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Article In: Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area
Vol. 49:2 (2026) ► pp.159–183

Synchronic and historical phonology of the Gzitsha language

ORCiD logo with link | CNRS (CRLAO)-Inalco-EPHE
ORCiD logo with link | EPHE
ORCiD logo with link | Inalco (CRLAO)
ORCiD logo with link | Lanzhou University
ORCiD logo with link | Jiuzhaigou Administration Bureau
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
This paper deals with the synchronic and historical phonology of Gzitsha, a Tibetic language spoken in Jiuzhaigou county (Sichuan, China). It shows that the evolution of the onsets, the rhymes and the tonogenesis, all present unique commonalities with Baima, providing definite evidence that Gzitsha and Baima constitute a clade within the Tibetic subgroup of Sino-Tibetan.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Onsets
    • 2.1Synchronic system
    • 2.2Main correspondences
    • 2.3Irregular correspondences
  • 3.Rhymes
    • 3.1Synchronic system
    • 3.2Main correspondences
      • 3.2.1Evolution of rhymes in monosyllables
      • 3.2.2Coalesced syllables
      • 3.2.3Comparison with Baima
  • 4.Tone, breathiness and vowel length
  • 5.Phylogenetic position
    • 5.1Morphology
    • 5.2Substratum
    • 5.3Gzitsha and Baima as Tibetic languages
    • 5.4Could Gzitsha and Baima be considered to be dialects of a single language ?
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • References
References (26)
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