Studies in Linguistics and Language Education

Triangulating A 13th-century Fukkien Pronunciation: A Direct Method For Historical Reconstruction Using Online Databases

Auteurs : Au Yeung Tin Lui .

Résumé

This study reconstructs the 13th-century Fukien pronunciation of a poisoning passage from Song Ci's Records for Clearing Unjust Cases (1247), the world's first systematic forensic manual. Reconstructing historical pronunciation is crucial for three reasons: it recovers an acoustic dimension of forensic history that written texts alone cannot provide; it offers empirical evidence for understanding sound change in Southern Chinese dialects; and it demonstrates a replicable methodology for historical phonological reconstruction. Using Baxter's (1992) Middle Chinese reconstruction as a baseline, the study compares modern reflexes in Hakka (Meixian), Cantonese (Guangzhou), and Gan (Nanchang). Hakka is selected as the primary descendant due to its historical presence in 13th-century Fukien and its retention of archaic features; Cantonese serves as a phonologically conservative comparator; Gan functions as an external control. A triangulation method is developed: where Hakka diverges from Middle Chinese, Cantonese is consulted to determine the more conservative form; when both diverge equally, the Middle Chinese baseline is retained. Of the 49 characters analyzed, 31 retain Hakka, 15 are adjusted toward Cantonese, and three default to Middle Chinese. Key findings reveal Gan's consistent reduction of stop codas to glottal stop, Hakka's conditioned sound changes affecting certain rimes, and affrication of *s- to ts- before palatal glides. The reconstructed passage is presented in triangulated IPA with Middle Chinese tone categories marked as superscripts. Beyond historical linguistics, this study contributes to applied linguistics by providing a systematic framework for teaching historical phonology in graduate-level Chinese dialectology courses and by offering a replicable method for language documentation and revitalization efforts.

Mots clés

Cantonese ; Hakka ; Phonological reconstruction ; Middle Chinese ; Xiyuan Jilu (Records for Clearing Unjust Cases) ; Linguistics Pedagogy