歧舌國的不傳之密－－從《李氏音鑑》、《鏡花緣》反思當前漢語音韻學的傳播

The Secret of the Forked-Tongue Kingdom: An Examination of the Circulation of Chinese Phonology Based on Lishi Yinjian and Jinghuayuan

傳統切音學素有「絕學」之稱，其迷亂難懂非始於今日，古人曾試著以淺顯易曉的方式表述切音原理，作為初學者入門之階梯，而其中最引人囑目、最具成效者，則非李汝珍(1763～1830)莫屬。李汝珍兼具實踐家與宣傳家之雙重身分，不僅增刪字母、更定反切、分析韻部，針砭傳統切音學矜奇弔詭之弊；更透過設問的方式辨析音韻概念，以小說為傳播媒介推廣切音之法，積極致力於音韻學的普及。李汝珍的音學觀點具體展現在《李氏音鑑》、《鏡花緣》二書中，雖說前人對於此二書已多所著墨，但大多是從語音史的角度著眼，以建構書中所承載的音韻系統為主要目標。本文則擬另闢蹊徑，除了重新詮釋李汝珍的實踐家角色之外，更試圖彰顯李氏在音韻學普及推廣上的實際作為與卓越貢獻。希望藉由本文的討論，一方面可以對李汝珍的音韻學成就與貢獻有更深層的認識；一方面亦可供作當前漢語音韻學傳播之借鏡，為如何積極普及漢語音韻學尋找合宜的方針。

The traditional Chinese phonetic system fanqie 反切, considered by most to be a discontinued science, is not only confusing to present day linguists, even the ancients had difficulty with it. This can be seen from the fact that they redacted many classics into beginning primers. One of the most noticeable and effective materials produced of this sort was done by Li Ruzhen (1763-1830). Li was both a propagator and a practitioner of the methods he proposed. His attitudes toward phonology are presented in Lishi Yinjian 李氏音鑑 and JinghuayuanSTU. Although many scholars in the past have written much about these two books, most studies are centered on historical phonology and the construction of the phonological system found in the books. This paper analyzes them from a different angle－ in addition to reanalyzing Li’s role of practitioner, attention will be given to his remarkable contributions in popularizing phonology. It is hoped that this paper will provide a fuller understanding of Li’s phonological achievements, as well as possibilities in popularizing Chinese phonology today.