Raji–Raute languages
| Raji–Raute | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Nepal |
| Linguistic classification |
Sino-Tibetan
|
| Subdivisions | |
| Glottolog | raji1239[1] |
Raji–Raute is a postulated branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family which includes the poorly documented and closely related languages Raji, Raute and apparently Rawat, spoken by hunter-gatherers in the Terai region of Nepal. Their relationship within the Sino-Tibetan languages is unclear.
Classification
Schorer (2016)
Schorer (2016:293)[2] classifies Raji–Raute as part of his newly proposed Greater Magaric group.
Fortier (2012)
A database of 700 words for items from households of Raute and Ban Rawat speakers (Fortier 2012) indicates a largely Sino-Tibetan language ancestry. Deep Root items include 58 words of Sino-Tibetan origin and 7 of Austroasiatic origin. Proto-family items include 281 morphemes of Proto-Tibeto-Burman origin. Meso-root, or subfamily items include 34 words of Proto-Kuki-Chin origin, 23 of Proto-Tani origin, 6 of Proto-Tangkulic origin, and 1 of Northern Chin origin. The database omits most loans of Indo-Aryan origin although 43 items were of Sanskrit origin. Work remains on identifying etymologies of the remaining 247 items in the Raute–Rawat database.
Vocabulary
The comparative vocabulary lists of Raji and Raute below are from Rastogi & Fortier (2005). Rastogi & Fortier (2005) also provide Purbia Raji and Janggali Raute forms.
Swadesh list
The following is a 100-word Swadesh list from Rastogi & Fortier (2005).
| No. | English gloss | Rawati (Raji) | Khamci (Raute) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | naa | ngaa |
| 2 | you, thou | nang | naa, nhhang |
| 3 | we | naani jammaa | ngaa, na, nani |
| 4 | this | ai | ii |
| 5 | that | aiyaa | he |
| 6 | who | chuin | 'se; tse, nhhamʔ |
| 7 | what | hu | hai, hang |
| 8 | not | haa | nai, nā (as verb suffix: -re/rai) |
| 9 | all | jammaa ~ jammal | mwalyae |
| 10 | many | jikkal | bo-kani, bo, buoh |
| 11 | one | daa, ga | daa |
| 12 | two | nii ~ nhii | nhi |
| 13 | big | bai-inaa | ghaare |
| 14 | long | lang | |
| 15 | small | ʈuhaa, chui-ce | lhhaʔ |
| 16 | woman | maʈhialaa | umaakhala, umaa |
| 17 | man | manjha | ba, s'ye; s'yela, māukyaa |
| 18 | person | manca | mi: mur; murka, mukala |
| 19 | fish | boraa | gaah, gap |
| 20 | bird | gidhaa | bwaah, buaʔ |
| 21 | dog | kuii | kwui |
| 22 | louse | sira | shuhroh |
| 23 | tree | shiing | s'iu; tsiu, shing |
| 24 | seed | biye | |
| 25 | leaf | huwaah, huwaa-aa, khuaa | hwaah, waʔ |
| 26 | root | jadao | goy, nyuri (wild yams), dz'ra |
| 27 | bark | siing khallaw | thaapa, thakpa |
| 28 | skin | khallyai | kiri; kriakaa, kirikyae |
| 29 | flesh (meat) | sya | s'yaa, yaa, pyaa, s'iu, shiaeʔ |
| 30 | blood | khui | s'ui, ks'ap |
| 31 | bone | haɖang | haare, haar'm |
| 32 | grease | ge; gela | |
| 33 | egg | anɖaa | bhi; bhibhiya, bhiya |
| 34 | horn | sioang | sikk'm |
| 35 | tail | pucheraa | muahta, mukyae |
| 36 | feather | pakhaa | phakaa, pwohx |
| 37 | hair | haamuu | rung |
| 38 | head | gaɽaa | garaah, g'rhha |
| 39 | ear | ghunaa, hunaa | gunaah |
| 40 | eye | mhiike, niike | mikaah; mhiiga |
| 41 | nose | shinaa | 'sinaah, shinga |
| 42 | mouth | khaaber | chyu(re), mu |
| 43 | tooth | daaɽo | s'wāah, tshwa |
| 44 | tongue | jibaiɽo | laale, muuhm, mhhwOm |
| 45 | fingernail | nhiang | leehm, lhhel |
| 46 | foot | bhaa, panjaa | bhaah |
| 47 | knee | puhai | phukh, gaʈho |
| 48 | hand | hakai | aakhaa |
| 49 | belly (stomach) | laado | guduu, gudong, photo ('entrails') |
| 50 | neck | gardhan | manto, m'nthu, ghaature |
| 51 | breast | cucca | susi |
| 52 | heart | paatii, mutu | |
| 53 | liver | mulyaa | kharabdaah, bara |
| 54 | drink | tung | jhum, jaaya, hum, ti-I, tì |
| 55 | eat | jaako, jale, jaa-aa | jaa; jaaku; jaaya, ka; kaare |
| 56 | bite | kai | ka; kaiyaa, k'I |
| 57 | see | guhe | bigaap, bighhae |
| 58 | hear | huung-ye | guno, gunaare |
| 59 | know | dahau | |
| 60 | sleep | iishe | s'ii; s'iyaah, seh, kwih |
| 61 | die | shiiya | s'i; s'iya |
| 62 | kill | haate-ko | ath-oh |
