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Language evolution and vitality of Lhagang Tibetan: a Tibetic language as a minority in Minyag Rabgang

  • Hiroyuki Suzuki EMAIL logo and Sonam Wangmo

Abstract

Lhagang Tibetan is a dialect of Khams spoken in central Lhagang [lHa-sgang] Town, in the area surrounding Lhagang Monastery in Kangding Municipality, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, western Sichuan Province. The region where this dialect is spoken was traditionally called Minyag Rabgang [Mi-nyag Rab-sgang], and is where Darmdo Minyag, a Qiangic language regarded as a minority language by linguists, is spoken. Previous studies have identified the Tibetic languages as its cultural superstratum. However, Lhagang Tibetan is one of the local Tibetic varieties which is least influenced by Darmdo Minyag. Instead, it is in greater contact with Amdo, which is spoken by Tibetans living around Lhagang Monastery. In this unique sociolinguistic situation, Lhagang Tibetan has become a minority language of the Minyag Rabgang area. The linguistic situation of the Tibetic languages in Minyag Rabgang is complicated, and only a few studies have dealt with this issue. In this article, we will discuss: (1) the geographical definition of Minyag Rabgang and the distribution of languages within it; (2) the current situation of the Tibetic languages spoken around Lhagang Monastery, and; (3) the ongoing language evolution and vitality of the sedentary Khams variety of Lhagang Tibetan.

Acknowledgements

An earlier version of this article was presented at the workshop on the linguistic minorities of the Chinese Tibetosphere (Uppsala, 2014). A part of the article was also presented in Suzuki and Sonam Wangmo (2014). We should like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Gerald Roche, who invited us to that workshop, as well as its participants who gave us insightful comments. The photographs in Figures 1, 2, 4, and 7 were taken by Tshewang nGyurmé, and those in Figures 6 and 8, by Sonam Wangmo. The linguistic maps (Figures 3 and 5) were designed and generated by the online Geocoding mapping method provided by the site: http://ktgis.net/gcode/index.php.

Appendices

A. Phonological system of Lhagang Tibetan (A, B) and its description

The phonemic inventory (consonants and vowels) as well as tones of the Lhagang Tibetanis as follows:

  1. Consonantism

    AaBCDEFG
    plosiveaspiratedphthʈhchkh
    non-aspiratedptʈckʔ
    voicedbdɖɟg
    affricateaspiratedtshh
    non-aspiratedts
    voiceddz
    fricativeaspiratedshɕhxh
    non-aspiratedɸsʂɕxh
    voicedzʑγɦ
    nasalvoicedmnȵŋ
    voicelessȵ̊ŋ̊
    liquidvoicedlr
    voiceless
    semi-vowelvoicedwj
    1. aA: bilabial; B: denti-alveolar; C: retroflex; D: prepalatal; E: palatal; F: velar; G: glottal

Lhagang-B lacks /ch, c, ɟ/; the others are common to B. The principal difference between A and B is found in the system of initial consonant clusters.

  1. Vocalism

    iʉɯu
    eɵəo
    ɛɔ
    aɑ

The contrasts short/long and plain/nasalised are attested. No difference between A and B.

  1. Suprasegmentals

A four-way pitch distinction in word tone functions. The following phonemic signs precede a word form:

¯: high level [55/44]´: rising [24/35]`: falling [53/31]^: rising-falling [132]

For monosyllabic words, the tonal contrast is only two-way (high and low). No difference between A and B, however the tendency of tonal appearance is different.

