FROM VIETIC PRESYLLABLES TO VIETNAMESE SIMPLEX ONSETS.

This study reviews the reduction of disyllabic Proto-Vietic words to monosyllabic Vietnamese words and the development of Vietnamese voiced fricative onsets. Thompson (1976:1131-1133) in reconstructing Proto-Viet-Muong, and later Ferlus (1982 & 1992) based on his Proto-Vietic reconstructions, hypothesized the spirantization of stops *p/t/c/k and *b/d/j/g in previous intervocalic positions and the loss of presyllables, resulting in Vietnamese onsets 'v' [v], 'd' [z] (from hypothesized Middle Vietnamese *ð), 'gi' [z] (from hypothesized Middle Vietnamese *Ʒ), and 'g/gh' [Ɣ] in monosyllabic words.3 For this study, relevant Proto-Vietic and Old Chinese lexical reconstructions were compared, and the phonological data partially supports this claim while revealing a more complex picture. First, the changes involve classes of sounds rather than specific consonants (e.g., Vietic labial material (excluding nasals or implosives) in intervocalic position becomes Vietnamese ' v' [v] in onset position). Also, while this tendency is dominant in available data, some exceptions exist: (a) reconstructed disyllabic words for which modern Vietnamese items lack lenited onsets and (b) reconstructed monosyllabic words for which Vietnamese items have voiced fricative onsets, but without apparent conditioning factors. Evidence shows these features in modern Vietnamese developed many centuries later than in Sinitic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]