Cover not available
Article published In:
Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area
Vol. 42:2 (2019) ► pp.222–259

Humilifics in Mabzhi pastoralist speech of Amdo Tibetan

| SOAS, University of London
| IKOS, University of Oslo

Politeness strategies using specific word forms and morphemes are well known in Tibetan, in which honorific expressions are in the majority. However, for Amdo Tibetan the politeness register is less well known. In this paper, the humilific politeness system of Mabzhi Amdo Tibetan is discussed in terms of ten morphologically-formed types, eight types of noun suffixes (/-ŋən/, /-tɕhəl/, /-tɕhəχ/, /-choχ/, /-ɦdəx/, /-ʈʋ̩/, /-rgen/, and /-ʂti/), and two adjective types (/ʔa xha ma/ and /nɖa nɖa/), as well as suppletion. In addition, the article discusses both the use and misuse of humilifics providing case examples from natural conversation settings as well as a crosstalk (kha shags) performance to illustrate how humilifics are deployed, treated, and evaluated in the contemporary world of Mabzhi Tibetans.

Keywords: Amdo Tibetan, politeness strategy, humilific, morphology, discourse
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
  • 3.Humilific use and distribution
    • Contexts
    • Range of dialects
  • 4.Morphology of humilifics
    • Type 1: Suffixes /-ŋən/ and /-ŋən ma/
    • Type 2: Suffix /-tɕhəl/
    • Type 3: Suffix /-tɕhəχ/
    • Type 4: Suffix /-choχ/
    • Type 5: Suffix /-ɦdəx/
    • Type 6: Suffixes /-ʈʋ̩/, /-ʈʋ̩ ma/, and /-ɖʋ̩/
    • Type 7: Suffix /-rgen/ and /-rgen ma/
    • Type 8: Suffixes /-ʂti/ and /-thi/
    • Type 9: Adjective /ʔa xha ma/
    • Type 10: Adjective /nɖa nɖa/
    • Type 11: Suppletion
    • Remarks
  • 5.Humilifics versus insult terms
    • 5.1Usage of humilifics in various contexts
    • 5.2Analysis of crosstalk
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
Published online: 8 January 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ltba.17008.sam
References
Agha, Asif
1993 Grammatical and indexical convention in honorific discourse. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 3(2): 131–123. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
1998 Stereotypes and registers of honorific language. Language in Society 271: 151–193. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Aikhenvald, Alexandra Y.
2015 The art of grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Beyer, Stephan V.
1992 The Classical Tibetan language. Albany: State University of New York.Google Scholar
Brown, Penelope & Stephen C. Levinson
1987 Politeness: Some universals in language usage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cham tshang Pad+ma lhun grub
2009 A mdo’i yul skad kyi sgra gdangs la dpyad pa [Study of the sound of Amdo dialect]. Zi ling: mTsho sngon mi rigs dpe skrun khang.Google Scholar
Chos bstan rgyal
2014 Following the herds: Rhythms of Tibetan pastoral life in A mdo. Asian Highlands Perspectives 32. Xining: Plateau Publications.Google Scholar
DeLancey, Scott
1998 Semantic categorization in Tibetan honorific nouns. Anthropological Linguistics 40(1): 109–123.Google Scholar
Dixon, Robert M. W.
2009 Basic linguistic theory: Grammatical topics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Ebihara, Shiho
2010 Amudotibettogo no hatuon to kaiwa (A mdo’i kha skad) [Pronunciation and conversation of Amdo Tibetan]. Fuchu: Research Institute for Language and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.Google Scholar
2011 Amdo Tibetan. In Yasuhiro Yamakoshi (ed.), Grammatical sketches from the field, 41–78. Fuchu: Research Institute for Language and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.Google Scholar
2014 The inclusive-exclusive distinction in Spoken and Written Tibetan. In Tsuguhito Takeuchi, Kazushi Iwao, Ai Nishida, Seiji Kumagai & Meishi Yamamoto (eds.), Current issues and progress in Tibetan studies: Proceedings of the Third International Seminar of Young Tibetologists, 85–102. Kobe: Kobe City University of Foreign Studies.Google Scholar
2016 Tibettozin ha donoyooni yaku wo ninsiki siteiru no ka? [How do Tibetans recognise yaks?]. Sernya 31: 12–18.Google Scholar
Feurer, Hanny
1996 The contemporary use of honorifics in Lhasa Tibetan. Linguistics of the Tibet-Burman Area 19(2): 45–54.Google Scholar
Gelek [dGe legs]
1998 The Washu Serthar: A nomadic community of Eastern Tibet. In Graham E. Clarke (ed.), Development, society, and environment in Tibet: Papers presented at a panel of the 7th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Graz 1995, 47–58. Wien: Verlag der oesterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.Google Scholar