| 63 | swim | raa pe | kha-buwa, bou-kha-buwa, bowti |
| 64 | fly | bo | bwaah (n.?), pharaei (v.?) |
| 65 | walk | hwaa-I, khwa | |
| 66 | come | biir/hi-ir | bi; biye, bi-e, pi-ye |
| 67 | lie | jhuʈi-haa-syaa | lat (lie down) |
| 68 | sit | khuung yaa | sweh, sweh guni; aysapha, dzuye |
| 69 | stand | yeki | phuyo; phayaah, phuyu |
| 70 | give | bai-y, baiko | nyaa; bayaa, khaalu |
| 71 | say | neko | khaama (to speak); thi-i, shi dhaami |
| 72 | sun | diiho | bel, berh, dhāmu |
| 73 | moon | dunnaa | jhyunna, bair, berh (not exact terms for moon, not comp.) |
| 74 | star | taaraa | tui-tui |
| 75 | water | tii, chi | tsi |
| 76 | rain | barkhaa | s'gyae, tii-i |
| 77 | stone | ||
| 78 | sand | ballyaa | bolyaa |
| 79 | earth | dexa | desha [< Nepali], samsar |
| 80 | cloud | diiho | dewaah, dewaʔ |
| 81 | smoke | dhukaāh, dhuma | |
| 82 | fire | bhåoy / mhai | mhe:h, muhèi |
| 83 | ash | dhuli | kuhli, duhri, dhulo |
| 84 | burn | lung (vi.) | |
| 85 | path | yong | yaun-khyaa-nu, yung |
| 86 | mountain | biʈʈaa; dhaɽe (peak) | manam (hill); malam, kheɖ' |
| 87 | red | ʈulhariyaa | tui, sha |
| 88 | green | hariyo / hariya | hwaa (dark green - gagina), kamaiyo, k'm'iu |
| 89 | yellow | pero, piilè | byaalo, hwi-byelo, p'rhho |
| 90 | white | dhaurya | dhyaulyaa, dhyaurya, dhauɽia, ghouraya |
| 91 | black | tuknahaa | tokaanye, namaro |
| 92 | night | gaire | gadhir |
| 93 | hot | gamma [< IA] | chunu, ghohnohw |
| 94 | cold | ʈhanɖa [< IA] | jungha, dzung |
| 95 | full | bharata | jimai (filled), bwohb |
| 96 | new | nong | niu, nhu; n'u |
| 97 | good | nhikah | namar (person), lagalo |
| 98 | round | baʈulo | |
| 99 | dry | kaarau we (vi.) | karaao |
| 100 | name | naam | miĩhga |
Body parts
Rastogi & Fortier (2005) list the following body part terms.
| No. | English gloss | Rawati (Raji) | Khamci (Raute) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | arm | pa:ti [< IA] | arkha:, wa:u |
| 2 | belly | la:do (Purbia Raji dang) | 1. photo (belly); 2. gudu ~ gudong; (Janggali gudang) (“intestines”?) |
| 3 | blood | khui | 1. s'ui:; 2. kshap (kshap recorded by C. Bandhu (pers. comm.)) |
| 4 | breast | cucci | susi |
| 5 | ear | ghuna ~ huna | guna: |
| 6 | eye | ni:hke | mi:hka |
| 7 | finger | aguliya | hubela |
| 8 | fingernail | nihang | lem ~ le:hng ~ li:hm |
| 9 | foot | bhaa | bhaa |
| 10 | hair | haamu ~ hamo ~ ha ngo | [< Nepali] |
| 11 | hand | haake (Purbia Raji yak) | a:khaa, la:ku (Janggali ha:kai) |
| 12 | head | garaa | garaa |
| 13 | hip, buttocks | s'yi-li | |
| 14 | goiter | kok | |
| 15 | knee, joint | puhei ~ puhai ~ puher | phuk |
| 16 | leg | bhaa | |
| 17 | lip | autha [< IA] | cyure; cyura |
| 18 | mouth | khaaber | 1. cyure; 2. mu ~ mu:hm: ~ mum |
| 19 | neck | gardhan [< IA] (Purbia Raji tuk) | 1. manto; mani; 2. ghaature [< Nepali] |
| 20 | nipple, breast | chuchu | |
| 21 | nose | s'inna | tsinaa ~ sinaa |
| 22 | nostrils | dhodo | |
| 23 | shoulders | kadhang [< IA] | kum [< Nepali] |
| 24 | skin | khallyai | kiriki ~ kiliki ~ kikaa |
| 25 | teeth, tooth | swaa | swaåh; chuwaa; miu |
| 26 | thighs | jangaa | 1. kare, 2. bhaa |
| 27 | vulva | pi |
Footnotes
- ↑ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Raji–Raute". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
- ↑ Schorer, Nicolas. 2016. The Dura Language: Grammar and Phylogeny. Leiden: Brill.
References
- George van Driem (2001) Languages of the Himalayas: An Ethnolinguistic Handbook of the Greater Himalayan Region. Brill.
- Fortier, Jana (2012) "Annotated Dictionary of Raute and Rawat Languages"
- Rastogi, Kavita and Jana Fortier. 2005. Daa, Nii, Sum/Khung: Comparative Vocabulary of the West-Central Himalayan Languages Rawati (Raji) and Khamci (Raute). Indian Linguistics 66. 105-115.
Further reading
- Fortier, Jana. A Comparative Dictionary of Raute and Rawat: Tibeto-Burman Languages of the Central Himalayas. Harvard Oriental Series 88. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674984349
- Krishan, Shree. 2003. Darma, Chaudangsi, and Raji. In: Randy J. LaPolla (ed.), Tibeto-Burman Languages of Uttar Pradesh, pp. 139-272.