The Burmo-Qiangic or Eastern Tibeto-Burman languages are a proposed family of
Sino-Tibetan languages
Sino-Tibetan, also cited as Trans-Himalayan in a few sources, is a family of more than 400 languages, second only to Indo-European in number of native speakers. The vast majority of these are the 1.3 billion native speakers of Chinese languages ...
spoken in
Southwest China
Southwest China () is a region in the south of the People's Republic of China.
Geography
Southwest China is a rugged and mountainous region, transitioning between the Tibetan Plateau to the west and the Chinese coastal hills (东南丘陵) and ...
and
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
. It consists of the
Lolo-Burmese and
Qiangic branches, including the extinct
Tangut language
Tangut (Tangut: ; ) is an extinct language in the Sino-Tibetan language family.
Tangut was one of the official languages of the Western Xia dynasty, founded by the Tangut people in northwestern China. The Western Xia was annihilated by the M ...
.
Classification
Guillaume Jacques & Alexis Michaud (2011)
[Jacques, Guillaume, and Alexis Michaud. 2011.]
Approaching the historical phonology of three highly eroded Sino-Tibetan languages
" ''Diachronica'' 28:468–498. argue for a Burmo-Qiangic branch of
Sino-Tibetan
Sino-Tibetan, also cited as Trans-Himalayan in a few sources, is a family of more than 400 languages, second only to Indo-European in number of native speakers. The vast majority of these are the 1.3 billion native speakers of Chinese languages. ...
(
Tibeto-Burman
The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non- Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken throughout the Southeast Asian Massif ("Zomia") as well as parts of East Asia and South Asia. Around 60 million people spea ...
) with two primary subbranches,
Qiangic and Lolo-Burmese. Similarly,
David Bradley (2008) proposes an Eastern Tibeto-Burman branch that includes Burmic ( Lolo-Burmese) and Qiangic. Bradley notes that Lolo-Burmese and Qiangic share some unique lexical items, even though they are morphologically quite different; whereas all Lolo-Burmese languages are tonal and analytical, Qiangic languages are often non-tonal and possess
agglutinative
In linguistics, agglutination is a morphological process in which words are formed by stringing together morphemes, each of which corresponds to a single syntactic feature. Languages that use agglutination widely are called agglutinative l ...
morphology. However the position of
Naic
Naic, officially the Municipality of Naic ( tgl, Bayan ng Naic), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 160,987 people. Naic has a land area of 76.24 square kilo ...
is unclear, as it has been grouped as Lolo-Burmese by Lama (2012), but as Qiangic by Jacques & Michaud (2011) and Bradley (2008).
Sun (1988) also proposed a similar classification that grouped Qiangic and Lolo-Burmese together.
Jacques' & Michaud's (2011) proposed tree is as follows.
Bradley's (2008) proposal is as follows. Note that Bradley calls Lolo-Burmese ''Burmic'', which is not to be confused with ''
Burmish'', and calls Loloish ''Ngwi''.
However, Chirkova (2012)
[Chirkova, Katia (2012).]
The Qiangic Subgroup from an Areal Perspective: A Case Study of Languages of Muli
" In ''Languages and Linguistics'' 13(1):133–170. Taipei: Academia Sinica. doubts that
Qiangic is a valid genetic unit, and considers
Ersu,
Shixing,
Namuyi, and
Pumi all as separate Tibeto-Burman branches that are part of a Qiangic
Sprachbund
A sprachbund (, lit. "language federation"), also known as a linguistic area, area of linguistic convergence, or diffusion area, is a group of languages that share areal features resulting from geographical proximity and language contact. The lan ...
, rather than as part of a coherent
Qiangic phylogenetic branch. This issue has also been further discussed by Yu (2012).
Lee &
Sagart (2008) argue that Bai is a Tibeto-Burman language that has borrowed very heavily from Old Chinese. Lee & Sagart (2008) note that word relating to rice and pig agriculture tend to be non-Chinese, and that the genetic non-Chinese layer of Bai shows similarities with
Proto-Loloish
Proto-Loloish is the reconstructed ancestor of the Loloish languages. Reconstructions include those of David Bradley (1979), James Matisoff (2003), and Ziwo Lama (2012).
