The Distinction between Zhi 支and Zhi 脂 / Zhi 之 and the Strata Analysis of Some Relevant Rhyme Groups in Hakka and Gan Dialects

This article probes into the reflexes of the Middle Chinese Zhi 支, Zhi 脂and Zhi 之rhymes of the Zhi 止 rhyme group in modern Hakka and Gan dialects. By using the method of strata analysis, two literary and three colloquial pronunciation strata of the unrounded Zhi 止 rhyme group are found in the Hakka and Gan dialects. The two literary pronunciation strata both show no contrast between Zhi 支 and Zhi 脂 / Zhi 之. They are the main pronunciations of Zhi 止 rhyme group in the Hakka and Gan dialects; the second literary stratum, which is quite similar to the pronunciation of Mandarin dialects, is more commonly found in the Gan dialects. Among the three colloquial strata, two of them have distinct pronunciations only for Zhi 支, and the other has no contrast between the three rhymes. Through observing and comparing the patterns of split and merger of the Zhi rhyme group in the Hakka and Gan dialects, this article analyzes the intricate and complex relationships between the pronunciations of Zhi 支 rhyme and the Guo 果, Yu 遇, Zhi 止, Xie 蟹, and other rhyme groups; furthermore, similarities and dissimilarities between the Hakka and Gan dialects are also discussed.