Historical Phonology of Tibetan, Burmese, and Chinese

The discovery of sound laws by comparing attested languages has unlocked the history of European languages, revealing the prehistoric language from which Burmese, Chinese, and Tibetan descend. This book is written for readers with little linguistic knowledge and is fully explicit and indexed for the specialist.

Format: Hardback
Length: 316 pages
Publication date: 08 August 2019
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

The method of comparing attested languages to uncover sound laws has been a groundbreaking approach in unlocking the history of European languages, which extends thousands of years before the emergence of written records. For instance, the Latin letter p corresponds to the English letter f, as seen in words like "pes" (foot), "primus" (first), and "plenus" (full). While Burmese, Chinese, and Tibetan have long been considered related languages, a comprehensive exploration of their shared heritage has never been attempted. In this book, the authors employ sound laws to trace the history of these three languages, shedding light on the prehistoric language from which they descend. Written with a clear and concise style, suitable for readers with limited linguistic expertise, the book also includes extensive and detailed indices for language specialists. This groundbreaking work serves as a foundational resource for future advancements in the study of these languages.

Weight: 696g
Dimension: 161 x 235 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781107146488