In later publications, in place of ''Loloish'', David Bradley instead use ...
.
Branches
Yu (2012:206–207)
[Yu, Dominic. 2012. ]
Proto-Ersuic
'. Ph.D. dissertation. Berkeley: University of California, Berkeley, Department of Linguistics. lists the following well-established coherent branches (including individual languages, in ''italics'' below) that could likely all fit into a wider Burmo-Qiangic group, in geographical order from north to south.
#(''
Baima'')
ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_ ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">substratum.html"_;"title="ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratumref_name="Chirkova">Chirkova,_Ekaterina._2008._On_the_Position_of_Baima_within_Tibetan:_A_Look_from_Basic_Vocabulary._Alexander_Lubotsky,_Jos_Schaeken_and_Jeroen_Wiedenhof._Rodopi,_pp.23,_2008,_Evidence_and_counter-evidence:_Festschrift_F._Kortlandt._
# ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">substratum.html"_;"title="ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratumref_name="Chirkova">Chirkova,_Ekaterina._2008._On_the_Position_of_Baima_within_Tibetan:_A_Look_from_Basic_Vocabulary._Alexander_Lubotsky,_Jos_Schaeken_and_Jeroen_Wiedenhof._Rodopi,_pp.23,_2008,_Evidence_and_counter-evidence:_Festschrift_F._Kortlandt._
#Qiang_language">Qiang
# ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">substratum.html"_;"title="ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratumref_name="Chirkova">Chirkova,_Ekaterina._2008._On_the_Position_of_Baima_within_Tibetan:_A_Look_from_Basic_Vocabulary._Alexander_Lubotsky,_Jos_Schaeken_and_Jeroen_Wiedenhof._Rodopi,_pp.23,_2008,_Evidence_and_counter-evidence:_Festschrift_F._Kortlandt._
#Qiang_language">Qiang
#Rgyalrong_language">rGyalrong
# ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">substratum.html"_;"title="ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratumref_name="Chirkova">Chirkova,_Ekaterina._2008._On_the_Position_of_Baima_within_Tibetan:_A_Look_from_Basic_Vocabulary._Alexander_Lubotsky,_Jos_Schaeken_and_Jeroen_Wiedenhof._Rodopi,_pp.23,_2008,_Evidence_and_counter-evidence:_Festschrift_F._Kortlandt._
#Qiang_language">Qiang
#Rgyalrong_language">rGyalrong
#Lavrung_language">Lavrung
# ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">substratum.html"_;"title="ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratumref_name="Chirkova">Chirkova,_Ekaterina._2008._On_the_Position_of_Baima_within_Tibetan:_A_Look_from_Basic_Vocabulary._Alexander_Lubotsky,_Jos_Schaeken_and_Jeroen_Wiedenhof._Rodopi,_pp.23,_2008,_Evidence_and_counter-evidence:_Festschrift_F._Kortlandt._
#Qiang_language">Qiang
#Rgyalrong_language">rGyalrong
#Lavrung_language">Lavrung
#Horpa_language">Ergong
#'' ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">substratum.html"_;"title="ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratumref_name="Chirkova">Chirkova,_Ekaterina._2008._On_the_Position_of_Baima_within_Tibetan:_A_Look_from_Basic_Vocabulary._Alexander_Lubotsky,_Jos_Schaeken_and_Jeroen_Wiedenhof._Rodopi,_pp.23,_2008,_Evidence_and_counter-evidence:_Festschrift_F._Kortlandt._
#Qiang_language">Qiang
#Rgyalrong_language">rGyalrong
#Lavrung_language">Lavrung
#Horpa_language">Ergong
#''Choyo_language">Choyo''
#'' ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">substratum.html"_;"title="ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratumref_name="Chirkova">Chirkova,_Ekaterina._2008._On_the_Position_of_Baima_within_Tibetan:_A_Look_from_Basic_Vocabulary._Alexander_Lubotsky,_Jos_Schaeken_and_Jeroen_Wiedenhof._Rodopi,_pp.23,_2008,_Evidence_and_counter-evidence:_Festschrift_F._Kortlandt._
#Qiang_language">Qiang
#Rgyalrong_language">rGyalrong
#Lavrung_language">Lavrung
#Horpa_language">Ergong
#''Choyo_language">Choyo''
#''Zhaba_language">nDrapa''
