莆仙閩語[y]元音韻母來源再探──從原始沿海閩語的角度出發

Re-examination of the Origins of Rhymes with [y] in Pu-Xian Min: A Proto-Coastal Min Perspective

和閩南語關係密切的莆仙語有一系列帶[y]的韻母。這個元音不單可充當韻腹，也可以做介音。
莆仙語[y]的成因曾引起一些學者的興趣（劉秀雪2008，戴黎剛2012，吳瑞文2021等）。其中劉秀雪（2008）主張[y]由閩東語擴散而來，戴黎剛（2012）則從存古的角度加以解釋，但都似乎無法完全釐清相關現象。本文從原始沿海閩語（Proto-Coastal Min）出發，重新檢視莆仙語[y]的成因，指出它有兩個主要的來源：一個屬存古性質，主要反映在莆田話的[-y]韻、[-yŋ]韻，以及部分[-yɒ]韻字上；另一個則源於原始沿海閩語*-i-和韻腹*ɑ裂化後的結合，音變過程可重構為：*-iɑ- > *-iuɑ- > -yɑ-，屬創新行為。文章也探討了莆仙語文讀層帶[y]韻母的來源，大抵都可以用「存古」或「創新」加以解釋。

Unlike its closely related counterpart, Southern Min, Pu-Xian Min features a series of rhymes with the vowel [y], which can function as both a nucleus and a medial. The origin of [y] in Pu-Xian Min has drawn scholarly attention, yet no study fully elucidates the phenomenon. This article, from the perspective of Proto-Coastal Min, re-examines the origins of [y] in Pu-Xian Min and proposes two sources. The first is the retention of Proto-Coastal Min *y, as evidenced in the [-y], [-yŋ], and partially [-yɒ] rhymes in the Putian dialect. The second arises from an innovative process involving the combination of Proto-Coastal Min *-i- and the rhyme nucleus *ɑafter vowel breaking, with the sound change reconstructed as *-iɑ- > *-iuɑ- > -yɑ-. Additionally, this article explores the origins of [y] rhymes in the literary reading layer of Pu-Xian Min, which are largely attributable to either archaic retention or innovation.