| Jie | |
|---|---|
| Chieh[1][2] | |
| *Kɨr[2]/*Kjet[3] | |
| Native to | Later Zhao dynasty |
| Region | Northern China |
| Ethnicity | Jie people |
| Era | 4th century[4] |
| transcribed withChinese characters | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | None |
.jpg) Map ofSixteen Kingdoms in year 338, showing theLater Zhao, a state ruled by the Jie. | |
Jie (simplified Chinese:羯语;traditional Chinese:羯語;pinyin:Jiéyǔ[6]) is a poorly attested extinct language formerly spoken in northeast China during theLater Zhao dynasty by theJie people, who were formerly part of theXiongnu confederation. It has been considered to be of eitherYeniseian orTurkic affiliation, with the former now being the most accepted.[3]
Only one phrase in the native language of the Jie is known. The source for this phrase was theKuchean Buddhist monk and missionaryFotudeng. It was recorded in theBook of Jin as秀支替戾岡，僕穀劬禿當 and said to have a connection toShi Le's fight againstLiu Yao in 328.[4] The phrase was glossed with a Chinese translation:
| Text | Middle Chinese[a] | Gloss |
|---|---|---|
| 秀支 | [si̯u-ci̯e] | 軍 "army" |
| 替戾岡 | [tʰei-let/lei-kɑŋ] | 出 "go out" |
| 僕穀 | [bok/buk-kuk/yok] | 劉曜胡位Liu Yao's barbarian title |
| 劬禿當 | [ɡi̯u̯o-tʰuk-tɑŋ] | 捉 "capture" |
This phrase has been analyzed in a number of publications.Shiratori (1900),[7]Ramstedt (1922),[8]Bazin (1948),[9] von Gabain (1950),[10] Shervashidze (1986),[11] and Shimunek (2015)[2]: 149 recognizedTurkic lexicon, and gave their versions of the transcription and translation:
| Ramstedt | Bazin | von Gabain | Shervashidze | Shimunek |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sükä talıqın bügüg tutun! | Süg tägti ıdqaŋ boquγıγ tutqaŋ! | Särig tılıtqan buγuγ kötürkän | Sükâ tol'iqtin buγuγ qodigo(d)tin | su-Ø kete-r erkan boklug-gu tukta-ŋ |
| Go with a war [and] capture bügü! | Send the army to attack, capture the commander! | You'd put forth the army, you'd take the deer | You came to the army Deposed buγuγ | When/as the army goes out, capture the Boklug! |
Edwin G. Pulleyblank (1963) argued that the Turkic interpretations cannot be considered very successful because they conflict with the phonetic values of the Chinese text and with the Chinese translation. Instead, he suggested a connection with theYeniseian languages, as well as remarking on the Yeniseian verb ending -ŋ, particularly common inKott.[1]: 264
Alexander Vovin (2000) gave the following translation based on Yeniseian, corroborating Pulleyblank's findings.[12] Vovin (2000) suggests a connection with the Southern Yeniseian branch, which has found support from other Yeniseianists.
suke
armies
t-i-r-ek-ang
bok-kok
bok-kok
suke t-i-r-ek-ang bok-kok k-o-t-o-kt-ang
armies {PV-CM-PERF-go out-3P} bok-kok PV-?-OBJ-CM-catch-3P
Armies have gone out. [They] will catch Bokkok.
The verbal ending -ŋ can be seen in Jie, which is a common verb ending inYeniseian languages, particularlyKott.[1] The cognate form of the Jie wordskot-o-kt-aŋ 'they will catch' inKet isd-kas-a-qos-n, showing the characteristic ofPumpokol where the sound/t/ corresponds theKet sound/s/; thus Jie is thought to be closely related to Pumpokol. TheArin wordkel 'fight' partly coincides in the second syllable of*śuke 'army', however the connection is dubious and Vovin suggested it to be a loanword, because if Pumpokolic speakers became part of Xiongnu, the word for army would have likely been loaned.[3]
Vovin et al. (2016) revise the above translation, as well as mapping the verbs over a Ket verb template and criticizing Shimunek et al.'s interpretation of the couplet.[3]
śuke
army/armies?
bok-kok
?
śuke t-il-ek-ang bok-kok got-o-kt-aŋ
army/armies? {out-PAST-go-3ANIM.PL.SBJ} ? {foot(?)-3MASC.SG.OBJ-take-3ANIM.PL.SBJ}
Armies went out and will catch Bokkok!