Songs of the Bailang: A New Transcription with Etymological Commentary

Hill, Nathan W.

Abstract

Bailang is a Trans-Himalayan language preserved only in the three ‘Songs of Bailang’ (Bailang ge 白狼歌) in a Chinese historical text, the Hòu Hàn shū 後漢書 (58–75 ce). Taking full advantage of recent progress in Chinese historical phonology, this paper attempts to gain a better understanding of the Bailang language and the version of Han Chinese that must have been spoken by the scribe who committed the poems to writing.

Citation

Hill, N. W. (2017). Songs of the Bailang: A New Transcription with Etymological Commentary. Bulletin de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient (En ligne), 103, 387-429. https://doi.org/10.3406/befeo.2017.6257

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 22, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jun 14, 2018
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2017
• Deposit Date: Apr 4, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 4, 2018
• Print ISSN: 0336-1519
• Electronic ISSN: 1760-737X
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 103
• Pages: 387-429
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/befeo.2017.6257
• Keywords: Chinese historical phonology; Bailang language; trans-himalayan linguistics.
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