The Old Yue language ( zh, c=古越語, p=''Gu Yueyu'') is an unknown
unclassified language
An unclassified language is a language whose genetic affiliation to other languages has not been established. Languages can be unclassified for a variety of reasons, mostly due to a lack of reliable data but sometimes due to the confounding inf ...
(or many different languages). It can refer to Yue, which was spoken in the realm of
Yue during the
Spring and Autumn period. It can also refer to the variety of different languages spoken by the
Baiyue
The Baiyue (, ), Hundred Yue, or simply Yue (; ), were various ethnic groups who inhabited the regions of East China, South China and Northern Vietnam during the 1st millennium BC and 1st millennium AD. They were known for their short hair, ...
. Possible languages spoken by them may have been of
Kra–Dai,
Hmong–Mien,
Austronesian,
Austroasiatic
The Austroasiatic languages , , are a large language family in Mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. These languages are scattered throughout parts of Thailand, Laos, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and southern China and are th ...
and other origins.
Knowledge of Yue speech is limited to fragmentary references and possible loanwords in other languages, principally
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of v ...
. The longest attestation is the ''
Song of the Yue Boatman The Song of the Yue Boatman () is a short song in an unknown language of southern China said to have been recorded around 528 BC.
A transcription using Chinese characters, together with a Chinese version, is preserved in the ''Garden of Stories ...
'', a short song transcribed phonetically in Chinese characters in 528 BC and included, with a Chinese version, in the ''
Garden of Stories
The ''Shuo Yuan'' (), variously translated as ''Garden of Stories'', ''Garden of Persuasions'', ''Garden of Talks'', etc., is a collection of stories and anecdotes from the pre-Qin period (先秦) to the Western Han Dynasty. The stories were com ...
'' compiled by
Liu Xiang five centuries later.
Native
Nanyue
Nanyue (), was an ancient kingdom ruled by Chinese monarchs of the Zhao family that covered the modern Chinese subdivisions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau, southern Fujian and central to northern Vietnam. Nanyue was establishe ...
people likely spoke Old Yue, while Han settlers and government officials spoke
Old Chinese. Some suggest that the descendants of the Nanyue spoke
Austroasiatic languages
The Austroasiatic languages , , are a large language family in Mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. These languages are scattered throughout parts of Thailand, Laos, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and southern China and are t ...
. Others suggest a language related to the modern
Zhuang people
The Zhuang (; ; za, Bouxcuengh, italic=yes; ) are a Tai-speaking ethnic group who mostly live in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. Some also live in the Yunnan, Guangdong, Guizhou, and Hunan provinces. They form one of t ...
. It is plausible to say that the Yue spoke more than one language. Old Chinese in the region was likely much influenced by Yue speech (and vice versa), and many Old Yue loanwords in Chinese have been identified by modern scholars.
Classification theories
There is some disagreement about the languages the Yue spoke, with candidates drawn from the non-Sinitic language families still represented in areas of
southern China
South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not n ...
,
pre-Kra–Dai,
pre-Hmong–Mien,
pre-Austronesian, and
pre-Austroasiatic;
as Chinese,
Kra–Dai,
Hmong–Mien,
Austronesian, and the
Vietic
The Vietic languages are a branch of the Austroasiatic language family, spoken by the Vietic peoples in Laos and Vietnam. The branch was once referred to by the terms ''Việt–Mường'', ''Annamese–Muong'', and ''Vietnamuong''; the term ''V ...
branch of
Austroasiatic
The Austroasiatic languages , , are a large language family in Mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. These languages are scattered throughout parts of Thailand, Laos, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and southern China and are th ...
have similar tone systems, syllable structure, grammatical features and lack of inflection, but these features are believed to have spread by means of diffusion across the
Mainland Southeast Asia linguistic area
The Mainland Southeast Asia linguistic area is a sprachbund including languages of the Sino-Tibetan, Hmong–Mien (or Miao–Yao), Kra–Dai, Austronesian and Austroasiatic families spoken in an area stretching from Thailand to China. Neighbou ...
, rather than indicating common descent.
*Scholars in China often assume that the Yue spoke an early form of Kra–Dai. According to Sagart (2008), this is far from self-evident, because the core of the
Kra–Dai area geographically is located in
Hainan and the China-Vietnam border region, which is beyond the extreme southern end of the Yue area. The linguist Wei Qingwen gave a rendering of the "Song of the Yue boatman" in
Standard Zhuang
Standard Zhuang ( autonym: , , (pre-1982: ; Sawndip: ); ) is the official standardized form of the Zhuang languages, which are a branch of the Northern Tai languages. Its pronunciation is based on that of the Yongbei Zhuang dialect of Shuang ...
.
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Zhengzhang Shangfang (; ; 9 August 1933 – 19 May 2018) was a Chinese linguist, known for his reconstruction of Old Chinese.
