A Study on the Formation and Early Perception of the Lower Yin Entering Tone in Cantonese : Based on the Perspective of Zhuang Yanling

Historical records indicate that British sinologist Edward Harper Parker made significant contributions to the discovery of the lower yin entering tone(下陰入) in Cantonese. However, scholarly research on Parker’s documentation of this tone remains scarce. This paper examines the earliest known reference to the lower yin entering tone—an 1874 book review by Parker published in The China Mail—along with a series of Parker’s writings related to the tone, to explore how Western sinologists in the period of Early Cantonese perceived lower yin entering tone. Furthermore, in order to understand why Parker did not mention the major feature of lower yin entering tone, namely the combination with long main vowel, this paper analyzes the vowel system Parker recognized and investigates his views on tones at the time. On this basis, it is demonstrated that Parker’s perspective was both highly practical and reasonable. Such an examination not only suggests the need to reevaluate Parker’s contributions but also holds significance in shedding light on the differentiation of lower yin entering tone during the period of Early Cantonese.