Green, R. Jeffrey
2012 Amdo Tibetan media intelligibility. SIL electronic survey report 2012–019. May 2012 [URL] (accessed on 9th May 2017)
Gyatso, Janet
1998 Apparitions of the self: The secret autobiographies of a Tibetan visionary. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Haller, Felix
2004 Dialekt und Erzählungen von Themchen: Sprachwissenschaftliche Beschreibung eines Nomadendialektes aus Nord-Amdo. Bonn: VGH Wissenschaftsverlag.Google Scholar
Hartley, Lauran
2002 ‘Inventing modernity’ in A Mdo: Views on the role of traditional Tibetan culture in a developing society. In Toni Huber (ed.), Amdo Tibetans in transition: Society and culture in the Post-Mao Era, 1–26. Leiden: Brill.Google Scholar
Hermanns, Matthias
1952 Tibetische Dialekte von A mdo. Anthropos 471: 193–202.Google Scholar
Hoshi, Izumi
2016  Koten tibettogo bunpoo: Ootoomeikyoosi (14 seiki) ni motoduite [Grammar of Classical Tibetan: Based on the Royal Genealogy (14th Century)]. Fuchu: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa.Google Scholar
Hua, Kan
2002 Zangyu Anduo Fangyan Cihui 藏语安多方言词汇 [Amdo Tibetan Dialect Lexicon]. Lanzhou: Gansu Minzu Chubanshe.Google Scholar
Janhunen, Juha
2016 Describing and transcribing the phonologies of the Amdo Sprachbund. In Gerald Roche, Keith Dede, Fernanda Pirie & Benedict Copps (eds.), Centering the Local: A Festschrift for Dr. Charles Kevin Stuart on the Occasion of his Sixtieth Birthday, 122–137. Asian Highlands Perspectives 37. Xining: Plateau Publications.Google Scholar
Kamei, Takashi, Rokuroo Koono & Eiichi Chino
(eds.) 1996 Gengogaku Daiziten 6 Zyutugohen [Big Dictionary of Linguistics 6 Terminology Part]. Tokyo: Sanseido.Google Scholar
sKal bzang ’Gyur med & sKal bzang dByangs can
2002 Zangyu Fangyan Gailun 藏语方言概论 [Introduction to Tibetan Dialects]. Beijing: Minzu Chubanshe.Google Scholar
sKal bzang legs bshad sgrog pa’i sgra dbyangs
2016 Bod yul mdo smad bya gzhung rig pa ’bar ba’i zhing khams kyi lo rgyus bden gtam g.yas ’khyil dung gi rang sgra zhes bya ba bzhugs so [The Pleasant Sound of the Right-spiraling Conch Shell: A History of Bya gzhung in the Domay of Tibet]. Self-published monograph.Google Scholar
Karmay, Samten
2013 Queen of the world and her twenty-seven daughters. The Journal of the International Association for Bon Research. New Horizons in Bon Studies 3. Inaugural Issue 1(1): 19–36.Google Scholar
Kitamura, Hajime
1974 Tibettogo no keigo [Politeness words of Tibetan]. In Shiro Hayashi & Fujio Minami (eds.), Keigo Kooza 8 (Sekai no Keigo), 69–93. Tokyo: Meiji Shoin.Google Scholar
1977 Tibetan (Lhasa Dialect). Tokyo: Research Institute for Langauges and Cultures of Asia and Africa.Google Scholar
sMar ’ja’ dam chos rgya mtsho
2002 sMar Khams lo rgyus [History of Markham]. Zi ling: Zhang kang gyi ling dpe skrun kung zi.Google Scholar
Min, Shengzhi 敏生智
2001 Anduo Zangyu Huihua Duben 安多藏语会话读本 (A mdo’i kha skad slob deb) [Textbook of conversations of Amdo Tibetan]. Xining: Qinghai Minzu Chubanshe.Google Scholar
Nam mkha’
2001 Bya khog gi deb ther nor bu’i mgul rgyan [The Jewel Necklace: A Historical Account of Bya khog]. Zi ling: mTsho sngon sa gshis dpar khang.Google Scholar
de Nebesky-Wojkowitz, René
1956 Oracles and demons of Tibet: the cult and iconography of the Tibetan protective deities. ’s-Gravenhage: Mouton.Google Scholar
Nishi, Yoshio
1986 Gendai Tibettogo no hoogen bunrui [Classification of modern Tibetan dialects]. Bulletin of National Museum of Ethnology 11(4): 837–900+1 map.Google Scholar
Nyangchakja (Snying lcags rgyal/ Niangjijia 娘吉加)
2016 The Last Dragon Banquet? Changing Wedding Traditions in an Amdo Tibetan Community. Asian Highlands Perspectives 41. Xining: Plateau Publications.Google Scholar
Qu, Aitang 瞿霭堂 & Xiaojing Jin 金效静
1981 Zangyu fangyan de yanjiu fangfa 藏语方言的研究方法 [Methodology of research in Tibetan dialects]. Xinan Minzu Xueyuan Xuebao 31: 76–84.Google Scholar
Quintman, Andrew
2014 The Yogin & the Madman: Reading the biographical corpus of Tibet’s Great Saint Milarepa. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
bSam gtan et al.
1994 Dag yig gsar bsgrigs [The newly compiled dictionary]. Zi ling: mTsho sngon mi rigs dpe skrun khang khang.Google Scholar
Smyer Yü, Dan
2015 Mindscaping the landscape of Tibet: Place, memorability, ecoaesthetics. Boston: De Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Samdrup, Tsering & Hiroyuki Suzuki
2017a Migration history and tsowa divisions as a supplemental approach to dialectology in Amdo Tibetan: A case study on Mangra County. Studies in Asian Geolinguistics VII – Tone and Accent –, 57–65. Online: [URL]
