle Chinese Finals and Tone System 3. The Evolution of Initial System from Old Chinese to Middle Chinese Language 4. The Evolution of Final System from Old Chinese to the Middle Chinese Language I 5. The Evolution of Final System from the Old Chinese to Middle Chinese Language II 6. The Evolution of Final System from the Old Chinese to Middle Chinese Language III 7. The Evolution of the Tone System from the Old Chinese to Middle Chinese Language