Jie (simplified Chinese: 羯语; traditional Chinese: 羯語; pinyin: Jiéyǔ[5]) is an unclassified extinct language formerly spoken in northeast China during the Later Zhao dynasty by the Jie people, who were formerly part of the Xiongnu confederation. It has been variously considered to be of either Yeniseian or Turkic affiliation.
| Jie | |
|---|---|
| Chieh[1][2] | |
| *Kɨr[2]/*Kjet[3] | |
| Native to | Later Zhao dynasty |
| Region | Northern China |
| Ethnicity | Jie people |
| Era | 4th century[4] |
| transcribed with Chinese characters | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | None |
.jpg) Map of Sixteen Kingdoms in year 338, showing the Later Zhao, a state ruled by the Jie. | |
Attestation
editOnly one phrase in the native language of the Jie is known. The source for this phrase was the Kuchean Buddhist monk and missionary Fotudeng. It was recorded in the Book of Jin as 秀支替戾岡，僕穀劬禿當 and said to have a connection to Shi Le's fight against Liu Yao in 328.[4] The phrase was glossed with a Chinese translation:
| Text | Middle Chinese[a] | Gloss |
|---|---|---|
| 秀支 | [si̯u-ci̯e] | 軍 "army" |
| 替戾岡 | [tʰei-let/lei-kɑŋ] | 出 "go out" |
| 僕穀 | [bok/buk-kuk/yok] | 劉曜胡位 Liu Yao's barbarian title |
| 劬禿當 | [ɡi̯u̯o-tʰuk-tɑŋ] | 捉 "capture" |
Analysis
editTurkic
editThis phrase has been analyzed in a number of publications. Shiratori (1900),[6] Ramstedt (1922),[7] Bazin (1948),[8] von Gabain (1950),[9] Shervashidze (1986),[10] and Shimunek (2015)[2]: 149 recognized Turkic lexicon, and gave their versions of the transcription and translation:
| Ramstedt | Bazin | von Gabain | Shervashidze | Shimunek |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sükä talıqın bügüg tutun! |
Süg tägti ıdqaŋ boquγıγ tutqaŋ! |
Särig tılıtqan buγuγ kötürkän |
Sükâ tol'iqtin buγuγ qodigo(d)tin |
su-Ø kete-r erkan boklug-gu tukta-ŋ |
| Go with a war [and] capture bügü! |
Send the army to attack, capture the commander! |
You'd put forth the army, you'd take the deer |
You came to the army Deposed buγuγ |
When/as the army goes out, capture the Boklug! |
Yeniseian
editEdwin G. Pulleyblank (1963) argued that the Turkic interpretations cannot be considered very successful because they conflict with the phonetic values of the Chinese text and with the Chinese translation. Instead, he suggested a connection with the Yeniseian languages, as well as remarking on the Yeniseian verb ending -ŋ, particularly common in Kott.[1]: 264
Alexander Vovin (2000) gave the following translation based on Yeniseian, corroborating Pulleyblank's findings.[11] Vovin (2000) suggests a connection with the Southern Yeniseian branch, which has found support from other Yeniseianists.
suke
armies
t-i-r-ek-ang
PV-CM-PERF-go out-3P
bok-kok
bok-kok
k-o-t-o-kt-ang
PV-?-OBJ-CM-catch-3P
Armies have gone out. [They] will catch Bokkok.
The verbal ending -ŋ can be seen in Jie, which is a common verb ending in Yeniseian languages, particularly Kott.[1] The cognate form of the Jie words "kot-o-kt-aŋ" 'they will catch' in Ket is "d-kas-a-qos-n", showing the characteristic of Pumpokol where the sound /t/ corresponds the Ket sound /s/, thus Jie is thought to be closely related to Pumpokol. The Arin word 'kel' 'fight' partly coincides in the second syllable of *śuke 'army', however the connection is dubious and Vovin suggested it to be a loanword, because if Pumpokolic speakers became part of Xiongnu, the word for army would have likely been loaned.[3]
Vovin et al. (2016) revise the above translation, as well as mapping the verbs over a Ket verb template and criticizing Shimunek et al.'s interpretation of the couplet.[3]
śuke
army/armies?
t-il-ek-ang
out-PAST-go-3ANIM.PL.SBJ
bok-kok
?
got-o-kt-aŋ
foot(?)-3MASC.SG.OBJ-take-3ANIM.PL.SBJ
Armies went out and will catch Bokkok!
Notes
edit- ^ Middle Chinese pronunciation follows Pulleyblank.[1]: 264
References
edit- ^ a b c d Pulleyblank, Edwin George (1963). "The consonantal system of Old Chinese. Part II" (PDF). Asia Major. 9: 206–265. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
- ^ a b c Shimunek, Andrew; Beckwith, Christopher I.; Washington, Jonathan North; Kontovas, Nicholas; Niyaz, Kurban (2015). "The Earliest Attested Turkic Language: The Chieh (*Kir) Language of the Fourth Century A.D." Journal Asiatique. 303 (1): 143–151. doi:10.2143/JA.303.1.3085124.
- ^ a b c Vovin, Alexander; Vajda, Edward; de la Vaissière, Etienne (2016). "Who Were the *Kjet (羯) and What Language Did They Speak?". Journal Asiatique. 304 (1): 125–144. doi:10.2143/JA.304.1.3146838.
- ^ a b Fang Xuanling, Book of Jin, ibid., Vol. 95, pp. 12b-13a
- ^ 张昌圣. "《晋书·佛图澄传》之羯语探源". 四川大学学报: 哲学社会科学版 3 (1995): 48-56.
- ^ Shiratori, Kurakichi, Uber die Sprache des Hiung-nu Stammes und der Tung-hu-Stdmme, Tokyo, 1900
- ^ Ramstedt G.J., "Zur Frage nach der Stellung des Tschuwassischen" (On the question of the position of the Chuvash), Journal de la Société finno-ougrienne 38, 1922, pp. 1–34
- ^ Bazin, Louis (1948). "Un texte proto-turc du IVe siècle: le distique hiong-nou du "Tsin-chou"". Oriens. 1 (2): 208–219. doi:10.2307/1578997. JSTOR 1578997.
- ^ von Gabain, Annemarie (1950). "Louis Bazin: Un texte proto-turc du IVe siècle: le distique hiong-nou du "Tsin-chou" (Besprechung)". Der Islam. 29: 244–246.
- ^ Shervashidze I.N. "Verb forms in the language of the Turkic runiform inscriptions", Tbilisi, 1986, pp. 3–9
- ^ Vovin, Alexander (2000). "Did the Xiong-nu Speak a Yeniseian Language?". Central Asiatic Journal. 44 (1): 87–104. ISSN 0008-9192. JSTOR 41928223.