Zhengzhang was born as Zheng Xiangfang ( ; ) in Yongjia County, on the outskirts of Wenzhou. As and have the same ...
proposed an interpretation of the song in written
Thai (dating from the late 13th century) as the closest available approximation to the original language, but his interpretation remains controversial.
*Peiros (2011) shows with his analysis that the homeland of Austroasiatic is somewhere near the
Yangtze
The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...
. He suggests southern Sichuan or slightly west from it, as the likely homeland of proto-Austroasiatic speakers before they migrated to other parts of China and then into Southeast Asia. He further suggests that the family must be as old as proto-Austronesian and proto-Sino-Tibetan or even older. The linguists Sagart (2011) and Bellwood (2013) support the theory of an origin of Austroasiatic along the Yangtze river in southern China.
*Sagart (2008) suggests that the Old Yue language, together with the
proto-Austronesian language, was descended from the language or languages of the Tánshíshān‑Xītóu culture complex (modern day
Fujian province of China), making the Old Yue language a
sister language to proto-Austronesian, which Sagart sees as the origin of the Kra–Dai languages.
Behr (2009) also notes that the
Chǔ dialect of Old Chinese was influenced by several
substrata, predominantly Kra-Dai, but also possibly Austroasiatic, Austronesian and Hmong-Mien.
[Behr, Wolfgang (2009). "Dialects, diachrony, diglossia or all three? Tomb text glimpses into the language(s) of Chǔ",
''TTW-3, Zürich, 26.-29.VI.2009, “Genius loci”'']
Kra–Dai arguments
The
proto-Kra–Dai language has been hypothesized to originate in the
Lower Yangtze valleys. Ancient Chinese texts refer to non-Sinitic languages spoken across this substantial region and their speakers as ''"Yue"''. Although those languages are extinct, traces of their existence could be found in unearthed inscriptional materials, ancient Chinese historical texts and non-Han substrata in various Southern Chinese dialects. Thai, one of the
Tai languages
The Tai or Zhuang–Tai languages ( th, ภาษาไท or , transliteration: or ) are a branch of the Kra–Dai language family. The Tai languages include the most widely spoken of the Tai–Kadai languages, including Standard Thai or Si ...
and the most-spoken language in the
Kra–Dai language family, has been used extensively in historical-comparative linguistics to identify the origins of language(s) spoken in the ancient region of South China. One of the very few direct records of non-Sinitic speech in pre-Qin and Han times having been preserved so far is the ''"
Song of the Yue Boatman The Song of the Yue Boatman () is a short song in an unknown language of southern China said to have been recorded around 528 BC.
A transcription using Chinese characters, together with a Chinese version, is preserved in the ''Garden of Stories ...
"'' (Yueren Ge 越人歌), which was transcribed phonetically in Chinese characters in 528 BC, and found in the 善说 Shanshuo chapter of the Shuoyuan 说苑 or 'Garden of Persuasions'.
Willeam Meacham (1996) reports that Chinese linguists have shown strong evidence of Tai vestiges in former Yue areas: Lin (1990) found Tai elements in some
Min dialects, Zhenzhang (1990) has proposed Tai etymologies and interpretations for certain place names in the former states of
Wu and
Yue, and Wei (1982) found similarities in the words, combinations and rhyming scheme between the "Song of the Yue Boatman" and the
Kam–Tai languages.
James R. Chamberlain (2016) proposes that the Kra-Dai language family was formed as early as the 12th century BCE in the middle of the
Yangtze basin, coinciding roughly with the establishment of the
Chu state and the beginning of the
Zhou dynasty.
Following the southward migrations of
Kra and
Hlai (Rei/Li) peoples around the 8th century BCE, the Yue (Be-Tai people) started to break away and move to the east coast in the present-day
Zhejiang province
Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...
, in the 6th century BCE, forming the state of Yue and conquering the state of Wu shortly thereafter.
According to Chamberlain, Yue people (Be-Tai) began to migrate southwards along the east coast of China to what are now Guangxi, Guizhou and northern Vietnam, after Yue was conquered by Chu around 333 BCE. There the Yue (Be-Tai) formed the polities
Xi Ou, which became the
Northern Tai
The Northern Tai languages are an established branch of the Tai languages of Southeast Asia. They include the northern Zhuang languages and Bouyei of China, Tai Mène of Laos and Yoy of Thailand.
Languages Ethnologue
'' Ethnologue'' disting ...
and the
Luo Yue, which became the Central-Southwestern Tai.
However, Pittayaporn (2014), after examining layers of Chinese
loanwords in proto-
Southwestern Tai and other historical evidence, proposes that the southwestward migration of southwestern Tai-speaking tribes from the modern Guangxi to the mainland of Southeast Asia must have taken place only sometime between the 8th–10th centuries CE, long after 44 CE, when Chinese sources last mentioned Luo Yue in the Red River Delta.
