Zhaba language

Zhaba
Zhaba
[dʐa35 ʂka55]
Native to	China
Native speakers	7,800 (2008)
Language family	Sino-Tibetan Tibeto-Burman Qiangic Zhaba–Queyu Zhaba; ; ; ;
Language codes
ISO 639-3	zhb
Glottolog	zhab1238
ELP	Zhaba
	Zhaba is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Zhaba, also known as Bazi, Bozi, Draba, nDrapa, Zaba, Zha (Chinese: 扎坝语 or 扎巴语), is a Qiangic language of Sichuan, China spoken by about 8,000 people in Daofu County and Yajiang County. The Zhaba, who are officially classified by the Chinese government as ethnic Tibetan people, refer to themselves as [ndʐa55 pɪ31] and to the Zhaba language as [ndʐa35 ʂka55].^[2] Neighboring Khams Tibetan speakers refer to the Zhaba people as [ndʐa55 pa55]. Zhaba speakers live primarily in the Xianshui River 鲜水河かわ valley.^[2]

Descriptions of Zhaba include Huang (1991)^[3] and Gong (2007).^[2] Huang & Dai (1992)^[4] document the Queyu dialect spoken in Zhatuo Village 扎拖村むら, Zhatuo Township 扎拖乡, Daofu County, Sichuan.

Phonology

Zhaba consonants^[5]
		Labial		Alveolar		(Alveolo-)palatal	Retroflex	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
		plain	appr.	plain	sibilant	(Alveolo-)palatal	Retroflex	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
Nasal	voiced	m		n		ɲ		ŋ
Nasal	voiceless	m̥		n̥		ɲ̥		ŋ̥
Plosive	voiceless	p	pʳ	t	ts	tɕ	ʈʂ	k	q
	aspirated	pʰ	pʰʳ	tʰ	tsʰ	tɕʰ	ʈʂʰ	kʰ	qʰ
	voiced	b	bʳ	d	dz	dʑ	ɖʐ	ɡ
	prenasalized	ᵐb		ⁿd	ⁿdz	ᶮdʑ	ᶯɖʐ	ᵑɡ
Fricative	voiceless	(f)		ɬ	s	ɕ	ʂ	x		h
Fricative	voiced				z	ʑ	ʐ	ɣ		ɦ
Approximant		w		l		j
Trill				r

/f/ is found only in Chinese loans.
/l/ and /ɬ/ contrast only in Tibetan loans.
/ʐ/ and /r/ may interchange word-initially; but they are contrastive when occurring in the second syllable of words.

Vowels^[5]
	Front		Central	Back
	Unrounded	Rounded	Central	Back
High	i ĩ	y ỹ	ɯ	u ũ
Mid	e ẽ	ø ø̃	ə ə̃	o õ
Low	ɛ ɛ̃		ɐ	a ã

Additionally, the following diphthongs and triphthongs have been observed: /ui/, /ue/, /uɛ/, /uɛ̃/, /yɛ/, /uɐ/, /ua/, /ei/, /ɛi/, /əu/, /ai/, /au/, /uei/, /iau/.

Zhaba also has four tones:^[5]

[ ˥ ] - high, level
[ ˥˧ ] - high-falling
[ ˧˥ ] - high-rising
[ ˧ ] - mid, level

Dialects

Ethnologue (21st edition) lists two dialects of Zhaba:

Drate (Northern nDrapa)
Drame (Southern nDrapa, Zhami)

Distribution

A total of 8,319 Zhaba people are distributed in the following townships of Zhaba District 扎坝区く of Daofu County (Upper Zha 上じょう扎 area), and Zhamai District 扎麦区く of Yajiang County (Lower Zha 下か扎 area) (Gong 2007:2-3).^[2] Zhaba people from the two districts speak the same mutually intelligible language.

Zhaba District 扎坝区く, Daofu County (Upper Zha 上じょう扎 area)
- Yazhuo 亚卓乡 (Zhaba name: vʑa55 ʂtsʰu31): 1,501 Zhaba people
- Hongding 红顶乡 (Zhaba name: ŋui31 dɪ55): 752 Zhaba people
- Zhongni 仲なか尼に乡 (Zhaba name: tʂyi55 ȵi55): 970 Zhaba people
- Zhatuo 扎拖乡 (Zhaba name: ndʐa31 gʊ55): 1,114 Zhaba people
- Xiatuo 下か拖乡 (Zhaba name: ptse55 tʰʊ31): 899 Zhaba people
Zhamai District 扎麦区く, Yajiang County (Lower Zha 下か扎 area)
- Waduo 瓦かわら多た乡 (Zhaba name: ve55 tʊ55): 1,536 Zhaba people
- Murong 木き绒乡 (Zhaba name: mə55 vzu31): 1,547 Zhaba people

References

^ Zhaba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gong Qunhu [龚群虎とら]. 2007. Zhabayu yanjiu [扎巴语研究けんきゅう]. Beijing: Ethnic Publishing House [民族みんぞく出版しゅっぱん社しゃ].
^ Huang Bufan (黄き布ぬの凡), 1991: 扎坝语 [Zhaba language]. In Dai Qingxia, Huang Bufan, Fu Ailan, Renzeng-Wangmu, and Liu Juhuang (戴庆厦、黄き布ぬの凡、傅でん爱兰、仁じん增ぞう旺姆、刘菊黄き) Zangmianyu Shiwu-zhong (藏ぞう缅语十じゅう五ご种: Fifteen Tibeto-Burman languages). Beijing: Beijing Yanshan Chubanshe, pp. 64-97.
^ Huang Bufan and Dai Qingxia, eds. 1992. Zangmianyuzu yuyan cihui 《藏くら緬はる語族ごぞく語ご言げん詞し匯》[A Tibeto-Burman Lexicon]. Beijing: Central Institute of Minorities.
^ ^a ^b ^c Namkung, Ju (1996). Matisoff, James A. (ed.). "Phonological Inventories of Tibeto-Burman Languages" (PDF). Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus Monograph Series (3). University of California, Berkeley.

[e18-1] Zhaba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[Gong2007-2] Gong Qunhu [龚群虎とら]. 2007. Zhabayu yanjiu [扎巴语研究けんきゅう]. Beijing: Ethnic Publishing House [民族みんぞく出版しゅっぱん社しゃ].

[3] Huang Bufan (黄き布ぬの凡), 1991: 扎坝语 [Zhaba language]. In Dai Qingxia, Huang Bufan, Fu Ailan, Renzeng-Wangmu, and Liu Juhuang (戴庆厦、黄き布ぬの凡、傅でん爱兰、仁じん增ぞう旺姆、刘菊黄き) Zangmianyu Shiwu-zhong (藏ぞう缅语十じゅう五ご种: Fifteen Tibeto-Burman languages). Beijing: Beijing Yanshan Chubanshe, pp. 64-97.

[4] Huang Bufan and Dai Qingxia, eds. 1992. Zangmianyuzu yuyan cihui 《藏くら緬はる語族ごぞく語ご言げん詞し匯》[A Tibeto-Burman Lexicon]. Beijing: Central Institute of Minorities.

[namkung96-5] Namkung, Ju (1996). Matisoff, James A. (ed.). "Phonological Inventories of Tibeto-Burman Languages" (PDF). Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus Monograph Series (3). University of California, Berkeley.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]