Dialectal Particularities Of Sogpho Tibetan – An Introduction To The “Twenty-Four Villages’ Patois”

Abstract

This chapter presents the main features characteristic of the Kenhat dialects, which distinguish them from the Shamskat dialects in so many ways that they may be thought of as two different languages. After describing the geographical setting, the author presents the most obvious phonological features of the Kenhat dialects and discusses the problem of tonogenesis. The chapter deals with the preservation, generalisation, and eventual loss of Old Tibetan verbal suffixes in the two dialect groups. It demonstrates the importance of the so-called 'innovative' varieties for the reconstruction of Old Tibetan. The lexical differences are exemplified with the definiteness marker, remote deixis, and first person inclusive plural pronoun. The more deeply rooted morphological and syntactical differences are also discussed in detail. Keywords: Kenhat dialects; lexical differences; Old Tibetan verbal suffixes; Shamskat dialects; tonogenesis