Waxiang | |
---|---|
Waxianghua | |
Wogang | |
Region | western Hunan |
Native speakers
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300,000 (1995)[1] |
Sino-Tibetan
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Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | wxa |
Glottolog | waxi1236 |
![]() Dialect map of Hunan.
Waxianhua is the bit of dark blue in the medium blue (SW Mandarin) just above the red (Xiang) |
Waxiang (simplified Chinese: 瓦乡话; traditional Chinese: 瓦鄉話; pinyin: wǎxiānghuà) is a divergent variety of Chinese,[2][3] spoken by the Waxiang people, an unrecognized ethnic minority group in the northwestern part of Hunan province, China. Waxiang is a distinct language, very different from its surrounding Southwestern Mandarin, Xiang and Qo Xiong languages.
Waxiang may share some lexical innovations[which?] with Bai, suggesting a possible Macro-Bai substratum.[4][5][unreliable source?] It has also been suggested that perhaps Waxiang is a mixed language of Xiang and Miao.[citation needed]
Distribution
Waxianghua is found in Luxi, Guzhang and Yongshun counties in Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Zhangjiajie prefecture-level city (in Dayong 大庸), and Chenxi, Xupu and Yuanling counties in Huaihua prefecture-level city. Neighboring languages include Southwestern Mandarin, Xiang Chinese, Tujia, Qo Xiong, and Hm Nai.
- "hua" means speech in Mandarin Chinese,
- "xiang" means rural in Mandarin Chinese
- "wa" means speech in Southern Chinese dialects.
The word Wa 瓦 is only a phonetic transcription.
Wu & Shen (2010) report Waxianghua to be spoken in the following villages.
- Yuanling County: Qingshuiping 清水坪, Maxipu 麻溪铺, Taichang 太常, Wusu 乌宿, Liangshuijing 凉水井
- Luxi County: Basheping 八什坪, Shangbao 上堡, Liangjiatan 梁家谭, Baisha 白沙镇
- Guzhang County: Linchang 林场 of Gaowangjie 高望界, Gaofeng 高峰 (in Taojin 淘金村, Beishuiping 北水坪, etc.), Yantouzhai 岩头寨, Shanzao 山枣, Yezhu 野竹, Hepeng 河蓬, Caotan 草潭
- Chenxi County: Tianwan 田湾, Banqiao 板桥, Chuanxiyi 船溪驿, Tanjiafang 谭家坊
- Xupu County: Rangjiaxi 让家溪, Daweixi 大渭溪, Muxi 木溪
- Yongshun County: Limin 里明村, Zhenxi 镇溪, Xiaoxi 小溪 of Wangcun Township 王村镇
Conservative features
Waxiang preserves a number of features of Old Chinese not found in most modern varieties of Chinese, such as the initial *l- (which became a voiced dental stop in Middle Chinese):[6]
- Guzhang li6, MC 地 dijH > dì "earth, ground"
- Guzhang lu6, MC 大 dajH > dà "big"
- Guzhang li2, MC 遲 drij > chí "slow"
- Guzhang luʔ8, MC 讀 duwk > dú "read"
Waxiang also has some cases of /z/ for Old Chinese *r- (which became l- in Middle Chinese):[7]
Like Proto-Min, it has affricate initials in a number of words where Middle Chinese has sy-:[8]
- Guzhang tsu3, pMin *tšyiB, MC 水 sywijX > shuǐ "water"
- Guzhang tɕiəu1, pMin *tšyA, MC 書 syo > shū "writing"
References
- ^ Waxiang at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
- ^ Baxter, William; Sagart, Laurent (2014). Old Chinese: A New Reconstruction. Oxford University Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-19-994537-5.
- ^ Kurpaska, Maria (2010). Chinese Language(s): A Look Through the Prism of "The Great Dictionary of Modern Chinese Dialects". Walter de Gruyter. p. 73. ISBN 978-3-11-021914-2.
- ^ http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_8967627a0101rnbv.html
- ^ http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_8967627a0101du6j.html
- ^ Baxter & Sagart (2014), p. 109.
- ^ Baxter & Sagart (2014), p. 110.
- ^ Baxter & Sagart (2014), p. 93.
- Wu Yunji, Shen Ruiqing [伍云姬、沈瑞清]. 2010. An Investigative Report of Waxianghua of Guzhang County, Xiangxi Prefecture [湘西古丈瓦乡话调查报告]. Shanghai Educational Press [上海教育出版社].
- Yang Wei [杨蔚]. 1999. A study of Yuanling Xianghua [沅陵乡话研究]. Changsha: Hunan Educational Press [湖南敎育出版社].
- Yang Wei [杨蔚]. 2010. Xianghua comparative phonology [湘西乡话语音研究]. Guangzhou: Guangdong Press [广东省出版集团].
External links
- Hilary Chappell (2012), "Typology of an isolated Sinitic language: Waxiang, a language of northwestern Hunan, China" (presentation slides), keynote at 45th International Conference on Sino-Tibetan Languages and Linguistics.
- Macro-Bai comparative vocabulary list on Wiktionary
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