Multiple origins of Southeastern Sinitic tsh- corresponding to Middle Chinese s- or sr-

Abstract

There are nearly 20 words with Middle Chinese onsets s- or sr- whose reflexes in modern Southeastern Sinitic (Mǐn, Southern Wú, Hakka, and Gàn) are aspirated affricates. Examples of such words include sī 撕 ‘to tear,’ sù 粟 ‘grain,’ xiān 鮮 ‘fresh,’ and xīng 星 ‘star.’ This paper reveals that there are at least four origins for these correspondence sets, three of which can be connected with Old Chinese. The remaining is a self-innovation of the ancestor of the Southeastern Sinitic group. In this sense, the reflexes of modern Southeastern Sinitic can be taken as an important additional material in the reconstruction of Old Chinese.