A Study of Tibetan Phonetic-Loan Characters in Dongba Script
This article examines "Tibetan phonetic-loan characters" (藏语音字) found within Naxi Dongba pictographic manuscripts, a special linguistic phenomenon arising from language contact among ethnic groups in southwestern China. The author, He Jiquan, analyzes the scope, types, and phonetic features of these characters, showing they are mainly used to denote zodiac animals, record numerals, mark pronunciations of Dongba religious terminology, annotate Tibetan-transcribed ritual texts, and serve as phonetic components in phono-semantic compound characters. Two categories are identified: marked and unmarked Tibetan phonetic characters. Their pronunciations largely preserve features of the Shangri-La Tibetan dialect (Kham branch) while their tones have been assimilated into Naxi. Drawing on examples from the "Complete Translated Annotations of Naxi Dongba Classics" and earlier dictionaries by Li Lincan and Fang Guoyu, the study argues these forms resulted from prolonged historical influence of Tibetan Bön and Buddhist traditions on Dongba religion.
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