New origins to vowel tensing in Tangut: internal and comparative evidence
This paper proposes new origins for tense vowels in Tangut by integrating textual analysis of Tangut texts with comparative data from both Gyalrongic and other Sino-Tibetan languages. It uncovers two previously unreported sources of vowel tensing in compounding: the collective prefix (*S-) and the c...
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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2025
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182648 |
| _version_ | 1826120284331048960 |
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| author | Zhang, Shuya Lai, Yunfan |
| author2 | School of Humanities |
| author_facet | School of Humanities Zhang, Shuya Lai, Yunfan |
| author_sort | Zhang, Shuya |
| collection | NTU |
| description | This paper proposes new origins for tense vowels in Tangut by integrating textual analysis of Tangut texts with comparative data from both Gyalrongic and other Sino-Tibetan languages. It uncovers two previously unreported sources of vowel tensing in compounding: the collective prefix (*S-) and the compound linker (*-S-). Both morphemes left only a few traces, indicating their antiquity and productivity in earlier stages. The collective *S- could be an inherited morpheme which finds parallels in Tibetan, whereas the compound linker *-S- emerged as a stage of morphological merging in West Gyalrongic with (an) obscure origin(s). These findings not only advance our understanding of the origins of Tangut tense vowels but also offer insights into Sino-Tibetan nominal morphology. |
| first_indexed | 2025-03-09T12:40:13Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/182648 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-03-09T12:40:13Z |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1826482025-02-15T17:00:33Z New origins to vowel tensing in Tangut: internal and comparative evidence Zhang, Shuya Lai, Yunfan School of Humanities Arts and Humanities Tangut Gyalrongic Tense vowel Collective Compounding Historical linguistics This paper proposes new origins for tense vowels in Tangut by integrating textual analysis of Tangut texts with comparative data from both Gyalrongic and other Sino-Tibetan languages. It uncovers two previously unreported sources of vowel tensing in compounding: the collective prefix (*S-) and the compound linker (*-S-). Both morphemes left only a few traces, indicating their antiquity and productivity in earlier stages. The collective *S- could be an inherited morpheme which finds parallels in Tibetan, whereas the compound linker *-S- emerged as a stage of morphological merging in West Gyalrongic with (an) obscure origin(s). These findings not only advance our understanding of the origins of Tangut tense vowels but also offer insights into Sino-Tibetan nominal morphology. Nanyang Technological University Submitted/Accepted version This research is supported by the Horizon Europe Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship (101110215 Kinship Systems in Gyalrong: History and Transformation; Zhang Shuya), the Irish Research Council under the SFI-IRC Pathway Programme (Project ID: 21/PATH-A/9374, Gyalrongic unveiled: Languages, Heritage, Ancestry; Yunfan Lai) and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore under the Nanyang Assistant Professorship (NAP 2024, #024576-00001; Yunfan Lai). 2025-02-13T04:44:42Z 2025-02-13T04:44:42Z 2025 Journal Article Zhang, S. & Lai, Y. (2025). New origins to vowel tensing in Tangut: internal and comparative evidence. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000673 0041-977X https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182648 10.1017/S0041977X24000673 en NAP 2024 #024576-00001 Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of SOAS University of London. All rights reserved. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the copyright holder. The Version of Record is available online at http://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X24000673. application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Arts and Humanities Tangut Gyalrongic Tense vowel Collective Compounding Historical linguistics Zhang, Shuya Lai, Yunfan New origins to vowel tensing in Tangut: internal and comparative evidence |
| title | New origins to vowel tensing in Tangut: internal and comparative evidence |
| title_full | New origins to vowel tensing in Tangut: internal and comparative evidence |
| title_fullStr | New origins to vowel tensing in Tangut: internal and comparative evidence |
| title_full_unstemmed | New origins to vowel tensing in Tangut: internal and comparative evidence |
| title_short | New origins to vowel tensing in Tangut: internal and comparative evidence |
| title_sort | new origins to vowel tensing in tangut internal and comparative evidence |
| topic | Arts and Humanities Tangut Gyalrongic Tense vowel Collective Compounding Historical linguistics |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182648 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zhangshuya neworiginstovoweltensingintangutinternalandcomparativeevidence AT laiyunfan neworiginstovoweltensingintangutinternalandcomparativeevidence |