{"word_count": 781, "character_count": 4652}
Baxter and Sagart (2014) (hereafter 'B&#38;S') reconstruct 翼 'wing' as *ɢʷrəp &#62; MC yik. Although the MC form ends in -k, and 'wing' constantly rhymes as *-ək in the Shijing odes—翼 is quite a prolific rhyme word in the Shijing—OC *-p was proposed on the basis of the phonetic element 立, OC *k.rəp, which occurs in some tokens of the Shang graph, alongside a naturalistic drawing of a wing. Moreover, with or without 立, the graph for 'wing' serves as a jiajie for 'next day', presumably because the two were close or identical in pronunciation—it does not seem likely that the two are etymologically related. In Middle Chinese and Modern Standard Chinese, 翌 or 翊 yik &#62; yì ‘next day’ is a homophone of 翼 'wing' yik &#62; yì ‘wing’. Note that, as with 'wing', the (modern) characters for 'next day' include phonetic 立, implying OC *-p here too. The replacement of final *-p by *-k in OC is best treated as the result of a sound change: any other kind of explanation would hardly explain the two words simultaneously. B&#38;S therefore assign 'next day' the same OC form as 'wing', i.e. *ɢʷrəp. They assume that dissimilation between the labial elements in the onset and final caused the *-p coda to shift to *-k, in both words. Interestingly final nasals seem unaffected by the change, for instance風 *prəm &#62; pjuwng &#62; fēng ‘wind (n.)’consistently rhymes with other *-əm words, such as 心 *səm &#62; sim &#62; xīn ‘heart’ in the odes. The labial initial in 'wind' has not triggered a change from *-m to *-ŋ. Such a change will eventually take place, but later, after the Shijing period. Change of *-p to *-k in words with labial initials (even over medial -r-) is very early, predating Shijing rhyming, perhaps in terminal Shang or initial Zhou times.As justification for the *ɢʷr- onset in 'wing', Baxter &#38; Sagart (2014:386 fn 30) note that 立 often writes 位 *[ɢ]ʷrəp-s &#62; hwijH &#62; wèi ‘standing, position’. This word they treat as a contraction of a honorific 有 *ɢʷəʔ (as in 有商 'the Shang') and root *rəp 'to stand', with a nominalizing *-s suffix. They suppose that in 'wing' and 'next day', phonetic 立 stands for 位 *[ɢ]ʷrəp-s, whence the onset proposed for the two words.The phonetic 異 is not associated with the graph for 'wing' before Zhou bronze script: there is no need to assume final -p and dissimilation from a labial onset: B&#38;S reconstruct 異 *ɢ(r)ək-s &#62; yiH &#62; yì ‘different’.These reconstructions resolve an interesting range of issues, but there is a difficulty: Qiu Xigui (2012) observed that 式 occurs in the Shijing and Shujing in some of the same contexts where 異 was used in the oracular inscriptions. This is difficult to explain with our reconstructions 異 *ɢ(r)ək-s and 式 *l̥ək: in the current framework there is no way that an OC *ɢ- or *ɢ(r)- can evolve to a late OC lateral; but *m-r- does evolve regularly to late OC *l- (Baxter and Sagart 2014:133). Consequently it is preferable to reconstruct 異 as *m-rək. Further, 異 would be a perfect phonetic for 'wing' in Zhou times is 'wing' itself were *m-rək. Replacing initial *ɢʷr by *m-r- would not prevent labial-to-labial dissimilation, since m is labial too: a terminal Shang-time or initial Zhou-time *m-rəp would dissimilate to early Zhou *m-rək just as well. In addition, the new proposal would avoid the complication of supposing that in 'wing' and 'next day', phonetic 立 stands for 位. If *k is a prefix in 立 *k.rəp &#62; lip &#62; lì ‘stand (v.)’ (our reconstruction leaves the possibility open) then the root *rəp is eligible for prefixation by *m-, which in verbs marks actions controlled by the subject.An OC *m-r- would give *z- in Proto-Min (p. 134, table 4.39). Indeed, 'wing' has *z- in Proto-Min (Norman 1974:34). Externally, the new reconstruction *m-rəp 'wing' would make an attractive match for Proto-Tangkhulic *raap 'rib' (Mortensen) and the etymon #558 PTB *s/b-ram RIB in the STEDT. The folded wings of a bird are located along its sides, like the ribs.Compare OC (proposed)Proto-Min (Norman 1974)PTB (STEDT)翼 *m-rəp &#62; yik &#62; yì ‘wing’*z-*s/b-ram RIB蠅 *m-rəŋ &#62; ying &#62; yíng ‘fly’*z-*s-b-(r/y)aŋ FLY (n.) / BEEwhere OC *m-r- appears to correspond to the /b-r-/ onset strings in the two STEDT reconstructions.ReferencesBaxter, William H. and Laurent Sagart. 2014. Old Chinese: a new reconstruction. New York: Oxford University Press.Norman, Jerry. 1974. The initials of Proto-Min. Journal of Chinese Linguistics 2.27-36.Qiú Xīguī 裘錫圭. 2012. Bǔcí “異 [yì]” zì hé Shī, Shū lǐ de “式 [shì]” zì 卜辭 “異” 字和詩、書裏的 “式” 字. Qiú Xīguī xuéshù wénjí 裘錫圭學術文集, vol. 1, 212–229. ( 6 v.). Shànghǎi 上海: Fùdàn dàxué chūbǎnshè 復旦大學出版社.[cite]