A Study On The Evolution Of The Concept Of "Deng" And "Hu" In Modern Chinese

By means of the mutual arrangement of initial consonant, vowel and tone, Thyme diagrams display their pronunciation system clearly. The appearance of " Deng " and " Hu "meet the need of the classification of the pronunciation. The earliest thyme diagram differentiated the system of Vowel by the style of "four Deng and two Hu". But as time goes by, pronunciation also undergoes a series of change. Therefore, the differentiation between "Deng" and "Hu" have been changing all the time in the academic circles.Adopting the comparative method in historical sequence, the thesis divides the evolution of the concept of Deng and Hu into five main periods: the production of "Four Deng and Two Hu"; the Gradual Transformation of "Four Deng and Two Hu"; the Emergence of "Two Deng and Two Hu" ; the Disappearance of "Four Deng" and the Emergence of "Four Hu" and the Period of "Four Hu". This thesis chooses nine representative thyme diagrams of each period, each of which reflects the pronunciation system of common language of Chinese. With horizontal and longitudinal comparison of "Deng and Hu" in different periods, the author combs the law of "Deng and Hu" and analyzes the special example among it. Besides, the author expounds the whole course of "Four Deng →Two Deng →Disappearance of Deng" and "Two Hu of Song and Yuan Dynasties →Four Hu of Ming and Qing Dynasties →Four Hu of Contemporary ".