The Application of Graph Theory in Old Chinese Phonology Study

This paper, on the basis of the theories and the fruits of Old Chinse Phonology, uses graph theory and method to describe the initial and rhyme relationships of Old Chinese. The Euclidean distance on the 2-dimensional plane is used to describe the distance of different relationships between words´ sounds in the phonological harmony. Although the model is still in its infancy and there is a lot of room for refinement and development by phonologist, it provids a more intuitive method and some quatitative analysis for the long established qualitative study of Old Chinese phonology and also provides a reference for the comparison and testing of the reconstructed system of Old Chinese phonology proposed by various researchers.