Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Vol.4 No.1 (Serial No.4) 2016
1-16
2016-06-01
To establish a classification on the basis of genetic linguistics requires two indispensible conditions: common retention, including cognate lexical retention and cognate morphological retention, and common innovation in a language group. The first condition is primary, and is the motivation for classification and the evidence of a genetic relationship. The second condition is secondary and supportive, and is the feature, approach and sign of a language group. This article focuses on common innovations in the Sino-Tibetan language family. Tone, voiceless aspirated stops, affricates, classifiers, noun prefixes for kinship and overlap are six common innovations that are proposed for defining the Sino-Tibetan language family.
Sino-Tibetan Languages, Historical Comparative Study, common innovations, classification
doi:10.26478/ja2016.4.4.1
Chen Shilin, Bian Shiming & Li Xiuqing. 1985. Yiyu Jiangzhi (A Brief Introduction to Yi Language) [M]. Beijing: Nationalities Press.
Fu Ailan. 1996. The A Syllable of Tibeto-Burman Languages [J]. Minority Languages of China, 3:13-21.
Hu Qiaomu. 1986. Encyclopedia of China·Nations [M]. Beijing: Encyclopedia of China Publishing House.
Jin Peng (editor in chief). 1983. Zangyu Jianzhi (A Brief Introduction to Tibetan Language) [M]. Beijing: Nationalities Press.
Li Yongsui & Wang Ersong. 1986. Haniyu Jiangzhi (A Brief Introduction to Hani Language) [M]. Beijing: Nationalities Press.
Luo Changpei & Wang Jun. 2002[1957]. An Outline of the General Phonetics (Rev.ed) [M]. Beijing: The Commercial Press.
Mao Zongwu & Meng Chaoji. 1986. Sheyu Jiangzhi (A Brief Introduction to She Language) [M]. Beijing: Nationalities Press.
Mu Yuzhang. 1982. On the A- Prefix in Lisu Language [J]. Minority Languages of China, 2:46-48.
Pan Wuyun. 1995. Several Supporting Materials for the Hypothesis of Sino-Austronesian Phylum [J]. Journal of Chinese Linguistics, Monograph Series, 8: 113-144.
Pulleyblank. E. G.. 1995. Comments from Pulleyblank [J]. Journal of Chinese Linguistics, Monograph Series, 8:26-51.
Sun Hongkai et al. (Eds.). 1991. The Phonetic and Vocabulary of Tibetan-Burman Languages [M]. Beijing: China Social Sciences Press.
Sun Hongkai. 1983. The Categories of Person of Verbs in Tibeto-Burman Languages in China [J]. Minority Languages of China, 2:17-29.
Sun Hongkai. 1984. The Possession Category of the Person of Nouns in Some Tibetan-Burman Languages in China [J]. Journal of The Central University for Nationalities (Humane and Social Sciences Edition), 1:78-84.
Sun Hongkai. 1985. The Structural Features and Evolvement Methods of Consonant Clusters in Tibetan-Burman Languages [J]. Studies of the Chinese Language, 6:433-441.
Sun Hongkai. 1989. The Comparison of Usages of Measure Words in Tibetan-Burman Languages — A Discussion on Stages of the Development of Measure Words [J]. Journal of Chinese Linguistics, 3:339-355.
Sun Hongkai. 1992. A Discussion on the Historical Changes of the Types of Grammatical Structure of Tibeto-Burman Languages [J]. Minority Languages of China, 5:1-9, & 6:54-60.
Sun Hongkai. 1994. Further Discussion on Categories of Person of Verbs in Tibeto-Burman Languages [J]. Minority Languages of China, 4:1-10.
Sun Hongkai. 1996. A Discussion on the Grammatical Form of Tibeto-Burman Languages [J]. Minority Languages of China, 2:1-10.
Sun Hongkai.
Sun Hongkai. 2001b. Issues about the Medials in Proto-Sino-Tibetan Language — Part Ⅲ of the Theoretical Reflection of the Reconstruction of Phonetic Structure of Proto-Sino-Tibetan Language [J]. Minority Languages of China, 6:1-12.
Sun Hongkai. 2008. The Pronominalization in the Sino-Tibetan Phylum — A Grammaticalized Example [J]. Eastling, No.1.
Sun Hongkai. 2010. “Number” and Its Expressions in Tibetan-Burman Languages. In Xu Dan (ed.). Research on the Quantity and Plural — A Spatial and Temporal Research of Languages in China [M]. Beijing: The Commercial Press.
Sun Hongkai.
Sun Hongkai. 2011b. Issues about Research on Sino-Tibetan Phylum Historical Typology [J]. Studies in Language and Linguistics, 1:113-120.
Sun Yan. 2005. On the Study of Tetrasyllabic Words of Sino-Tibetan Languages [M]. Beijing: Nationalities Press.
Wang Fushi (ed.). 1985. Miaoyu Jiangzhi (A Brief Introduction to Miao Language) [M]. Beijing: Nationalities Press.
Wang Jingliu. 2001. On the Chinese Phylum [C]. The 6th Advanced Seminar of Modern Linguistics. Kunming.
Wang Chengyou. 1994. On the A Prefix of of the Azhe Dialect in Yi Language [J]. Minority Languages of China, 5:54-55.
Wu Anqi. 2005. The Noun Quantifiers of Analytic Languages. In Li Jingfang et al. (ed.). Hanzangyuxi Liangci Yanjiu (Research of Quantifiers in Sino-Tibetan Phylum) [M]. Beijing: Minzu University of China Press.
Wu Anqi. 2013. On the origins of East Asian and Pacific languages [J]. Minority Languages of China, 1:3-21.
Zhang Jun. 2005. Measure Words and the Categories of Numbers of Sino-Tibetan Nouns. In Li Jingfang et al. (ed.). Hanzangyuxi Liangci Yanjiu (Research of Quantifiers in Sino-Tibetan Phylum) [M]. Beijing: Minzu University of China Press.
Zhang Junru, Liang Min, Ouyang Jueya, Zheng Yiqing & Xie Jianyou. 1999. Study on the Zhuang Language [M]. Chengdu: Sichuan Ethnic Publishing House.
Zhu Jianxin. 1984. On the A- Prefix of Yi Language in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture [J]. Minority Languages of China, 6:33-38.
link: