A Reconstruction of Proto-Yue Vowels

Abstract

This paper presents an alternative reconstruction of Proto-Yue vowels in the literary stratum. Opposed to previous studies, the rhyme categories are not considered. I analyze the literary stratum of eighteen Yue dialects and reconstruct the vowel system based on the comparative method. I reconstruct nine mo-nophthongs, nineteen diphthongs, and two triphthongs. Importantly, I reconstruct an advanced tongue root distinction, which is responsible for the yin-ru tone split in Proto-Yue. This study further suggests that the advanced tongue root distinction might be the “inner turn” vs. “outer turn” distinction in Middle Chinese, which will aid in a better understanding of Chinese historical phonology.