閩南語的押韻與音韻對比

Rhyming and Phonemic Contrast in Southern Min

閩南語押韻的現象給我們的另一重要啟示是鼻音的地位問題。既然口部元音與鼻化元音可以互押，（而且不同鼻音尾又有互押的現象，）這似乎說明了鼻化元音並非獨立的音段（separate segments），鼻音應只是超音段的（suprasegmental）徵性而已。這一來，我們不但對閩南語的音韻系統有了更進一步的瞭解，而且對音韻理論方面也可提供一些重要的啟示。

Reconstructions of the phonological systems of the earlier stages of the Chinese language, including Ancient Chinese and Early Mandarin, are to a large extent based on rhyme books such as Chie-yun (切韻) and Jung-yuan-yin-yun (中原音韻). Some of the rhyme books are in turn based on the rhyming of the poetry at the time at which they were written. It is generally assumed that the phonemic distinctions are revealed in the separate groupings of the finals. In this paper we shall demonstrate that rhyming may not reveal all the phonemic distinctions in Chinese. For one thing, there can be either ''loose'' (寬) or ''strict'' (嚴) rhyming. Slightly different finals, including different main vowels, can be treated as belonging to the same rhyme if loose rhyming is practiced.