File:Genesis of Daic languages and their relation with Austronesians.png, Proposed genesis of Daic languages and their relation with Austronesian languages ( Blench, 2018)
File:Kra-Tai-Migration1.png, Kra-Dai (Tai-Kadai) migration route according to James R. Chamberlain (2016).
File:Gerner Tai-Kadai migration route.png, Tai-Kadai migration route according to Matthias Gerner's ''Northeast to Southwest Hypothesis''.
Ancient textual evidence
In the early 1980s, Zhuang linguist, Wei Qingwen (韦庆稳), electrified the scholarly community in Guangxi by identifying the language in the ''"Song of the Yue Boatman"'' as a language ancestral to
Zhuang. Wei used reconstructed
Old Chinese for the characters and discovered that the resulting vocabulary showed strong resemblance to modern Zhuang. Later, Zhengzhang Shangfang (1991) followed Wei’s insight but used Thai script for comparison, since this orthography dates from the 13th century and preserves archaisms relative to the modern pronunciation. Zhengzhang notes that 'evening, night, dark' bears the C tone in Wuming Zhuang ''xam
C2'' and ''ɣam
C2'' 'night'. The item ''raa'' normally means 'we inclusive' but in some places, e.g. Tai Lue and White Tai 'I'. However, Laurent criticizes Zhengzhang's interpretation as anachronistic, because however archaic that Thai script is, Thai language was only written 2000 years after the song had been recorded; even if the
Proto-Kam-Tai might have emerged by 6th century BCE, its pronunciation would have been substantially different from Thai. The following is a simplified interpretation of the ''"Song of the Yue Boatman"'' by Zhengzhang Shangfang quoted by David Holm (2013) with Thai script and Chinese glosses being omitted:
[The upper row represents the original text, the next row the Old Chinese pronunciation, the third a transcription of written Thai, and the fourth line English glosses. Finally, there is Zhengzhang's English translation.]
Some scattered non-Sinitic words found in the two ancient Chinese fictional texts, the ''
Mu Tianzi Zhuan'' ( zh, 穆天子傳) (4th c. B.C.) and the ''
Yuejue shu'' ( zh, 越絕書) (1st c. A.D.), can be compared to lexical items in Kra-Dai languages. These two texts are only preserved in corrupt versions and share a rather convoluted editorial history. Wolfgang Behr (2002) makes an attempt to identify the origins of those words:
*"吳謂善「伊」, 謂稻道「緩」, 號從中國, 名從主人。"
“The
Wú say ''yī'' for ‘good’ and ''huăn'' for ‘way’, i.e. in their titles they follow the central kingdoms, but in their names they follow their own lords.”
伊 ''yī'' < ʔjij < *
bq(l)ij ← Siamese ''dii
A1'', Longzhou ''dai
1'', Bo'ai ''nii
1''
Daiya
Daiya Foods Inc. is a Canada-based dairy- alternative food company located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The company was established in 2008 by Andre Kroecher and Greg Blake. Daiya's original (and likely its best known) products are cheese analogu ...
''li
1'', Sipsongpanna ''di
1'',
Dehong
The Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture is located in western Yunnan province, People's Republic of China, and is one of the eight autonomous prefectures of the province, bordering Baoshan to the east and Burma's Kachin State to the west. ...
''li
6'' <
proto-Tai
Proto-Tai is the reconstructed proto-language (common ancestor) of all the Tai languages, including modern Lao, Shan, Tai Lü, Tai Dam, Ahom, Northern Thai, Standard Thai, Bouyei, and Zhuang. The Proto-Tai language is not directly atteste ...
*ʔdɛi
A1 ,
Sui ''ʔdaai
1'',
Kam ''laai
1'',
Maonan ''ʔdaai
1'',
Mak ''ʔdaai
6'' < proto-Kam-Sui/proto-Kam-Tai *ʔdaai
1 'good'
緩
uăn< hwanX < *
awan ← Siamese ''hon
A1'', Bo'ai ''hɔn
1'', Dioi ''thon
1'' < proto-Tai *xron
A1,
Sui ''khwən
1-i'',
Kam ''khwən
1'',
Maonan ''khun
1-i'',
Mulam ''khwən
1-i'' < proto-Kam-Sui *khwən
1 'road, way' ,
proto-Hlai *kuun
1 , ,
proto-Austronesian *Zalan (Thurgood 1994:353)
*yuè jué shū 越絕書 (The Book of
Yuè Records), 1st c. A.D.
絕 ''jué'' < dzjwet < *
bdzot ← Siamese ''cod
D1'' 'to record, mark' (Zhengzhang Shangfang 1999:8)
*"姑中山者越銅官之山也, 越人謂之銅, 「姑
����」。"
“The Middle mountains of ''Gū'' are the mountains of the Yuè’s bronze office, the
Yuè people call them ‘Bronze ''gū
ūú''.”
「姑
����」 gūdú < ku=duwk < *
aka=
alok
← Siamese ''kʰau
A1'' 'horn',
Daiya
Daiya Foods Inc. is a Canada-based dairy- alternative food company located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The company was established in 2008 by Andre Kroecher and Greg Blake. Daiya's original (and likely its best known) products are cheese analogu ...
