3 credits
TR 11:15-12:30
SY 002

Section 2861 is open to undergraduates only.
Section 2867 is open to graduates only.

Above sections also meet with CEUS U320, and U520.

This course will constitute a survey of the languages now thought to
belong to the putative Sino Tibetan family of languages, namely the
Sinitic (Chinese) and Tibeto-Burman languages. The discussion will
focus on historical and typological approaches to the problem of
Sino-Tibetan reconstruction, using the earliest attested language data
as much as possible. Topics covered include: the main theories, and
their criticism; problems of morphological analysis; lexically-based
historical linguistics, 'basic vocabulary', and loanwords; typology of
Tibeto-Burman languages and the problem of syntactic change (focising
on the Karenic languages); reconstruction of Common Tibeto Burman and
Proto-Tibeto-Burman, including study of each major branch, but
especially the branches represented by medieval literary languages,
namely Tibetan (Tibetic), Zhangzhung (West Himalayan), Pyu, Burmese
(Burmic), Newar (Central Himalayan), Tangut (Qiangic), and Manipuri
(Kuki-Chin); typology of Sinitic languages and the problem of
typological change of phonological structure over time; internal
reconstruction of Middle Chinese, Old Chinese, and Proto-Chinese; use
of loanwords to establish phonology for earlier periods of Chinese and
Tibeto-Burman; loans from Austronesian, Indo-European, and other
language families; loans into Taic and Proto-Japanese-Koguryoic; and
other topics.

Requirements: Regualr attendance and participation, assignments other
than readings will consist of several short projects and a term paper.

Text: Laurent Sagart, THE ROOTS OF OLD CHINESE (1999)
and readings available in the library.