<研究ノート> チベット語天祝方言とその言語使用状況について

Abstract

dPa' ris Dialect of Tibetan is spoken in Tianzhu county, Gansu Province, China. Tibetan spoken in China can be divided into three major dialects: Central, Kham and Amdo. dPa' ris dialect belongs to Amdo Tibetan. Tianzhu county is situated at the east end of the Qinghai-Tibet highlands, which is why people in Tianzhu county have been subjected to the cultural contact with Han Chinese. People living at low altitudes in particular are subject to the influence of the sinosphere. In this situation, the number of dPa' ris dialect speakers is on a declining trend. In this note, we will report on the social background which surrounds dPa' ris dialect (1. history and geography of Tianzhu county, 2. ethnic distribution, 3. language use of dPa' ris dialect), and some data on language itself (4. previous work on dPa' ris dialect, 5. phonological description).