''xau
5'', Sipsongpanna ''xau
1'', Dehong ''xau
1'',
Lü ''xău
1'', Dioi ''kaou
1'' 'mountain, hill' < proto-Tai *kʰau
A2; Siamese ''luuk
D2l'' 'classifier for mountains', Siamese ''kʰau
A1''-''luuk
D2l'' 'mountain' , , ''cf.''
OC 谷 ''gǔ'' < kuwk << *
ak-lok/luwk < *
akə-lok/yowk < *
blok 'valley'
*"越人謂船爲「須盧」。"
"... The
Yuè people call a boat ''xūlú''. (‘beard’ & ‘cottage’)"
須 ''xū'' < sju < *
bs(n)o
? ← Siamese saʔ 'noun prefix'
盧 ''lú'' < lu < *
bra
← Siamese ''rɯa
A2'', Longzhou ''lɯɯ
2'', Bo'ai ''luu
2'',
Daiya
Daiya Foods Inc. is a Canada-based dairy- alternative food company located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The company was established in 2008 by Andre Kroecher and Greg Blake. Daiya's original (and likely its best known) products are cheese analogu ...
''hə
2'',
Dehong
The Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture is located in western Yunnan province, People's Republic of China, and is one of the eight autonomous prefectures of the province, bordering Baoshan to the east and Burma's Kachin State to the west. ...
''hə
2'' 'boat' < proto-Tai *drɯ
,o'' ,
Sui ''lwa
1''/''ʔda
1'',
Kam ''lo
1''/''lwa
1'',
Be ''zoa'' < proto-Kam-Sui *s-lwa(n)
A1 'boat'
*"
����築吳市西城, 名曰「定錯」城。"
"
íuJiă (the king of
Jīng 荆) built the western wall, it was called ''dìngcuò''
settle(d)' & 'grindstone'wall."
定 ''dìng'' < ''dengH'' < *
adeng-s
← Siamese ''diaaŋ
A1'', Daiya ''tʂhəŋ
2'', Sipsongpanna ''tseŋ
2'' 'wall'
錯 ''cuò'' < tshak < *
atshak
? ← Siamese ''tok
D1s'' 'to set→sunset→west' (''tawan-tok'' 'sun-set' = 'west'); Longzhou ''tuk
7'', Bo'ai ''tɔk
7'',
Daiya
Daiya Foods Inc. is a Canada-based dairy- alternative food company located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The company was established in 2008 by Andre Kroecher and Greg Blake. Daiya's original (and likely its best known) products are cheese analogu ...
''tok
7'', Sipsongpanna ''tok
7'' < proto-Tai *tok
D1s ǀ
Sui ''tok
7'',
Mak ''tok
7'',
Maonan ''tɔk'' < proto-Kam-Sui *tɔk
D1
Substrate in modern Chinese languages
Besides a limited number of lexical items left in Chinese historical texts, remnants of language(s) spoken by the ancient Yue can be found in non-Han substrata in Southern Chinese dialects, e.g.:
Wu,
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
,
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
,
Yue, etc. Robert Bauer (1987) identifies twenty seven lexical items in
Yue,
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
and
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
varieties, which share
Kra–Dai roots.
[Bauer, Robert S. (1987). 'Kadai loanwords in southern Chinese dialects', Transactions of the International Conference of Orientalists in Japan 32: 95–111.] The following are some examples cited from Bauer (1987):
*to beat, whip:
Yue-Guangzhou ''faak
7a'' ←
Wuming Zhuang ''fa:k
8'',
Siamese ''faat
D2L'', Longzhou ''faat'', Po-ai ''faat''.
*to beat, pound:
Yue-Guangzhou ''tap
8'' ←
Siamese ''thup
4''/''top
2'', Longzhou ''tup
D1'', Po-ai ''tup
3''/''tɔp
D1'', Mak/Dong ''tap
D2'', Tai Nuea ''top
5'',
Sui-Lingam ''tjăp
D2'',
Sui-Jungchiang ''tjăp
D2'',
Sui-Pyo ''tjăp
D2'',
T'en ''tjap
D2'', White Tai ''tup
4'', Red Tai ''tup
3'',
Shan ''thup
5'', Lao Nong Khai ''thip
3'', Lue Moeng Yawng ''tup
5'', Leiping-Zhuang ''thop
5''/''top
4'',
Western Nung ''tup
4'',
Yay ''tup
5'',
Saek ''thap
6'', Tai Lo ''thup
3'',
Tai Maw ''thup
3'', Tai No ''top
5'',
Wuming Zhuang ''tup
8'',
Li-Jiamao ''tap
8''.
