Xiongnu language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Xiongnu, also referred to as Xiong-nu or Hsiung-nu is the language(s) presumed to be spoken by the Xiongnu, a people and confederation which existed from the 3rd century BCE to 100 AD. It is sparsely attested, and the extant material available on it composes of about 150 words, as well as what may be a two-line text transcribed using Chinese characters,[1] which the Xiongnu may have used themselves for writing their language.[2]
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2024) |
| Xiongnu | |
|---|---|
| Xiong-nu, Hsiung-nu | |
| Native to | Xiongnu Empire |
| Ethnicity | Xiongnu |
| Era | 3rd century BCE-1st century CE |
| recorded with Chinese characters | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | xion1234 |
Map of the Xiongnu Empire, where the Xiongnu language was spoken. | |
Apart from tribal and sovereign names, some words, a song in the potentially related Jie language, and Chinese descriptions, the language(s) of the Xiongnu is very poorly documented, and very fragmentarily attested.
The origin of the Xiongnu is disputed and no theory has more support than another.
Xiongnu, with our current information, is unclassifiable[3] or a language isolate,[4] that is, a language whose relationship with another language is not apparent.
According to Savelyev and Jeong (2020):[5]
The predominant part of the Xiongnu population is likely to have spoken Turkic.
However, on the basis of genetics, the Xiongnu were likely multiethnic.[5]
Wink (2002) suggests that the Xiongnu spoke an ancient form of Turkic, and if they were not Turkic themselves, that they were influenced by Turkic peoples.
Benjamin (2007) proposes that the Xiongnu were either Proto-Turks or Proto-Mongols, and that their language would have been similar to that of the Dingling.
Chinese historical works link the Xiongnu to various Turkic peoples:
In the 20th century, Lajos Ligeti was the first linguist to hypothesize on the Yeniseian origin of the Xiongnu language. In the early 1960s, Edwin Pulleyblank further developed this theory and added evidence.
The Yeniseian origin theory proposes that the Jie, a Western Xiongnu people, were Yeniseians.[6] Hyun Jin Kim found similarities in a Jie-language song in the Book of Jin (composed during the 7th century) to Yeniseian.[7][8][failed verification] Pulleyblank and Vovin then affirmed that the Jie were the minority ruling class of the Xiongnu, ruling over the other Turkic and Iranian groups.
According to Kim, the dominant language of the Xiongnu was likely Turkic or Yeniseian, but their empire was multiethnic.
It is possible that Xiongnu nobility titles originated from Yeniseian and were loaned into Turkic and Serbi-Mongolic languages:[4][9]
Certain Xiongnu words appear to be cognate with Yeniseian:[9][10]
According to Pulleyblank, the consonant cluster /rl/ appears word-initially in certain Xiongnu words. This indicates that Xiongnu may not have a Turkic origin. Most of the attested vocabulary also appears Yeniseian in nature.[11]
Vovin remarks that certain horse names in Xiongnu appear to be Turkic with Yeniseian prefixes.[9]
Savelyev and Jeong doubt the theory of Yeniseian origin as the Xiongnu genetically correspond to Iranians, unlike Yeniseians, who have a strong Samoyedic affinity.[5]
It is also possible that Xiongnu is linked to Yeniseian in a Para-Yeniseian phylum, both linked in a Xiongnu-Yeniseian family, but others believe it was a Southern Yeniseian language.[10][12]
As a result, there are two competing models for the classification of Xiongnu into Yeniseian:
Certain linguists posit that the Xiongnu spoke a language similar to Mongolic. According to some Mongolian archaeologists, the people of the slab-grave culture were the ancestors of the Xiongnu, and some scholars believe the Xiongnu were the ancestors of Mongols.
According to Bichurin, the Xianbei and the Xiongnu were the same people, just with different states.[13]
The Book of Wei indicates that the Rouanrouans were descendants of the Donghu. The Book of Liang adds:
They [the Rouanrouans] also constituted a branch of the Xiongnu.
Ancient Chinese sources also designate various nomadic peoples to be the ancestors of the Xiongnu:
Other elements seem to indicate a Mongolic or Serbi-Mongolic origin of the Xiongnu :
On the basis of Xiongnu names of nobility, it was proposed that the Xiongnu spoke an Iranian language.
Beckwith suggests that the name "Xiongnu" is cognate with the word "Scythian", or "Saka", or "Sogdian" (all referring to Central Iranian peoples).[15][16] According to him, the Iranians directed the Xiongnu and influenced their culture and models. [15]
Harmatta (1994) affirms that Xiongnu names are of Scythian origin, and that Xiongnu would therefore be an Eastern Iranian language.
According to Savelyev et Jeong (2020), ancient Iranians contributed significantly to Xiongnu culture. Additionally, genetic studues indicate that 5% to 25% of Xiongnu were of Iranian origin.[5]
Other, less developed, hypotheses posit that Xiongnu is of Finno-Ugric[17] or Sino-Tibetan affiliation.[18] It is possible that some eastern Xiongnu peoples may have spoken a Koreanic language.[19][20][21][22]
A more developed and supported hypothesis than the previous ones indicate a multiethnic origin, and the primary language of the Xiongnu would be too poorly attested to conclude a relationship to any other language.[23]
Certain researchers state that Huns and the Hunas are linked,[24] but this is debated.[25]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