#'' ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">substratum.html"_;"title="ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratumref_name="Chirkova">Chirkova,_Ekaterina._2008._On_the_Position_of_Baima_within_Tibetan:_A_Look_from_Basic_Vocabulary._Alexander_Lubotsky,_Jos_Schaeken_and_Jeroen_Wiedenhof._Rodopi,_pp.23,_2008,_Evidence_and_counter-evidence:_Festschrift_F._Kortlandt._
#Qiang_language">Qiang
#Rgyalrong_language">rGyalrong
#Lavrung_language">Lavrung
#Horpa_language">Ergong
#''Choyo_language">Choyo''
#''Zhaba_language">nDrapa''
#''Guiqiong_language">Guiqiong''
#'' ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">substratum.html"_;"title="ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratumref_name="Chirkova">Chirkova,_Ekaterina._2008._On_the_Position_of_Baima_within_Tibetan:_A_Look_from_Basic_Vocabulary._Alexander_Lubotsky,_Jos_Schaeken_and_Jeroen_Wiedenhof._Rodopi,_pp.23,_2008,_Evidence_and_counter-evidence:_Festschrift_F._Kortlandt._
#Qiang_language">Qiang
#Rgyalrong_language">rGyalrong
#Lavrung_language">Lavrung
#Horpa_language">Ergong
#''Choyo_language">Choyo''
#''Zhaba_language">nDrapa''
#''Guiqiong_language">Guiqiong''
#''Muya_language">Minyak''
# ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">substratum.html"_;"title="ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratumref_name="Chirkova">Chirkova,_Ekaterina._2008._On_the_Position_of_Baima_within_Tibetan:_A_Look_from_Basic_Vocabulary._Alexander_Lubotsky,_Jos_Schaeken_and_Jeroen_Wiedenhof._Rodopi,_pp.23,_2008,_Evidence_and_counter-evidence:_Festschrift_F._Kortlandt._
#Qiang_language">Qiang
#Rgyalrong_language">rGyalrong
#Lavrung_language">Lavrung
#Horpa_language">Ergong
#''Choyo_language">Choyo''
#''Zhaba_language">nDrapa''
#''Guiqiong_language">Guiqiong''
#''Muya_language">Minyak''
#Ersuic_languages">Ersuic
#''_Namuyi''
#''_Shixing''
# ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">substratum.html"_;"title="ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratumref_name="Chirkova">Chirkova,_Ekaterina._2008._On_the_Position_of_Baima_within_Tibetan:_A_Look_from_Basic_Vocabulary._Alexander_Lubotsky,_Jos_Schaeken_and_Jeroen_Wiedenhof._Rodopi,_pp.23,_2008,_Evidence_and_counter-evidence:_Festschrift_F._Kortlandt._
#Qiang_language">Qiang
#Rgyalrong_language">rGyalrong
#Lavrung_language">Lavrung
#Horpa_language">Ergong
#''Choyo_language">Choyo''
#''Zhaba_language">nDrapa''
#''Guiqiong_language">Guiqiong''
#''Muya_language">Minyak''
#Ersuic_languages">Ersuic
#''_Namuyi''
#''_Shixing''
#Naish_languages">Naish
# ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">substratum.html"_;"title="ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratum">ossible_Burmo-Qiangic_substratumref_name="Chirkova">Chirkova,_Ekaterina._2008._On_the_Position_of_Baima_within_Tibetan:_A_Look_from_Basic_Vocabulary._Alexander_Lubotsky,_Jos_Schaeken_and_Jeroen_Wiedenhof._Rodopi,_pp.23,_2008,_Evidence_and_counter-evidence:_Festschrift_F._Kortlandt._
#Qiang_language">Qiang
#Rgyalrong_language">rGyalrong
#Lavrung_language">Lavrung
#Horpa_language">Ergong
#''Choyo_language">Choyo''
#''Zhaba_language">nDrapa''
#''Guiqiong_language">Guiqiong''
#''Muya_language">Minyak''
#Ersuic_languages">Ersuic
#''_Namuyi''
#''_Shixing''
#Naish_languages">Naish
#Pumi_language">Prinmi
#_Lolo-Burmese
#(''Bai_languages.html" ;"title="Pumi_language.html" ;"title="Naish_languages.html" ;"title="Ersuic_languages.html" ;"title="Muya_language.html" ;"title="Guiqiong_language.html" ;"title="Zhaba_language.html" ;"title="Choyo_language.html" ;"title="Horpa_language.html" ;"title="Lavrung_language.html" ;"title="Rgyalrong_language.html" ;"title="Qiang_language.html" ;"title="substratum.html" ;"title="substratum.html" ;"title="ossible Burmo-Qiangic substratum">ossible Burmo-Qiangic substratum">substratum.html" ;"title="ossible Burmo-Qiangic substratum">ossible Burmo-Qiangic substratumref name="Chirkova">Chirkova, Ekaterina. 2008. On the Position of Baima within Tibetan: A Look from Basic Vocabulary. Alexander Lubotsky, Jos Schaeken and Jeroen Wiedenhof. Rodopi, pp.23, 2008, Evidence and counter-evidence: Festschrift F. Kortlandt.
