A Brief History of the Chinese Language II: From Old Chinese to Middle Chinese Phonetic System

As the second volume of a multi-volume 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 BC and the 3rd century AD, 2) Middle Chinese, between the 4th century AD to around the 12th century AD, 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 student studying Chinese language, linguistics and especially for beginning learners of Middle Chinese phonetics.