*to bite:
Yue-Guangzhou ''khap
8'' ←
Siamese ''khop
2'', Longzhou ''khoop
5'', Po-ai ''hap
3'',
Ahom ''khup'', Shan ''khop
4'',
Lü ''khop'', White Tai ''khop
2'', Nung ''khôp'', Hsi-lin ''hap
D2S'', Wuming-Zhuang ''hap
8'', T'ien-pao ''hap'', Black Tai ''khop
2'', Red Tai ''khop
3'', Lao Nong Khai ''khop
1'',
Western Nung ''khap
6'', etc.
*to burn:
Yue-Guangzhou ''naat
7a'',
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
''nat
8'' ←
Wuming Zhuang ''na:t
8'', Po-ai ''naat
D1L'' "hot".
*child:
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
-Chaozhou ''noŋ
1'' ''kiā
3'' "child",
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
-Suixi ''nuŋ
3 kia
3'', Mandarin-Chengdu ''nɑŋ
1 pɑ
1 kər
1'' "youngest sibling",
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
-Fuzhou ''nauŋ
6'' "young, immature" ←
Siamese ''nɔɔŋ
4'', Tai Lo ''lɔŋ
3'',
Tai Maw ''nɔŋ
3'', Tai No ''nɔŋ
3'' "younger sibing",
Wuming Zhuang ''tak
8 nu:ŋ
4'', Longzhou ''no:ŋ
4 ba:u
5'', Buyi ''nuaŋ
4'', Dai-Xishuangbanna ''nɔŋ
4 tsa:i
2'', Dai-Dehong ''lɔŋ
4 tsa:i
2'', etc.
*correct, precisely, just now: Yue-Guangzhou ''ŋaam
1'' "correct", ''ŋaam
1 ŋaam
1'' "just now", Hakka-Meixian ''ŋam
5 ŋam
5'' "precisely", Hakka-Youding ''ŋaŋ
1 ŋaŋ
1'' "just right",
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
-Suixi ''ŋam
1'' "fit",
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
-Chaozhou ''ŋam
1'',
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
-Hainan ''ŋam
1 ŋam
1'' "good" ←
Wuming Zhuang ''ŋa:m
1'' "proper" / ''ŋa:m
3'' "precisely, appropriate" / ''ŋa:m
5'' "exactly", Longzhou ''ŋa:m
5 vəi
6''.
*to cover (1):
Yue-Guangzhou ''hom
6''/''ham
6'' ←
Siamese ''hom
2'', Longzhou ''hum
5'', Po-ai ''hɔm
B1'', Lao ''hom'', Ahom ''hum'', Shan ''hom
2'', Lü ''hum'', White Tai ''hum
2'', Black Tai ''hoom
2'', Red Tai ''hom
3'',
Nung ''hôm'',
Tay
Tay may refer to:
People and languages
* Tay (name), including lists of people with the given name, surname and nickname
* Tay people, an ethnic group of Vietnam
** Tày language
*Atayal language, an Austronesian language spoken in Taiwan (ISO 639 ...
''hôm'',
Tho ''hoom'', T'ien-pao ''ham'', Dioi ''hom'', Hsi-lin ''hɔm'', T'ien-chow ''hɔm'', Lao Nong Khai ''hom
3'',
Western Nung ''ham
2'', etc.
*to cover (2):
Yue-Guangzhou ''khap
7'', Yue-Yangjiang ''kap
7a'',
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
-Meixian ''khɛp
7'',
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
-Xiamen ''kaˀ
7'',
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
-Quanzhou ''kaˀ
7'',
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
-Zhangzhou ''kaˀ
7'' "to cover" ← Wuming-Zhuang ''kop
8'' "to cover", Li-Jiamao ''khɔp
7'', Li-Baocheng ''khɔp
7'', Li-Qiandui ''khop
9'', Li-Tongshi ''khop
7'' "to cover".
*to lash, whip, thrash:
Yue-Guangzhou ''fit
7'' ←
Wuming Zhuang ''fit
8'', Li-Baoding ''fi:t
7''.
*monkey:
Yue-Guangzhou ''ma
4 lau
1'' ←
Wuming Zhuang ''ma
4'' ''lau
2'', Mulao ''mə
6 lau
2''.
*to slip off, fall off, lose: Yue-Guangzhou ''lat
7'',
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
''lut
7'',
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
-Yongding ''lut
7'',
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
-Dongshandao ''lut
7'',
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
-Suixi ''lak
8'',
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
-Chaozhou ''luk
7'' ← Siamese ''lut
D1S'', Longzhou ''luut'', Po-ai ''loot'', Wiming-Zhuang ''lo:t
7''.
*to stamp foot, trample:
Yue-Guangzhou ''tam
6'',
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
''tem
5'' ←
Wuming Zhuang ''tam
6'', Po-ai ''tam
B2'', Lao ''tham'',
Lü ''tam'',
Nung ''tam''.
