Study on the disyllabic third-tone sandhi in Shaanxi Middle Area Mandarin

This study investigates the disyllabic third-tone sandhi in Shaanxi Middle Area Mandarin. It is a common phenomenon that T3 changes to another tone before T3 in two-syllable words in Mandarin dialects. Shaanxi is the primary region where T3 changes to T1 before T3. In this study, 10 geographical points of Middle Area Mandarin in Shaanxi are explored. Additionally, combining it with closely related types such as Middle Area Mandarin in other places, Jin and Hakka, three types of the disyllabic third-tone sandhi in Shaanxi Middle Area Mandarin are analyzed. We propose that these types reflect different historical strata. The tone change rule, which states that a T3 changes to a T1 before T3, was established during the Tang Dynasty and spread throughout the surrounding regions. And now, this rule is disappearing.