22.4280, Qs: Origin of Erhua in Beijing/Northern Chinese

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LINGUIST List: Vol-22-4280. Sat Oct 29 2011. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 22.4280, Qs: Origin of Erhua in Beijing/Northern Chinese

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1)
Date: 27-Oct-2011
From: Brent Woo [bpwoo at ucla.edu]
Subject: Origin of Erhua in Beijing/Northern Chinese


-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Sat, 29 Oct 2011 10:24:51
From: Brent Woo [bpwoo at ucla.edu]
Subject: Origin of Erhua in Beijing/Northern Chinese

E-mail this message to a friend:
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Erhua refers to the phenomenon in Beijing and some other Northern 
varieties of Mandarin Chinese where certain nouns and verbs are 
pronounced with r-coloring, or where the coda of a syllable is 
effectively replaced with the retroflex approximant. It is unique in the 
relationship between Chinese writing and speech because it is the only 
one of its kind in the language that when written down retroactively 
affects the preceding syllable. 

I have been unable to find conclusive information on the circumstances 
of the appearance of erhua. On one hand, it would appear to be a 
recent appearance since communities like Taiwan and Southern China 
do not pronounce erhua. But on the other, more likely hand, it seems to 
be a historical carryover from something since other Northern varieties, 
in particular the enigmatic Dungan language of Kyrgyzstan and 
certainly the Dungans separated long before Taiwanese Mandarin was 
established. 

Some hypotheses I have heard is that erhua is an artifact from the 
Manchu dynasty, reflecting the Tungusic language's influence on court 
language (that would explain its presence in Beijing). 

But if erhua appeared so long ago, how is it that both Taiwanese and 
non-Northern varieties unilaterally reject erhua? Is it for purely 
sociolinguistic reasons?  That seems odd that the entire country save 
for the capital would reject (or not acquire?) this very distinct 
pronunciation.

I have been unable to find any information on this other than informal 
discussions concerning erhua as a synchronic phenomenon; the 
internet seems uninterested in the history of this pronunciation. Also, it 
should be made clear that I am not primarily asking about the 
semantics of its use, although if it is part of the historical explanation, of 
course information of that sort is welcome.

My main question, then, is: When and from where did erhua appear in 
Mandarin Chinese?

I don't profess to be any sort of expert in Sinitic languages, so forgive 
any premature assumptions I have made. But this question was 
sparked on my preliminary investigation into the history and nature of 
Dungan and I feel it would greatly inform my research if I knew more 
about erhua. 

Linguistic Field(s): Historical Linguistics
                     Phonology





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