View source for Middle Chinese (Tang Dynasty, Chang'an dialect)

{{Infobox language
|name=Middle Chinese (Mid-Tang Dynasty, Chang'an Dialect) <br> 中古漢語（盛中唐長安方言）
|family=Sino-Tibetan <br> Sinitic
|era=~720 to 780 CE
|scripts=Chinese
|country=[[Islands of Ximh Gwynh]]
|regulator=Government of [[Islands of Ximh Gwynh]]
|number=1
|usage=Official language for communication and documentation
}}
The Mid-[[w:Tang dynasty|Tang]] Chang'an dialect of [[w:Middle Chinese|Middle Chinese]] is a reconstructed [[w:Middle Chinese|Middle Chinese]] dialect spoken in Chang'an during the Mid-[[w:Tang dynasty|Tang dynasty]]. <br> As the native dialect to the capital of the [[w:Tang dynasty|Tang dynasty]], the Chang'an dialect was the most influential dialect at the time, with a lot of its innovations spreading to other northern varieties of [[w:Middle Chinese|Middle Chinese]] as Chang'an was the economic and political centre of the dynasty. Its influence was not restricted to [[w:Sinitic languages|Sinitic]] internally, with tons of external [[w:Sino-Xenic pronunciations|Sino-Xenic pronunciations]] documenting its phonology: [[w:Kan-on|Japanese Kan-on]], [[w:Sino-Korean vocabulary|Sino-Korean]], [[w:Dunhuang manuscripts|Tibetan transcriptions]], etc. 
== Phonology ==
=== Initials ===
{|class="wikitable"
|- align="center"
! colspan="2" | !! [[w:Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]] !! [[w:Labiodental consonant|Labiodental]] !! [[w:Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]] !! [[w:Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]] !! [[w:Palatal consonant|Palatal]] !! [[w:Velar consonant|Velar]] !! [[w:Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|- align="center"
! colspan="2" | [[w:Prenasalised consonant|Prenasalised]]
| ᵐb || ᶬʋ || ⁿd || ᶯɖ || ᶮʑ || ᵑɡ || 
|- align="center"
! rowspan="3" | [[w:Plosive|Plosive]]
!<small>[[w:Tenuis consonant|Tenuis]]</small>
| p ||  || t || ʈ ||  || k || ʔ
|- align="center"
!<small>[[w:Aspirated consonant|Aspirated]]</small>
| pʰ ||  || tʰ || ʈʰ ||  || kʰ ||
|- align="center"
!<small>[[w:Voiced consonant|Voiced]]</small>
| b ||  || d || ɖ ||  || ɡ ||
|- align="center"
! rowspan="3" | [[w:Affricate|Affricate]]
!<small>[[w:Tenuis consonant|Tenuis]]</small>
|  || p͡f || t͡s || ʈ͡ʂ || t͡ɕ ||  || 
|- align="center"
!<small>[[w:Aspirated consonant|Aspirated]]</small>
|  || p͡fʰ || t͡sʰ || ʈ͡ʂʰ || t͡ɕʰ ||  ||
|- align="center"
!<small>[[w:Voiced consonant|Voiced]]</small>
|  || b͡v || d͡z || ɖ͡ʐ || (d͡ʑ) ||  ||
|- align="center"
! rowspan="2" | [[w:Fricative|Fricative]]
!<small>[[w:Voiceless consonant|Voiceless]]</small>
|  ||  || s || ʂ || ɕ || x ||
|- align="center"
!<small>[[w:Voiced consonant|Voiced]]</small>
|  ||  || z ||  || ʑ || ɣ ||
|- align="center"
! colspan="2" | [[w:Approximant|Approximant]]
|  ||  || l ||  || j || ɰ~∅ || 
|}
-/ʑ/ is allophonically [d͡ʑ] under low falling tone condition. <br> -/ɰ/ is [w] or [ɥ̈] under most conditions, there are a few instances of it being unrounded but they are very rare occurrences. Thus, it is acceptable to analyse /ɰ/ as a null onset /∅/ instead since [w] can analysed as /∅w/ and [ɥ̈] as /∅j̈w/.

===Glides===
{|class="wikitable"
|- align="center"
! | !! [[w:Zero consonant|Null]] !! [[w:Semivowel|Front]] !! [[w:Semivowel|Central]] !! [[w:Semivowel|Back]]
|- align="center"
! | [[w:Roundedness|Unrounded]]
|  || j || j̈ || ʕ
|- align="center"
! | [[w:Roundedness|Rounded]]
| w || jw [ɥ] || j̈w [ɥ̈] || ʕw
|}

-Unlike most other languages that have /ʕ/, this /ʕ/ is not a pure pharyngeal consonant, but it is instead pharyngealisation accompanied by the raising of the tongue to somewhere in between the hard and soft palate, creating retroflex resonance and making its actual quality closer to American English [[w:Bunched r|Bunched r]].

===Vowels===
{|class="wikitable"
|- align="center"
! | !! [[w:Front vowel|Front]] !! [[w:Central vowel|Central]] !! [[w:Back vowel|Back]]
|- align="center"
! | [[w:Close vowel|Close]]
| i || (ɨ ʉ) || o > u
|- align="center"
! | [[w:Mid vowel|Mid]]
| (ɛ) || ǝ ||
|- align="center"
! | [[w:Open vowel|Open]]
| a || ɜ || ɑ (ɒ)
|- align="center"
! | [[w:Syllabic consonant|Syallbic]]
|  || (ɹ̩ ɻ̍) ||
|}
-[ɨ] and [ʉ] occur as allophones of /ǝ/ when proceeding /j̈(w)/ in close syllables (in which in closed syllables they can be realised as [j̈ǝ] and [ɥ̈ǝ]); in open syllables, they are analysed as allophones of /i/ when proceeding /j̈(w)/. <br> -[ɹ̩] and [ɻ̍] occur as allophones of /i/ after alveolar and retroflex sibilants and affricates in open syllables and are always inherently accompanied by /ʕ/. <br> -[ɛ] is an allophone of /ɜ/ when proceeding /j(w)/ or /j̈(w)/. <br> -[ɒ] is an allophone of /ɑ/ under /wɑT/ condition, where /T/ is an acute consonant.

[[Category:Language]]