| Rouran | |
|---|---|
| Ruanruan, Ruan-ruan, Juan-juan | |
| Native to | Rouran Khaganate |
| Region | Mongolia and northern China |
| Era | 4th century AD – 6th century AD |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | None |
Rouran (Chinese: 柔然), also called Ruanruan, Ruan-ruan or Juan-juan (Chinese: 蠕蠕), is an unclassified extinct language of Mongolia and northern China, spoken in the Rouran Khaganate from the 4th to the 6th centuries AD, considered a likely early precursor to Mongolic.[1]
Peter A. Boodberg claimed in 1935 that the Rouran language was Mongolic by analysing Chinese transcriptions of Rouran names.[2] Atwood (2013) notes that Rourans calqued the Sogdian word pūr "son" into their language as *kʻobun (Chinese transliteration: 去汾 MC *kʰɨʌH-bɨun > Mandarin qùfén); which, according to Atwood, is cognate with Middle Mongol kö'ün "son".[3]
Phonology
Features of Rouran included:[2]
- no mid vowels
- presence of initial l-
- final consonantal cluster -nd unusual for any "Altaic" languages
Morphology
Rouran had the feminine gender suffix -tu-.[2]
Lexicon
Rouran vocabulary included:[2][1]
- küskü – 'rat'
- ud – 'ox'
- luu – 'dragon' < Middle Chinese luŋ – 'dragon'
- yund – 'horse' < Old Turkic: 𐰖𐰆𐰣𐱃, romanized: yunt - 'horse'[4]
- laγzïn – 'pig'
- qaγan – 'emperor'
- qan – 'khan'
- qaγatun – 'empress'
- qatun – 'khan's wife'
- aq – 'dung'
- and – 'oath' < Old Turkic: 𐰦, romanized: ant 'oath'
- beg – 'elder'
- bitig – 'inscription' < Old Turkic: 𐰋𐰃𐱅𐰏, romanized: bitig 'inscription, book'
- bod – 'people' < Old Turkic: 𐰉𐰆𐰑, romanized: bod 'clan, tribe, kin'
- drö – 'law'
- küǰü – 'strength' < Old Turkic: 𐰚𐰇𐰲, romanized: küč 'strength, power'
- ordu – 'camp'
- tal- – 'to plunder'
- törö – 'to be born'
- türǖg – 'Turk'
References
- ^ a b Vovin, Alexander (2019). "A Sketch of the Earliest Mongolic Language: the Brāhmī Bugut and Khüis Tolgoi Inscriptions". International Journal of Eurasian Linguistics. 1 (1): 162–197. doi:10.1163/25898833-12340008. ISSN 2589-8825. S2CID 198833565.
- ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference
Vovin2010was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Christopher P., Atwood (2013). "Some Early Inner Asian Terms Related to the Imperial Family and the Comitatus". Central Asiatic Journal. 56. Harrassowitz Verlag: 49–86.
- ^ Clauson, Gerard (1972). "yunt". An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 946.
This page was last edited on 30 May 2024, at 14:50