Pathways of development for Qiándōng Hmongic aspirated fricatives

Abstract

The Qiándōng dialects of Hmongic are characterized by the presence of multiple aspirated spirants (Carveth 2012, Jacques 2011, Wang 1979). This paper proposes three pathways of development for those fricatives, using Qiándōng data from Ma & Tai (1956) and Purnell (1970). The first, leading to alveolar and palatal aspirated fricatives in Qiándōng, is an extension of Wang’s (1979) analysis of a chain shift in the Yǎnghāo dialect. Labiodental aspirated and unaspirated fricatives are reconstructed as having come from palatalized bilabial stops, akin to Pulleyblank’s (1984) reconstruction of Middle Chinese. Finally, lateral aspirated fricatives developed from the spirantization of aspirated liquids. Show more