The earliest written accounts in English are from the 1870s which generally use the name "Sarikoli" to refer to the language, but some written accounts since that time may use a different pronunciation derived from transcribing Chinese phonetics of the term into English as "Selekur(i)".[9] Modern Chinese researchers often mention Sarikoli and Tajik names in their papers.[10][3]
The language has no official written form. Linguist Gao Erqiang, publishing in China, usedIPA to transcribe the sounds of Sarikoli in his book and dictionary,[1] while Tatiana N. Pakhalina, publishing in Russia, used an alphabet similar to that of theWakhi language in hers.[11][12] The majority of Sarikoli-speakers attend schools usingUyghur as themedium of instruction.[citation needed]
In 1958, linguist Gao Erqiang studied Sarikoli in collaboration with Tajik linguists, using 37 symbols from theInternational Phonetic Alphabet for the transcription of the language. In the 1996 Sarikoli–Han dictionary, Gao uses an alphabet of 26 letters and 8 digraphs based onPinyin.[1]
Sarikoli vowels as used in Russian works (IPA values in brackets):
a[a],e[e],ɛy[ɛi̯](dialectalæyoray[æi̯/ai̯]),ɛw[ɛu̯](dialectalæworaw[æu̯/au̯]),ə[ə],i[i],o[o/ɔ],u[u],ы[ɯ](dialectalů[ʊ]). In some dialects also long variants of those vowels can appear:ā,ē,ī,ō,ū,ы̄,ǝ̄. (citation?)
Sarikoli consonants according to Russian Iranologist transcription (IPA values in slashes):p/p/,b/b/,t/t/,d/d/,k/k~c/,g/ɡ~ɟ/,q/q/,c/ts/,ʒ/dz/,č/tɕ/,ǰ/dʑ/,s/s/,z/z/,x̌/x/,γ̌/ɣ/,f/f/,v/v/,θ/θ/,δ/ð/,x/χ/,γ/ʁ/,š/ɕ/,ž/ʑ/,h/h/,w/w/,y/j/,m/m/,n/n,ŋ/,l/l/,r/r/
Most words receive stress on the last syllable; however, a minority receive stress on their first syllable. Also, several noundeclensions and verbinflections regularly place stress on their first syllable, including theimperative andinterrogative.[7]
Although to a large extent the Sarikoli lexicon is quite close to those of other Eastern Iranian languages, there are a large number of words unique to Sarikoli and the closely related Shughni that are not found in other Eastern Iranian languages like Wakhi, Pashto or Avestan.
Lexical comparison of eight Iranian languages together with an English translation[7]
The following text is a paragraph from Gao Erqiang's "Tajik-Chinese Dictionary" (1996), talking about the significance of the development of a writing system for the language of Tajiks of Xinjiang, both inChinese and Sarikoli. The Sarikoli text is written in the "Pinyin" developed by Gao Erqiang for use in the dictionary. Below, the text is also transcribed in an equivalent Persian alphabet.[1]
Latin script
Awal birinqi masala qi ter gap kayan. Tujik milat hüyan ziv yost. Yad ziv optunum noya ar doira khulanmix soud. Janubi Xinjongan Yurkond, Puskom, KHarghalegh, Pixan khatorlekh juiefan wi Tujik heil uhxox na yozzin, Di juienj Tujik heil asos az jat hü ziv khulanmix kayin, Hü milatan wi ziv khulanmix qeig wa a wi tarakhi qeig Asosi KHonün zzujenj hyukhukh. Agar i milatan ghov ziv vid, kitubi ziv tsa na vid, di rang zivan wi rafond wa tarakhiyot qaklimari diqur hird. M dos qeig levd alo k yü milat Asosi KHonün zzujenj az hyukhukh tulukh bahyrimand na sezzjenj soud. Yizekh levjenj a ziv hotirlamix qeigiquz balgü, yani i mi khati münosibatlig vezzjenj pinyin sestimo qi qer wezzd khati hyusil sezzjenj, dian hyiq rang sir nist, Pinyin loyayan wi tüzülüx mofekh tsa soud, hyiq rang alukat mas peidu na soud. Vizekhan at ziv mazzon vezzjenj zidiyat mas ubiktip hyolda i taraf set khati ter sawiya khati birligir yozzd. Müstakhil tarakhi qogcjenj i zivan Kyamon wiri mos yetiquz i yizekh vid karak. Ilim wa rafond az nuhto zoct alo yad douliri uighun qer.
Let's talk about the first question first. The Tajiks have their own language. This language is commonly used in the autonomous county and cannot be replaced by other languages. Unlike the Tajiks inYarkant,Poskam,Kargilik and other places in southern Xinjiang, many Tajiks here exclusively or largely exclusively use their own language. The use and development of the ethnic language is a right conferred by the constitution. If an ethnicity only has a spoken language but no written language, the use and development of this language will actually be restricted, and it will not be able to reasonably enjoy the rights granted by the constitution. Writing is a set of symbols that record language, and a related pinyin system is used. There is nothing mysterious about it, and a well-designed pinyin scheme will not cause any complications. Possible contradictions between text and language will be treated objectively and wisely to achieve a large degree of consistency. A language that develops independently must have a set of characters that are suitable for it. This is a matter of course from an academic or practical point of view.
^A wide variety of varied transcriptions of the name "Sarikoli" are used in linguistic discussions, such as萨里库尔语,Sàlǐkùěryǔ,萨雷阔勒语,Sàléikuòlèyǔ,色勒库尔语,Sèlèkùěryǔ or撒里科里语,Sǎlǐkēlǐyǔ.
^abcGao, Erqiang (1985).Tǎjíkèyǔ jiǎnzhì塔吉克语简志 [Outline of the Tajik language] (in Chinese). Beijing: Minzu chubanshe.
^Rudelson, Justin Jon (2005).Lonely Planet Central Asia Phrasebook: Languages of the Silk Road. Footscray: Lonely Planet Publications.ISBN1-74104-604-1.
^abPakhalina, Tatiana N. (Татьяна Н. Пахалина) (1966).Sarykol'skij JazykСарыкольский язык [The Sarikoli Language] (in Russian). Moskva: Akademia Nauk SSSR.
^Pakhalina, Tatiana N. (Татьяна Н. Пахалина) (1971).Sarykol'sko-russkij slovar'Сарыкольско-русский словарь [Sarikoli–Russian Dictionary] (in Russian). Moskva: Akademia Nauk SSSR.
^Ido, S. (2017). The Vowel System of Jewish Bukharan Tajik: With Special Reference to the Tajik Vowel Chain Shift. Journal of Jewish Languages, 5(1), 81–103. doi:10.1163/22134638-12340078
^Kim, Deborah (2017).Topics in the syntax of Sarikoli. Leiden University.
Arlund, Pamela S. (2006).An Acoustic, Historical, and Developmental Analysis of Sarikol Tajik Diphthongs (PhD thesis). University of Texas.hdl:10106/438.