#Qiang language">Qiang
#Rgyalrong language">rGyalrong
#Lavrung language">Lavrung
#Horpa language">Ergong
#''Choyo language">Choyo''
#''Zhaba language">nDrapa''
#''Guiqiong language">Guiqiong''
#''Muya language">Minyak''
#Ersuic languages">Ersuic
#'' Namuyi''
#'' Shixing''
#Naish languages">Naish
#Pumi language">Prinmi
# Lolo-Burmese
#(''Bai languages">Bai'') ossible Burmo-Qiangic substratum]
Additionally, Tangut language, Tangut, now extinct, is generally classified as a Qiangic language.
Yu (2012:215-218)Naic
Naic, officially the Municipality of Naic ( tgl, Bayan ng Naic), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 160,987 people. Naic has a land area of 76.24 square kilo ...
languages could possibly group together, since they share many features with each other that are not found in Lolo-Burmese or other Qiangic groups.
Proto-language
In the tree model of historical linguistics, a proto-language is a postulated ancestral language from which a number of attested languages are believed to have descended by evolution, forming a language family. Proto-languages are usually unattes ...
reconstructions for some of these branches include:
*Proto- Rma (Sims 2017)[Sims, Nathaniel. 2017. ''The suprasegmental phonology of proto-Rma (Qiang) in comparative perspective''. Presented at the 50th International Conference on Sino-Tibetan Languages and Linguistics, Beijing, China.]
*Proto- Prinmi (Sims 2017)
Lexical evidence
Jacques & Michaud (2011)[Jacques & Michaud (2011), appendix p.7] list the following lexical items as likely Burmo-Qiangic lexical innovations.
See also
* Bailang language
References
* Bradley, David. 1997. "Tibeto-Burman languages and classification". In D. Bradley (Ed.), ''Tibeto-Burman languages of the Himalayas'' (''Papers in South East Asian linguistics'' No. 14) pp. 1–71, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. .
* Bradley, David. 2008. ''The Position of Namuyi in Tibeto-Burman''. Paper presented at Workshop on Namuyi, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, 2008.
* Jacques, Guillaume, and Alexis Michaud. 2011.
Approaching the historical phonology of three highly eroded Sino-Tibetan languages
" ''Diachronica'' 28:468-498.
* Lama, Ziwo Qiu-Fuyuan (2012), ''Subgrouping of Nisoic (Yi) Languages'', thesis, University of Texas at Arlington
archived
* Sūn, Hóngkāi 孙宏开. 1988. Shilun woguo jingnei Zang-Mianyude puxi fenlei 试论我国境内藏缅语的谱系分类. (A classification of Tibeto-Burman languages in China). In: Tatsuo Nishida and Paul Kazuhisa Eguchi (eds.), Languages and history in East Asia: festschrift for Tatsuo Nishida on the occasion of his 60th birthday 61-73. Kyoto: Shokado.
External links
Burmo-Qiangic
(Sino-Tibetan Branches Project)
{{Lolo-Burmese languages
br:Yezhoù jingpoek-konyakek-bodoek
de:Bodo-Konyak-Jingpho-Sprachen