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Abstract The first Great Vowel Shift in the history of Chinese is generally considered to have occurred as a push chain sound change between the post-Western Jin period and the early Northern Dynasties. However, documentary evidence suggests that this first Great Vowel Shift in Chinese history was a drag chain triggered by the vowel split *uu>?uu>aau, with the initial sound change of *uu>?uu>aau splitting having begun as early as the Western Han period, and the entire sound change process was largely completed by the Eastern Han period, much earlier than previously thought. This chain sound change is evident in both the refined pronunciations of the Heluo and Qilu regions during the Eastern Han dynasty, albeit with slight differences in the pace of change, with the Qilu pronunciation’s changes occurring slightly later. This paper focuses on the reorganization of phonological classes and rhyme sections presented in the Eastern Han Heluo region (河洛地区), as well as the phonological values of the original languages corresponding to reliable translated scriptural transliterations, to describe and explain the situation of the Great Vowel Shift within the Eastern Han Heluo refined pronunciation (河洛雅音). It is clearly stated that for the Eastern Han Heluo refined pronunciation, each link in the chain of the Great Vowel Shift had been profoundly developed, and might have been completely finished. The Great Vowel Shift significantly restructured the structure and number of Old Chinese rhyme categories(韵部), and together with adjustments in the initial consonant system, propelled the transition from the Old Chinese phonological system to a completely new Middle Chinese framework. The phonological quality changes that occurred during the Eastern Han period marked a watershed between Old and Middle Chinese, aligning with the periodization recognized in the fields of lexicon and grammar.
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Published: 28 May 2024
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