LINGUIST List 22.4280 Sat Oct 29 2011 Qs: Origin of Erhua in Beijing/Northern Chinese Editor for this issue: Zac Smith <zaclinguistlist.org> New! Visit LL's Multitree project for over 1000 trees dynamically generated from scholarly hypotheses about language relationships:             http://multitree.linguistlist.org/ We'd like to remind readers that the responses to queries are usually best posted to the individual asking the question. That individual is then strongly encouraged to post a summary to the list. This policy was instituted to help control the huge volume of mail on LINGUIST; so we would appreciate your cooperating with it whenever it seems appropriate. In addition to posting a summary, we'd like to remind people that it is usually a good idea to personally thank those individuals who have taken the trouble to respond to the query. To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm. Directory         1.     Brent Woo , Origin of Erhua in Beijing/Northern Chinese Message 1: Origin of Erhua in Beijing/Northern Chinese Date: 27-Oct-2011 From: Brent Woo <bpwooucla.edu> Subject: Origin of Erhua in Beijing/Northern Chinese E-mail this message to a friend Erhua refers to the phenomenon in Beijing and some other Northern varieties of Mandarin Chinese where certain nouns and verbs are pronounced with r-coloring, or where the coda of a syllable is effectively replaced with the retroflex approximant. It is unique in the relationship between Chinese writing and speech because it is the only one of its kind in the language that when written down retroactively affects the preceding syllable. I have been unable to find conclusive information on the circumstances of the appearance of erhua. On one hand, it would appear to be a recent appearance since communities like Taiwan and Southern China do not pronounce erhua. But on the other, more likely hand, it seems to be a historical carryover from something since other Northern varieties, in particular the enigmatic Dungan language of Kyrgyzstan and certainly the Dungans separated long before Taiwanese Mandarin was established. Some hypotheses I have heard is that erhua is an artifact from the Manchu dynasty, reflecting the Tungusic language's influence on court language (that would explain its presence in Beijing). But if erhua appeared so long ago, how is it that both Taiwanese and non-Northern varieties unilaterally reject erhua? Is it for purely sociolinguistic reasons? That seems odd that the entire country save for the capital would reject (or not acquire?) this very distinct pronunciation. I have been unable to find any information on this other than informal discussions concerning erhua as a synchronic phenomenon; the internet seems uninterested in the history of this pronunciation. Also, it should be made clear that I am not primarily asking about the semantics of its use, although if it is part of the historical explanation, of course information of that sort is welcome. My main question, then, is: When and from where did erhua appear in Mandarin Chinese? I don't profess to be any sort of expert in Sinitic languages, so forgive any premature assumptions I have made. But this question was sparked on my preliminary investigation into the history and nature of Dungan and I feel it would greatly inform my research if I knew more about erhua. Linguistic Field(s): Historical Linguistics                             Phonology Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 29-Oct-2011       About LINGUIST    |   Contact Us       While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.