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The Inner Split in Genetics of Wu Colloquial Expression “[hÃɲ³³ paʔ³ lÃɲ³³ tÃɲ³¹]”



Author(s)

SONG Jia-fu

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DOI:10.17265/2159-5836/2024.09.008

School of the Gifted Young, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China

“[ã⁴⁴ kã⁴⁴ paʔ⁵ lã⁴⁴ tã⁵³]” (Chinese characters transcription “昂更八冷打”) is an colloquial expression in Tongxiang dialect of Suzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Sub-branch, Taihu Branch, Wu. It describes an awkward state with unfinished tasks. Its similar expressions can be found in other regions of Taihu Branch, including Yixing, Changzhou, Shaoxing and Ningbo, usually serving as “all”, while the expression “[hÃɲ³³ paʔ³ lÃɲ³³ tÃɲ³¹]” (“亨八冷打”) in Shanghai Sub-branch indicates “the remaining parts” when used alone. “[hÃɲ³³ paʔ³ lÃɲ³³ tÃɲ³¹]” stands for “all” only when followed by a word with meaning of “adding together”. In this paper, it is concluded and deduced from other similar morphemes that the contradictory connotations are related to an “inner split” process of an original word. Considering similar morphemes in other Chinese dialects (including Cantonese, Hakka, Jianghuai and Min), the following analysis proposes three possible original expressions and correlating trajectories of this inner phonetic-semantic split process, and selects a most credible way based on the rhyming dictionary and previous reconstructive models of ancient Chinese phonology. This presumptive analysis indicates that a broader “split and derivate” process generating new morphemes exists widely in Sinitic dialects as a natural company of phonetic features in Chinese language flow.

Wu, Middle-ancient Chinese phonology, Chinese dialect, inner split

Journal of Literature and Art Studies, September 2024, Vol. 14, No. 9, 794-801