*stupid:
Yue-Guangzhou ''ŋɔŋ
6'', Hakka-Meixian ''ŋɔŋ
5'', Hakka-Yongfing ''ŋɔŋ
5'',
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
-Dongshandao ''goŋ
6'',
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
-Suixi ''ŋɔŋ
1'',
Min
Min or MIN may refer to:
Places
* Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China
** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian
* Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China
* Min River (Fujian)
* Min River (Sichuan)
* Mineola (Amtr ...
-Fuzhou ''ŋouŋ
6'' ←
Be-Lingao ''ŋən
2'',
Wuming Zhuang ''ŋu:ŋ
6'',
Li-Baoding ''ŋaŋ
2'',
Li-Zhongsha ''ŋaŋ
2'',
Li-Xifan ''ŋaŋ
2'',
Li-Yuanmen ''ŋaŋ
4'',
Li-Qiaodui ''ŋaŋ
4'',
Li-Tongshi ''ŋaŋ
4'', Li-Baocheng ''ŋa:ŋ
2'', Li-Jiamao ''ŋa:ŋ
2''.
*to tear, pinch, peel, nip:
Yue-Guangzhou ''mit
7'' "tear, break off, pinch, peel off with finger",
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
''met
7'' "pluck, pull out, peel" ← Be-Lingao ''mit
5'' "rip, tear", Longzhou ''bit
D1S'', Po-ai ''mit'', Nung ''bêt'', Tay ''bit'' "pick, pluck, nip off",
Wuming Zhuang ''bit
7'' "tear off, twist, peel, pinch, squeeze, press", Li-Tongshi ''mi:t
7'', Li-Baoding ''mi:t
7'' "pinch, squeeze, press".
Substrate in Cantonese
Yue-Hashimoto describes the
Yue Chinese languages spoken in
Guangdong as having a Tai influence. Robert Bauer (1996) points out twenty nine possible cognates between Cantonese spoken in
Guangzhou and
Kra–Dai, of which seven cognates are confirmed to originate from
Kra–Dai sources:
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
''kɐj
1'' ''hɔ:ŋ
2'' ←
Wuming Zhuang ''kai
5'' ''ha:ŋ
6'' "young chicken which has not laid eggs"
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
''ja:ŋ
5'' ←
Siamese ''jâ:ŋ'' "to step on, tread"
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
''kɐm
6'' ←
Wuming Zhuang ''kam
6'',
Siamese ''kʰòm'',
Be-Lingao ''xɔm
4'' "to press down"
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
''kɐp
7b'' ''na:
3''
[The second syllable na:3 may correspond to Tai morpheme for 'field'.] ←
Wuming Zhuang ''kop
7'',
Siamese ''kòp'' "frog"
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
''khɐp
8'' ←
Siamese ''kʰòp'' "to bite"
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
''lɐm
5'' ←
Siamese ''lóm'',
Maonan ''lam
5'' "to collapse, to topple, to fall down (building)"
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
''tɐm
5'' ←
Wuming Zhuang ''tam
5'',
Siamese ''tàm'' "to hang down, be low"
Substrate in Wu Chinese
Li Hui (2001) finds 126 Kra-Dai cognates in
Maqiao
''A Dictionary of Maqiao'' () is a novel written by Chinese writer Han Shaogong. It was first published in 1996 and was translated into English by Julia Lovell in 2003. ''Yazhou Zhoukan'' selected it as one of the top 100 greatest Chinese novels ...
Wu dialect
The Wu languages (; Wu romanization and IPA: ''wu6 gniu6'' [] (Shanghainese), ''ng2 gniu6'' [] (Suzhounese), Mandarin pinyin and IPA: ''Wúyǔ'' []) is a major group of Sinitic languages spoken primarily in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Zhejiang Provin ...
spoken in the suburbs of
Shanghai out of more than a thousand lexical items surveyed. According to the author, these cognates are likely traces of the Old Yue language. The two tables below show lexical comparisons between Maqiao Wu dialect and Kra-Dai languages quoted from Li Hui (2001). He notes that, in Wu dialect, final consonants such as -m, -ɯ, -i, ụ, etc don't exist, and therefore, -m in Maqiao dialect tends to become -ŋ or -n, or it's simply absent, and in some cases -m even becomes final glottal stop.
Austroasiatic arguments
Jerry Norman and Mei Tsu-Lin presented evidence that at least some Yue spoke an
Austroasiatic language
The Austroasiatic languages , , are a large language family in Mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. These languages are scattered throughout parts of Thailand, Laos, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and southern China and are th ...
:
* A well-known loanword into Sino-Tibetan is k-la for
tiger (
Hanzi
Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji' ...
: 虎; Old Chinese (ZS): ''*qʰlaːʔ'' > Mandarin pinyin: ''hǔ'', Sino-Vietnamese ''hổ'') from
Proto-Austroasiatic *kalaʔ (compare Vietic ''*k-haːlʔ'' > ''kʰaːlʔ'' > Vietnamese ''khái'' and Muong ''khảl'').
