J. Biddulph's Sarikoli sentences
Journal name: Acta Orientalia
Original article title: J. Biddulph's Sarikoli sentences
ACTA ORIENTALIA is a journal focused on the study of Oriental languages, history, archaeology, and religions from ancient times to the present. The journal includes articles reviewed by a senior scholar in the relevant field.
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Original source:
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Georg Morgenstierne
Acta Orientalia:
(Founded in 1922 and published annually)
Full text available for: J. Biddulph's Sarikoli sentences
Year: 1964 | Doi: 10.5617/ao.5238
Copyright (license): CC BY 4.0
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Summary of article contents:
Introduction:
The text discusses early sources of the Sarikoli language, highlighting the vocabularies published by H. W. Bellew and J. Biddulph, with a particular focus on Biddulph’s contribution of about 300 words. While Biddulph’s phonetic renderings are described as primitive, he aims to capture the essence of Sarikoli despite the challenges in accuracy. The work also mentions a collection of twenty colloquial sentences in Sarikoli, primarily sourced from Bellew, which offers insights into everyday language usage.
Conclusion:
The analysis of these sentences aims to provide phonemic interpretations and modifications to Biddulph’s translations, building on existing research and indicating areas that remain unclear. Overall, the documentation of Sarikoli highlights both its dialectical uniqueness and the complexities in understanding its structure and vocabulary, paving the way for further linguistic exploration.
FAQ section (important questions/answers):
What are the primary sources for Sarikoli language information?
The main early sources for Sarikoli include Bellew's vocabulary and Biddulph's sentences found in Forsyth's 1873 mission report, which collectively provide insights into Sarikoli vocabulary and colloquial sentences.
How does the phonetic representation of Sarikoli sentences vary?
The phonetic rendering in Biddulph's work is considered primitive and sketchy, often attempting to cover Sarikoli words with multiple potential forms, while Bellew's vocabulary offers a more phonetically refined collection of nearly 900 words.
Glossary definitions and references:
Oriental and Historical glossary list for “J. Biddulph's Sarikoli sentences”. This list explains important keywords that occur in this article and links it to the glossary for a better understanding of that concept in the context of History, Linguistics, Religion, Philosophy, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism etc.
1) Dialect:
A specific form of a language peculiar to a particular region or social group. The Sarikoli dialect, a subject of this study, is compared and contrasted with others in the Shughni-Roshani group.
2) Fire:
A significant word in the Sarikoli vocabulary provided by Biddulph and Bellew. Example: yur 'fire', indicating its translation and phonetic interpretations within the text.
3) Kanam:
A Sarikoli term meaning 'I am not able to do' in sentence 5. It's part of the phonemic analysis to understand colloquial expressions in Sarikoli.
4) Horse:
Appears in sentences like 12 and 17. Example: voorch 'horse', used to explain word translations and sentence context in Sarikoli.
5) House:
Relevant in sentence 18 where moo 'my house' involves fire. Example: az ched yutch izooft tooit 'from my house fire it caught (and) went', illustrating translation difficulties.
6) Milk:
Used in sentence 15. Example: shevd 'milk', important for understanding everyday terms in Sarikoli and their phonemic interpretations.
7) Calcutta:
The city where Forsyth's 'Report of a mission to Yarkund 1873' was published, containing the Sarikoli vocabularies by Bellew and Biddulph reviewed in this paper.
8) Language:
Referred to as part of 'Ghalchah languages' by Shaw, one of the early sources for the study. It reflects the broader context within which Sarikoli is analyzed.
9) Roshani (Rosani):
Part of the Shughni-Roshani group of dialects. The study references this group to understand Sarikoli's relationship and comparative linguistic features.
10) Village:
Discussed in sentence 14 involving a counting query. Example: der 'village', helping understand Sarikoli's contextual usage in everyday scenarios.
11) Poetry (Poetic, Poetical):
Mentioned in the context of Tajik 'dar', occasionally used in poetry, providing cultural and lexical depth to the study of Sarikoli.
12) Doubt:
Used in phrases like 'As will be seen, a few points remain unexplained', showing the provisional interpretations and uncertainties in the phonemic analysis.
13) Grass:
Not directly mentioned, but implied in comparison with 'tar' and geographical references that underlie the described lexicon and syntax.
14) Error:
Example: 'avi might be an error', indicating potential misinterpretations or inconsistencies in Biddulph's translations or phonetic renderings.
15) Shula (Sula):
Part of the inquiry on age in sentence 9. Example: Isund sula yelsoot? 'how old are you?', showing the integration of age-related terms.
16) Anum:
Appears in sentence 20. Example: nawuz anum 'I do not know', showcasing negative constructions in the Sarikoli language study.
17) Nail:
Example: lussoor, nashowr 'nail', indicating the Sarikoli words for body parts and comparing phonetic renderings.
18) Foot (Feet):
Addressed in vocabulary comparisons. Example: peza, peyr 'foot', demonstrating the phonetic range and lexical choices in Sarikoli.
19) Dust:
Example in vocabulary comparison: vist, zeest, thust 'hand (dust)', revealing varying phonetic transcriptions and lexical analysis for body parts.
20) Hope:
Shows Biddulph's uncertainty in translations, expressed in phrases like 'he hopes to hit the target', relevant to interpretation quality.
21) Cai (Caí):
Example: chais 'what', part of interrogative phrases. Helps interpret sentence structures and vocabulary in routine questions.
22) Tar:
In sentence 19, indicating distance. Example: Varsheedee tsund thar? 'how far is it to Tashkurgan?', essential for spatial references.