Kyirong language

Kyirong is a language from the subgroup of Tibetic languages[1] spoken in the Gyirong County of the Shigatse prefecture, of the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

Kyirong
  • Lende
  • Kyerung
स्युबा
RegionTibet
Native speakers
100 (2002, Ethnologue)
Language codes
ISO 639-3kgy
Glottologkyer1238  Kyerung

Kyirong has lexical tone, with a three-tone system.[2]

Relationship to other languages

There is a varying degree of mutual intelligibility between Kyirong and other Kyirong-Yolmo varieties. It is most closely related to the Nubri and Gyalsomdo languages,[3] and more distantly related to other languages in the family.[4]

Phonology

Consonants

There are 36 consonants in Kyirong, which are summarized in the table below.[2]

Bilabial Apico-Dental Retroflex Lamino-
post-alveolar		 Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Plosive/
Affricate		 voiceless p t ts ʈ tɕ c k
aspirated pʰ tʰ tsʰ ʈʰ tɕʰ cʰ kʰ
voiced b d dz ɖ dʑ ɟ ɡ
Fricative voiceless s ɕ h
voiced z ʑ ɦ
Liquid rhotic r
voiced lateral l
unvoiced lateral ɬ
Semivowel w j

Vowels

There are eight places of articulation for vowels. There is a length distinction at each place of articulation, as well as a long nasalised vowel.[2]

Front Central Back
Close i   iː   iː y   yː   yː u   uː   uː
Half-close e   eː   eː ø   øː   øː ɔ   ɔː   ɔː
Half-open ɛ   ɛː   ɛː
Open a   aː   aː

Tone

Kyriong has a three tone system; high, medium and low. Low tone is often accompanied by breathy voice.[2]

Sources
  • Hedlin, M. (2011). An Investigation of the relationship between the Kyirong, Yòlmo, and Standard Spoken Tibetan speech varieties. Masters thesis, Payap University, Chiang Mai.
  • Huber, B. (2005). The Tibetan dialect of Lende (Kyirong). Beiträge zur tibetischen Erzählforschung, 15.

References
  1. N. Tournadre (2005) "L'aire linguistique tibétaine et ses divers dialectes." Lalies, 2005, n°25, p. 7–56
  2. Huber, Brigitte (2005). The Tibetan dialect of Lende (Kyirong). Bonn: VGH Wissenschaftsverlag.
  3. Hedlin, Matthew (2011). An investigation of the relationship between the Kyirong, Yòlmo, and Standard Spoken Tibetan speech varieties (unpublished MA thesis). Payap University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
  4. Gawne, Lauren (2013). "Report on the relationship between Yolmo and Kagate". Himalayan Linguistics. 12: 1–27.
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