B. Lhagang, the place loved by the Bodhisattva: Lhagang-B text and its English translation[39]

1./´ȵə ma `ɦna ɦna-la ´ɦdʑa ɦza ´kõ dʑo ´po-la ´ja la ´ɦde ʈɔ̃ `hkɑʔ-la/
[A long time ago, when Princess Wencheng was invited to Tibet,]
2./¯thɔ̃ ´ɦdʑa po-gə `kho-la ´tɕo wo ´tɕiʔ `ʑĩ-zə-reʔ/
[Emperor of Tang (Taizong) gave her a Jowo statue.]
3./´te ´tɕo wo-tə-na ´ɦdʑa ɦza ´kõ dʑo-gə ¯l̥a sha ´ja la `khɯ ´ɳɖo-ɦgo `hsɑ̃-zə-reʔ-sə reʔ/
[This Jowo, Princess Wencheng intended to take it to Lhasa]
4./´te ¯l̥a ɦgɔ `htseʔ `hkɑʔ-la/
[Then, when she arrived at Lhagang,]
5./´tɕo wo-gə `kha ʈɑʔ-zə-reʔ-sə reʔ/
[Jowo opened the mouth and spoke:]
6./¯sha tɕha `htɕi po hʈɑʔ mo ´tɕiʔ ´reʔ/
[This is a really happy and beautiful place,]
7./¯kho ´ta ´ja la ´mə-ɳɖo ^zeː-zə-reʔ-sə reʔ/
[I will not go upwards]
8./´te ´ɦdʑa ɦza ´kõ dʑo-gə ´zeː-na/
[then, Princess Wencheng said (in such a way [from line 10]):]
9./`tɕhoʔ ´ja la ´ɳɖo-ɦgo-reʔ ´mə tshe/
[Not only you must go upwards,]
10./¯l̥a sha ´ja la `khɯ ´ɳɖo-ɦgo-reʔ ´tə ɳɖa ^zeː-zə-reʔ-sə reʔ/
[But also I must take you to Lhasa]
11./´te ´tɕo wo-gə ´zeː-na/
[Then, Jowo said:]
12./¯kho-dɑ ´ɳɖa ɳɖa ´tɕiʔ ´te ¯l̥a ɦgɔ `ɦdʑɔ̃-nə `ɦʑɑʔ-roʔ-ɦo/
[Please make the same one as me and put it in Lhagang.]
13./´te ¯kho ´ja la ´ɳɖo-liː ´zeː `hkɑʔ-la/
[Then I will go.]
14./´te ´ɦdʑa ɦza ´kõ dʑo-gə ¯ʔa na ¯l̥a sha-gə ´tɕo wo ´ji ʑĩ ´no rɯ-dɑ ´ɳɖa ɳɖa ´tɕiʔ `ɦdʑɔ̃-nə ta/
[(Because he said that [from line 13]), Princess Wencheng made here the same one as Jowo Yibzhin Norbu, at present in Lhasa,]
15./¯ʔa na ¯l̥a ɦgɔ ´tɕu xhɔ̃-nə `ɦʑɑʔ-ɣə-reʔ/
[she put it here, in the Jokhang of Lhagang, where it still exists.]
16./´te ¯l̥a ɦgɔ `htseʔ `hkɑʔ-la-tə ´tɕo wo-gə `kha ʈɑʔ-ji ´ɦdʑɯ ntshɛː-tə ^nthõ-la-nə/
[So, considering the reason that Jowo spoke when he arrived at Lhagang,]
17./´te ¯l̥a ɦga ^zeː-nə-tə ¯l̥a `ɦga-wɛː ¯sha tɕha ´jĩ-na/
[(we can see that) the name Lhagang is the place which the Bodhisattva loves,]
18./¯l̥a ɦga ´zeː ´mĩ `htɑʔ-zə-reʔ/
[so one named it Lhaga (Lha-dga’)]
19./¯l̥a ɦgɔ̃ ´ma htsa ´mĩ-tə ¯l̥a ɦga ^zeː-reʔ/
[The name of Lhagang was principally Lhaga.]
20./´te ´tʉ tshoʔ ´mɑ̃ bo ¯pha rə ´ɦgɛː-tsha `hkɑʔ-la/
[Then, after many years passed]
21./´te ¯l̥a ɦgɔ̃ ^zeː-nə ¯pha rə `ndʑɯ ɦdoʔ `thẽ-zə-reʔ ´mə tsheʔ ´ma ʑə ¯l̥a ɦga ^zeː-reʔ/
[it changed into Lhagang, but originally it was called Lhaga.]
22./¯l̥a `ɦga-ji ¯sha tɕha ^jiʔ-kə ´ɦdʑɯ ntshɛː-te ^jĩ-tɕẽ-tə ´te ¯l̥a ɦga ´zeː-reʔ-ta nə/
[Because of this reason, that is the meaning ‘the place loved by the Bodhisattva, it was called Lhaga,]
23./¯kə tsa pha ¯l̥a ɦgɔ̃ ^zeː-nə ´mĩ `ndʑɯ-zə-reʔ/
[afterwards it changed into Lhagang.]

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Published Online: 2017-5-2
Published in Print: 2017-5-24

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