* The early Chinese name for the Yangtze (; EMC: ''kœ:ŋ''; OC: *''kroŋ''; Cantonese: "kong") was later extended to a general word for "river" in south China. Norman and Mei suggest that the word is cognate with Vietnamese ''sông'' (from *''krong'') and Mon ''kruŋ'' "river".
They also provide evidence of an Austroasiatic
substrate in the vocabulary of
Min Chinese.
For example:
* *-dəŋ
A "shaman" may be compared with
Vietnamese ''đồng'' (/ɗoŋ
2/) "to shamanize, to communicate with spirits" and
Mon
Mon, MON or Mon. may refer to:
Places
* Mon State, a subdivision of Myanmar
* Mon, India, a town in Nagaland
* Mon district, Nagaland
* Mon, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India
* Mon, Switzerland, a village in the Canton of Grisons
* A ...
doŋ "to dance (as if) under demonic possession".
* *kiɑn
B 囝 "son" appears to be related to Vietnamese ''con'' (/kɔn/) and Mon kon "child".
Norman and Mei's hypothesis has been criticized by
Laurent Sagart
Laurent Sagart (; born 1951) is a senior researcher at the Centre de recherches linguistiques sur l'Asie orientale (CRLAO – UMR 8563) unit of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS).
Biography
Born in Paris in 1951, he earned hi ...
, who demonstrates that many of the supposed loan words can be better explained as archaic Chinese words, or even loans from Austronesian languages; he also argues that the Vietic cradle must be located farther south in current north Vietnam.
*Norman & Mei also compares Min verb "to know, to recognize" (
Proto-Min
Proto-Min is a comparative reconstruction of the common ancestor of the Min group of varieties of Chinese. Min varieties developed in the relative isolation of the Chinese province of Fujian and eastern Guangdong, and have since spread to Taiwan ...
''*pat''; whence
Fuzhou &
Amoy
Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, ...
) to Vietnamese ''biết'', also meaning "to know, to recognize". However, Sagart contends that the Min & Vietnamese sense "to know, to recognize" is semantically extended from well-attested Chinese verb "to distinguish, discriminate, differentiate" ((Mandarin: ''bié''; MC: ; OC: ''*bred''); thus Sagart considers Vietnamese ''biết'' as a loanword from Chinese.
*According to the ''
Shuowen Jiezi'' (100 AD), "In Nanyue, the word for dog is (; EMC: ''nuw-ʂuw'')", possibly related to other Austroasiatic terms. ''Sōu'' is "hunt" in modern Chinese. However, in ''
Shuowen Jiezi'', the word for dog is also recorded as 獶獀 with its most probable pronunciation around 100 CE must have been ''*ou-sou'', which resembles proto-Austronesian *asu, *u‑asu 'dog' than it resembles the palatal‑initialed Austroasiatic monosyllable Vietnamese ''chó'', Old Mon ''clüw'', etc.
*
Zheng Xuan
Zheng Xuan (127– July 200), courtesy name Kangcheng (), was a Chinese philosopher, politician, and writer near the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was born in Gaomi, Beihai Commandery (modern Weifang, Shandong), and was a student of Ma Ro ...
(127–200 AD) wrote that (Middle Chinese: , modern Mandarin Chinese ''zā'', modern Sino-Vietnamese: "trát") was the word used by the
Yue people
The Baiyue (, ), Hundred Yue, or simply Yue (; ), were various ethnic groups who inhabited the regions of East China, South China and Northern Vietnam during the 1st millennium BC and 1st millennium AD. They were known for their short hair, b ...
(越人) to mean "die". Norman and Mei reconstruct this word as OC *''tsət'' and relate it to Austroasiatic words with the same meaning, such as Vietnamese ''chết'' and Mon ''chɒt''. However, Laurent Sagart points out that is a well‑attested Chinese word also meaning "to die", which is overlooked by Norman and Mei. That this word occurred in the Old Yue language in Han times could be because the Old Yue language borrowed it from Chinese. Therefore, the resemblance of this Chinese word to an Austroasiatic word is probably accidental.
* According to Sagart, the resemblance between the Min word *-dəŋ
A "shaman" or "spirit healer" and the Vietnamese term ''đồng'' is undoubtedly by chance.
Moreover, Chamberlain (1998) posits that the Austroasiatic predecessor of modern Vietnamese language originated in modern-day
Bolikhamsai Province and
Khammouane Province in
Laos as well as parts of
Nghệ An Province and
Quảng Bình Province in
Vietnam, rather than in the region north of the
Red River delta.
[Chamberlain, J.R. 1998,]
The origin of Sek: implications for Tai and Vietnamese history
, in The International Conference on Tai Studies, ed. S. Burusphat, Bangkok, Thailand, pp. 97-128. Institute of Language and Culture for Rural Development, Mahidol University. However, Ferlus (2009) showed that the inventions of pestle, oar and a pan to cook sticky rice, which is the main characteristic of the
Đông Sơn culture
The Dong Son culture or the Lạc Việt culture (named for modern village Đông Sơn, a village in Thanh Hóa, Vietnam) was a Bronze Age culture in ancient Vietnam centred at the Red River Valley of northern Vietnam from 1000 BC until the ...
