Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 February 2009
Nankingese is today classed as a Jiānghuái Mandarin dialect. As recently reported (Liú, 1994), velar initials do not occur before high front vowels in this language except in the two vernacular words ki11 ‘give’ and k ′ i ‘go’. There is, however, a series of palatal initials, , which appear exclusively before high front vowels; and in certain instances these consonants correspond to the gutturals k-, k′-, and h- in more conservative dialect groups such as Cantonese, Hakka, and Min. This suggests that the Nanking palatals in these instances have developed from earlier velars through a process of palatalization. The present paper will attempt to trace and date this process.