Tocharian B (also known asKuchean orWest Tocharian) was a Western member of theTocharian branch of Indo-European languages, extinct from the ninth century. Once spoken in theTarim Basin inCentral Asia, Tocharian B shows an internal chronological development; three linguistic stages have been detected.[4] The oldest stage is attested only in Kucha. There is also the middle ('classicalʼ), and the late stage.[5]
According to Peyrot, the self-designation for the language waskuśi 'Kuča'.[6] In scholarly works, it is known as Tocharian B, sometimes referred to asWest Tocharian orKuchean.[7]
According to scholar Michael Peyrot, Tocharian B is dated between the 5th and 10th centuries AD, and was spread fromKuča to Yānqi andTurfan.[8] Paul Widmer, following Tamai's and Adams's studies, situates Tocharian B roughly between 400 and 1200, its oldest layer dating from ca. 400 to 600, around "Kucha and environs".[9]
According to J. H. W. Penney, Tocharian B is reported to be documented as Buddhist religious literature, and as secular material "pertaining to everyday life".[10]
^Peyrot, Michaël. “Tocharian”. In:The Indo-European Language Family: A Phylogenetic Perspective. Edited by Thomas Olander. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022. p. 83. doi:10.1017/9781108758666.006.
^Peyrot, Michaël. “Tocharian”. In:The Indo-European Language Family: A Phylogenetic Perspective. Edited by Thomas Olander. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022. p. 83. doi:10.1017/9781108758666.006.
Peyrot, Michaël. “Tocharian”. In:The Indo-European Language Family: A Phylogenetic Perspective. Edited by Thomas Olander. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022. pp. 83–101.doi:10.1017/9781108758666.006.
Lundysheva, Olga and Maue, Dieter. "An Old Uyghur text fragment related to the Tocharian B “History of Kuchean kings”". In:Religion and State in the Altaic World: Proceedings of the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Permanent International Altaistic Conference (PIAC), Friedensau, Germany, August 18–23, 2019. Edited by Oliver Corff, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2022, pp. 111-124.https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110730562-010
Peyrot, Michaël; Wilkens, Jens (September 2014). "Two Tocharian B fragments parallel to the Hariścandra-Avadāna of the Old Uyghur Daśakarmapathāvadānamālā".Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae.67 (3):319–335.doi:10.1556/aorient.67.2014.3.6.JSTOR90004169.
Wilkens, Jens; Pinault, Georges-Jean; Peyrot, Michaël (March 2014). "A tocharian B parallel to the legend of kalmāṣapāda and sutasoma of the old uyghur daśakarmapathāvadānamālā".Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae.67 (1):1–18.doi:10.1556/aorient.67.2014.1.1.JSTOR90004088.
Adams, Douglas Q. (July 1983). "Studies in Tocharian Vocabulary II: Words Pertaining to the Lower Limbs in Tocharian B".Journal of the American Oriental Society.103 (3):611–613.doi:10.2307/602042.JSTOR602042.
Adams, Douglas Q. (October 1983). "Studies in Tocharian Vocabulary III: Three Tocharian B Terms for Parts of the Upper Body".Journal of the American Oriental Society.103 (4):759–760.doi:10.2307/602235.JSTOR602235.
Adams, Douglas Q. (April 1986). "Studies in Tocharian Vocabulary IV: A Quartet of Words from a Tocharian B Magic Text".Journal of the American Oriental Society.106 (2):339–341.doi:10.2307/601599.JSTOR601599.
Malzahn, Melanie (2012). "Now you see it, now you don't – Bewegliches -o in Tocharisch B".Multilingualism and History of Knowledge, Vol. 2: Linguistic Developments Along the Silkroad: Archaism and Innovation in Tocharian. Vol. 12. Austrian Academy of Sciences Press. pp. 33–82.doi:10.2307/j.ctt3fgk5q.5.ISBN978-3-7001-7304-5.JSTORj.ctt3fgk5q.5.
Ogihara, Hirotoshi (2018). "Two Fragments of Tocharian B laissez-passers Kept in the Berlin Collection".Great Journeys across the Pamir Mountains. pp. 33–45.doi:10.1163/9789004362253_004.ISBN978-90-04-36222-2.
Pinault, Georges-Jean. "Surveying the Tocharian B Lexicon". In:Orientalistische Literaturzeitung, vol. 114, no. 2, 2019, pp. 91–97.https://doi.org/10.1515/olzg-2019-0030
Stumpf, Peter (1976). "Westtocharisch se-seṃ: zwei Paradigmen oder nur eines?".Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung.90 (1/2):114–127.JSTOR40848492.
Winter, Werner (October 1955). "A Linguistic Classification of 'Tocharian' B Texts".Journal of the American Oriental Society.75 (4):216–225.doi:10.2307/595385.JSTOR595385.
Winter, Werner (August 1961). "Lexical Interchange between 'Tocharian' A and B".Journal of the American Oriental Society.81 (3):271–280.doi:10.2307/595658.JSTOR595658.
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