A Study on the Phonology of the Newly Discovered Qing Dynasty Transcript of Xifan Yiyu
The comparison between the phonology reflected in the newly discovered Qing dynasty transcript Xifan Yiyu and those represented by the three major Tibetan dialects shows the following results.The phonology in the newly discovered copy is basically the same as that of the Amdo dialect in terms of the retention of single consonant codas.It is more similar to the Utsang dialect in terms of two features,one being the absence of consonant cluster initials formed with a pre-consonant and a base consonant(cC)and the other being the presence of the palatalization of Ky/Py consonant initials;however,on the other hand,it is distinct from the Utsang dialect in that the two segments forming the pr/sr consonant cluster initials are pronounced separately,and the Tibetan palatal sounds ca/cha/ja are sometimes transcribed using Chinese characters with retroflex sounds.In view of a comprehensive consideration of the history of communication between the Mongolian and the Tibetan ethnic groups and a comparison of the Tibetan language represented by the Qing dynasty transcript with that spoken by modern Mongolian intellectuals,the author infers that the Tibetan language recorded in the Qing dynasty transcript Xiifan Yiyu is a Tibetan variety heavily influenced by the Mongolian language.
Xiifan YiyuTibetan languageChinese-Tibetan transcriptionthe Qing dynasty transcripta Tibetan variety heavily influenced by the Mongolian language
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