2017b Humilific expressions in Amdo Tibetan and local intellectuals’ attitudes towards them. Paper presented at Language Standardisation and Linguistic Variation in Asia from Sociolinguistic Perspectives (University of Nottingham, Ningbo; December 2017).
Sum b+ha don grub tse ring
2011 Bod kyi yul skad rnam bshad [An Analysis of Tibetan Dialects]. Pe cing: bod rig pa dpe skrun khang.Google Scholar
Sung, Kuo-ming and lHa byams rGyal
2005 Colloquial Amdo Tibetan. A complete guide for adult English speakers. Beijing: Zhongguo Zangxue Chubanshe.Google Scholar
Suzuki, Hiroyuki
2013 v̩ – Tibettobirumakei syogengo ni okeru “sinsi boin” [v̩ – labiodental vowels in Tibeto-Burman languages]. Tikyuuken Gengo Kizyutu Ronsyuu 51: 17–26. URL: [URL]
2016 In defense of prepalatal non-fricative sounds and symbols: towards the Tibetan dialectology. Researches in Asian Languages 101: 99–125.Google Scholar
Suzuki, Hiroyuki & Lozong Lhamo
2017 Where is a negative marker? A geolinguistic approach towards a grammaticalisation process in Khams Tibetan. Paper presented at Methods in Dialectology XVI (National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics, Tachikawa; August 2017).
Thurston, Timothy
2013 “Careful Village’s grassland dispute”: An A mdo dialect Tibetan crosstalk performance by Sman bla skyabs. CHINOPERL 32(2): 156–181. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
2015 Laughter on the Grasslands: A Diachronic Study of A mdo Tibetan Comedy and the Public Intellectual in Western China. Ph.D. Dissertation. Columbus: University of Ohio.Google Scholar
2018 A Careful village: Comedic Dialogues and Linguistic Modernity in China’s Tibet. The Journal of Asian Studies 77(2): 453–474. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Thurston, Timothy & Tsering Samdrup
2012 An A mdo Tibetan pastoral family’s lo sar in Stong skor Village. Asian Highlands Perspectives 211: 33–69.Google Scholar
Tournadre, Nicolas
2003 The dynamics of Tibetan-Chinese bilingualism: The current situation and future prospects. China Perspectives 451, URL: [URL]. DOI logo
2014 The Tibetic languages and their classification. In Thomas Owen-Smith & Nathan W. Hill (eds.), Trans-Himalayan linguistics: Historical and descriptive linguistics of the Himalayan area, 105–129. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.Google Scholar
Tournadre, Nicolas & Sangda Dorje
2010 Manuel de tibétain standard: langue et civilisation, 3ème édition. Paris: L’Asiathèque.Google Scholar
bTsun kho et al.
2004 Ru sngan khag gsum gyi lo rgyus dung gi ’bod brda [Call of the Conch Shell: History of Three Division of Ru Sngan]. Zi ling: mTsho sngon bod rigs zhib ’jug tshogs pa.Google Scholar
Tuttle, Gray & Kurtis R. Schaeffer
eds. 2013 The Tibetan history reader. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Vokurková, Zuzana
2008 Epistemic modalities in spoken Standard Tibetan. Ph.D. Dissertation. Prague and Paris: Université Charles and Université Paris 8.Google Scholar
Wang, Shuangcheng
2012 Zangyu Anduo fangyan yuyin yanjiu [Study on the sounds of the Amdo dialect of Tibetan]. Shanghai: Zhongxi Shuju.Google Scholar
Watts, Richard J., Sachiko Ide & Konrad Ehlich
2005 Politeness in language: Studies in its history, theory and practice. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wu, Qi
2013 Tradition and modernity: Cultural continuum and transition among Tibetans in Amdo. Ph.D. Dissertation. Helsinki: University of Helsinki.Google Scholar
Yeh, Emily
2003 Tibetan range wars: spatial politics and authority on the grasslands of Amdo. Development and Change 34(3): 499–523. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Zhang, Jichuan
1996 A sketch of Tibetan dialectology in China: classifications of Tibetan dialects. Cahiers de Linguistique – Asie Orientale 25(1): 115–133. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 3 other publications

Bialek, Joanna
2023. Emergence of the honorific register in Tibetic languages. Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area 46:2 ► pp. 290 ff. DOI logo
Suzuki, Hiroyuki & Lozong Lhamo
2021. /ka-/ negative prefix of Choswateng Tibetan of Khams (Shangri-La, Yunnan). Language and Linguistics. 語言暨語言學 22:4 ► pp. 593 ff. DOI logo
Suzuki, Hiroyuki & Sonam Wangmo
2021. Hearsay evidential marking strategy in Lhagang Tibetan. Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area 44:2 ► pp. 157 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 5 april 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.