Article in:
Language and Linguistics
Vol. 24:2 (2023) ► pp. 345–399

Gser-Rdo

A new Tibetic language across the Rngaba‑Dkarmdzes border

| Academia Sinica

Gserskad and Rdoskad are two recently uncovered Tibetic dialect chains spoken on the northern border of Rngaba (Aba) and Dkarmdzes (Ganzi) Prefectures in northwestern Sichuan. Despite their many points of difference and only partial intelligibility, Gserskad and Rdoskad show a special affinity to each other, as suggested in Sun (2006). The further idiosyncratic common lexical, phonological, and particularly morphological evidence highlighted in this article vindicate the close ties shared by Gserskad and Rdoskad as a distinct Tibetic language on a par with Amdo.

Keywords: Tibetic dialectology, shared innovation, verb stem ablaut, subgrouping
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Gserskad and Rdoskad
    • 1.2Gser-Rdo phonological systems compared
  • 2.Non-Amdo Gser-Rdo vocabulary
  • 3.Gser-Rdo phonological developments
    • 3.1Amdo sound changes not attested in Gser-Rdo
      • 3.1.1 Kr- clusters became postalveolar/palatal affricates
      • 3.1.2Softening of labial stops
      • 3.1.3Fate of the OT complex onset sbr-
      • 3.1.4Merger of OT -ang and -ing into -aŋ
      • 3.1.5Loss of lateral coda
      • 3.1.6Coalescence of root syllable and nominal suffixes -ba/-bo
    • 3.2Characteristic Gser-Rdo sound changes
      • 3.2.1Voiceless trill in consonant clusters
      • 3.2.2Merger of OT db- and sb- onset clusters
    • 3.3Common Gser-Rdo phonological irregularities
  • 4.Gser-Rdo morphological developments
    • 4.1Zero subordinator in syntactic causative and purposive constructions
    • 4.2Dissimilar grammatical morphemes
    • 4.3Shared verb stem innovation
      • 4.3.1Innovated past stems
      • 4.3.2Innovated imperative stems
        • 4.3.2.1Stem blending
        • 4.3.2.2Labiality reduction
      • 4.3.3Shared extension of stem formation patterns
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
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