earticle

한국어

This study analyzes how the Middle Chinese zhengchi (正齒音) initial consonants—zhaomu (照母), chuanmu (穿母), shenmu (神母), shenmu (審母), and shanmu (禪母)—were reflected in Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese phonological systems and explores the phonological adaptations that arose as each language incorporated these sounds. The zhengchi initials were originally pronounced as alveolo-palatal sounds in Middle Chinese; however, each language modified these sounds according to its unique phonological constraints. Using Optimality Theory (OT), this study evaluates how phonological restrictions in each language influenced the final selection of consonantal sounds. Originally pronounced as voiceless alveolo-palatal affricates [tɕ] and [tɕʰ], zhaomu and chuanmu were mostly simplified in Japanese and Korean to reflect unvoiced sounds. In Japanese, the sounds demonstrate a voiced-voiceless distinction between the Go-on (呉音) and Kan-on (漢音) readings, while Korean’s reduced phonological contrast between aspirated and unaspirated sounds resulted in a unified pronunciation. Vietnamese, in contrast, retained a palatalized and sibilant sound, such as [tʃ] or [tʃʰ], reflecting a preference for palatalization and fricativization in its phonological constraints. For shenmu and shenmu, originally voiced sibilants in Middle Chinese, both Japanese and Korean adopted unvoiced adaptations. Korean primarily reflects these as [s], simplifying them as unvoiced sibilants, while Japanese tends to use sa sounds (サ行), similarly favoring unvoiced forms. Vietnamese tends to retain voicing distinctions and represents these sounds as [z] or [s], emphasizing the language’s tendency to preserve voiced consonants. Finally, shanmu is reflected in Japanese and Korean as unvoiced sibilants, while Vietnamese typically retains the voiced form. Japanese shows a clear voicing distinction between Go-on and Kan-on readings, whereas Korean reflects weakened voicing contrast with simplified s sounds. Vietnamese, however, shows fidelity to the original voiced qualities. In conclusion, the zhengchi initials were variously adapted according to each language's phonological constraints, historical context, and cultural interaction with Chinese phonology. This study elucidates these adaptations through OT’s constraint-based analysis, clarifying how each language’s unique phonological requirements optimized these Chinese sounds. These findings suggest that Chinese phonology was not merely imitated but adapted into optimal forms within each language’s phonological system, offering insights into the distinctive characteristics of Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese Han pronunciations.