Para-Mongolic is a proposed group of languages that is considered to be an extinct sister branch of the Mongolic languages. Para-Mongolic contains certain historically attested extinct languages, among them Khitan and Tuyuhun.

Languages

The languages of the

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

, Donghu and Wuhuan might be Para-Mongolic, as might those of the Xianbei and the

Tuoba The Tuoba (reconstructed Middle Chinese pronunciation: *''tʰak-bɛt''), also known as the Taugast or Tabgach ( otk, 𐱃𐰉𐰍𐰲 ''Tabγač''), was a Xianbei clan in Imperial China.Wei Shou. ''Book of Wei''. Vol. 1 During the Sixteen Kingd ...

(the founders of the

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei (), Tuoba Wei (), Yuan Wei () and Later Wei (), was founded by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei. The first of the Northern dynasties, it ruled northern China from 386 to 535 during t ...

) and Khitan. Because the surviving evidence for Xianbei and Tuoba is very sparse, one can only hypothesize that a genetic relationship ''could'' be possible. In the case of Khitan, there is rich evidence, but most of it is written in the two Khitan scripts (

large Large means of great size. Large may also refer to: Mathematics * Arbitrarily large, a phrase in mathematics * Large cardinal, a property of certain transfinite numbers * Large category, a category with a proper class of objects and morphisms ...

and small) that have yet to be fully deciphered. However, from the available evidence it has been concluded that a genetic relationship to Mongolic is likely.

Tuoba

Alexander Vovin (2007) identifies the extinct Tuoba language (Tabγač) as a Mongolic language. However, Chen (2005) argues that Tuoba was a Turkic language. Shimunek classifies Tuoba as a "Serbi" (i.e., para-Mongolic) language, along with Tuyuhun and Khitan.

Ruanruan

Alexander Vovin (2018) suggests that the Ruanruan language of the

Rouran Khaganate The Rouran Khaganate, also Juan-Juan Khaganate (), was a tribal confederation and later state founded by a people of Proto-Mongolic Donghu origin.*Pulleyblank, Edwin G. (2000)"Ji 姬 and Jiang 姜: The Role of Exogamic Clans in the Organizati ...

was a Mongolic language, close but not identical to Middle Mongolian.

Khitan

Juha Janhunen (2006) classified the

Khitan language Khitan or Kitan ( in large script or in small, ''Khitai''; , ''Qìdānyǔ''), also known as Liao, is a now-extinct language once spoken in Northeast Asia by the Khitan people (4th to 13th century). It was the official language of the Liao E ...

into the "Para-Mongolic" family, meaning that it is related to the Mongolic languages as a

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

, rather than as a direct descendant of Proto-Mongolic. Alexander Vovin (2017) has also identified several possible loanwords from Koreanic languages into the Khitan language.

Tuyuhun

Vovin (2015) identified the extinct Tuyuhun language as a Para-Mongolic language.

Internal classification

Shimunek (2017) proposes a "Serbi–Awar" group of languages that is a sister branch of the Mongolic languages. Together, the Serbi–Awar and Mongolic languages make up the '' Serbi–Mongolic'' languages in Shimunek's classification. *'' Serbi–Mongolic'' ** Mongolic **Serbi–Awar (= Juha Janhunen's "Para-Mongolic") *** Awar (Avar) ( Wuhuan 烏桓 or Wuwan 烏丸) ***Old Serbi (Common Serbi) ****Ch’i-fu/ Qifu 乞伏 (northern Early Middle Chinese/NEMC *kʰɨrbuwk) ****Tuan/ Duan 段 (NEMC *dɔr̃) **** Taghbach **** Tuyuhun/T’u-yü-hun (Mu-jung/

Murong Murong (; LHC: *''mɑC-joŋ''; EMC: *''mɔh-juawŋ'') or Muren refers to an ethnic Xianbei tribe who are attested from the time of Tanshihuai (reigned 156–181). Different strands of evidence exist linking the Murong to the MongolsТаск ...

慕容) ****Kitanic (Yü-wen/Yuwen 宇文) *****Old Kitan *****Qay 奚 (NEMC *ɣay) *****Shirwi proper 室韋 (*širwi/*širβi < *serbi 鮮卑 ' Xianbei')

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Mongolic languages Mongolic–Khitan languages