, correspond to the creation of new lexicons for these inventions in Northern Vietic (Việt–Mường) and Central Vietic (
Cuoi-Toum).
The new vocabularies of these inventions were proven to be derivatives from original verbs rather than borrowed lexical items. The current distribution of Northern Vietic also correspond to the area of Đông Sơn culture. Thus, Ferlus concludes that the Northern Vietic (Viet-Muong) speakers are the "most direct heirs" of the Dongsonians, who have resided in Southern part of Red river delta and North Central Vietnam since the 1st millennium BC.
In addition, archaeogenetics demonstrated that before the Dong Son period, the Red River Delta's inhabitants were predominantly Austroasiatic: genetic data from
Phùng Nguyên culture
The Phùng Nguyên culture of Vietnam (c. 2,000 – 1,500 BC) is a name given to a culture of the Bronze Age in Vietnam which takes its name from an archeological site in Phùng Nguyên, east of Việt Trì discovered in 1958. It was during this p ...
's burial site (dated to 1,800 BCE) at
Mán Bạc
Mán Bạc is a Neolithic archaeological site located in Yên Mô District, Ninh Bình Province, Vietnam, dated from around 1,850–1,650 BC. Mán Bạc is associated with the Phùng Nguyên culture. With 95 burials found at the site, Mán B� ...
(in present-day
Ninh Bình Province,
Vietnam)have close proximity to modern Austroasiatic speakers, while "mixed genetics" from Đông Sơn culture's Núi Nấp site showed affinity to "Dai from China, Tai-Kadai speakers from Thailand, and Austroasiatic speakers from Vietnam, including the Kinh"; these results indicated that significant contact happened between Tai speakers and Vietic speakers.
Ye (2014) identified a few Austroasiatic loanwords in Ancient Chu dialect of Old Chinese.
[Ye, Xiaofeng () (2014)]
(Austroasiatic elements in ancient Chu dialect). . 3: 28-36.
Writing system
There is no known evidence of a writing system among the Yue peoples of the
Lingnan
Lingnan (; Vietnamese: Lĩnh Nam) is a geographic area referring to the lands in the south of the Nanling Mountains. The region covers the modern Chinese subdivisions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, and Macau, as well as modern north ...
region in pre-Qin times, and the Chinese conquest of the region is believed to have introduced writing to the area. However, Liang Tingwang, a professor from the
Central University of Nationalities
Minzu University of China (MUC, ) is a national public university in Haidian District, Beijing, China designated for ethnic minorities in China.
MUC was selected as one of national key universities to directly receive funding from Double First ...
, said that the ancient Zhuang had their own proto-writing system but had to give it up because of the
Qinshi Emperor's tough policy and to adopt the
Han Chinese writing system, which ultimately developed into the
old Zhuang demotic script alongside the classical Chinese writing system, during the
Tang dynasty (618–907).
[Huang, Bo (2017)]
''Comprehensive Geographic Information Systems''
Elsevier, p. 162.
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Zhengzhang Shangfang (; ; 9 August 1933 – 19 May 2018) was a Chinese linguist, known for his reconstruction of Old Chinese.
Zhengzhang was born as Zheng Xiangfang ( ; ) in Yongjia County, on the outskirts of Wenzhou. As and have the same ...
1999. "An Interpretation of the Old Yue Language Written in
Goujiàn's ''Wéijiă lìng''"
��践"维甲"令中之古越语的解读 In ''Minzu Yuwen'' 4, pp. 1–14.
*
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Zhengzhang Shangfang (; ; 9 August 1933 – 19 May 2018) was a Chinese linguist, known for his reconstruction of Old Chinese.
Zhengzhang was born as Zheng Xiangfang ( ; ) in Yongjia County, on the outskirts of Wenzhou. As and have the same ...
1998. "Gu Yueyu" 古越語
he old Yue language
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
In Dong Chuping 董楚平 et al. Wu Yue wenhua zhi 吳越文化誌
ecord of the cultures of Wu and Yue Shanghai: Shanghai renmin chubanshe, 1998, vol. 1, pp. 253–281.
*
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Zhengzhang Shangfang (; ; 9 August 1933 – 19 May 2018) was a Chinese linguist, known for his reconstruction of Old Chinese.
Zhengzhang was born as Zheng Xiangfang ( ; ) in Yongjia County, on the outskirts of Wenzhou. As and have the same ...
1990. "Some Kam-Tai Words in Place Names of the Ancient Wu and Yue States"
��吴越地名中的侗台语成份 In ''Minzu Yuwen'' 6.
{{languages of China
Unclassified languages of Asia
Extinct languages of Asia
Yue (state)
Baiyue