160176 VO Theory of Grammar and Structure of a Non-Indo-European Language: Tangut (2024S)
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Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
Details
Language: English
Examination dates
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
Wednesday
06.03.
16:00 - 17:30
Seminarraum 2 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
Wednesday
13.03.
16:00 - 17:30
Seminarraum 2 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
Wednesday
20.03.
16:00 - 17:30
Seminarraum 2 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
Wednesday
10.04.
16:00 - 17:30
Seminarraum 2 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
Wednesday
17.04.
16:00 - 17:30
Seminarraum 2 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
Wednesday
24.04.
16:00 - 17:30
Seminarraum 2 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
Wednesday
08.05.
16:00 - 17:30
Seminarraum 2 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
Wednesday
15.05.
16:00 - 17:30
Seminarraum 2 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
N
Wednesday
22.05.
16:00 - 17:30
Seminarraum 2 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
Wednesday
29.05.
16:00 - 17:30
Seminarraum 2 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
Wednesday
05.06.
16:00 - 17:30
Seminarraum 2 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
Wednesday
12.06.
16:00 - 17:30
Seminarraum 2 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
Wednesday
19.06.
16:00 - 17:30
Seminarraum 2 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Assessment and permitted materials
The assessment will consist of a final written Klausur. Students may bring a concise character lexicon provided by the instructor and no more than five pages of their own notes.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
Grading scale starts from 41% on account of difficulty.0-40% = negativ
41-60% = genügend
61-77% = befriedigend
78-89% = gut-
90% und mehr = sehr gut
41-60% = genügend
61-77% = befriedigend
78-89% = gut-
90% und mehr = sehr gut
Examination topics
The examination will primarily involve translating (70%) a short section of an unknown Tangut text into English or another modern language. The text will be in the Tangut script, but presented in a modern computer font. This will be supplemented by short one-line questions (30%) on the interpretation of specific Tangut fragments and simple English-to-Tangut translations.
Reading list
Given the scarcity of accessible materials in English or German, the course will use a grammar sketch and a study lexicon currently being prepared by the lecturer, which will be available on Moodle and continuously refined through student input.For general information on the Tanguts, Western Xia, and Tangut culture:- Shi, Jinbo. 西夏社会. Volumes 1 and 2. Shanghai Renmin Chubanshe, 2007. (Readable through machine translation)
- Galambos, Imre. Translating Chinese tradition and teaching Tangut culture: Manuscripts and printed books from Khara-Khoto. De Gruyter, 2015.
- Shi, Jinbo, and Hansong Li. The Economy of Western Xia: A Study of 11th to 13th Century Tangut Records. Brill, 2021.On Tangut Buddhism:- Solonin, Kirill. "Sinitic Buddhism in the Tangut state." Central Asiatic Journal 57 (2014): 157-183.
- Solonin, Kirill. "The Formation of Tangut Ideology: Buddhism and Confucianism." Buddhism in Central Asia I. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2020.
- Ma, Zhouyang. An Inner Asian Buddhist Revolution: The Rise of Tibetan Buddhism in the Tangut Xia State. Harvard PhD thesis, 2023.
- Galambos, Imre. Translating Chinese tradition and teaching Tangut culture: Manuscripts and printed books from Khara-Khoto. De Gruyter, 2015.
- Shi, Jinbo, and Hansong Li. The Economy of Western Xia: A Study of 11th to 13th Century Tangut Records. Brill, 2021.On Tangut Buddhism:- Solonin, Kirill. "Sinitic Buddhism in the Tangut state." Central Asiatic Journal 57 (2014): 157-183.
- Solonin, Kirill. "The Formation of Tangut Ideology: Buddhism and Confucianism." Buddhism in Central Asia I. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2020.
- Ma, Zhouyang. An Inner Asian Buddhist Revolution: The Rise of Tibetan Buddhism in the Tangut Xia State. Harvard PhD thesis, 2023.
Association in the course directory
MA1-APM4B-4
MA4-WM1.2-2
MA4-WM1.4-2
MA4-WM1.6-2
MA4-WM1.2-2
MA4-WM1.4-2
MA4-WM1.6-2
Last modified: Th 29.02.2024 11:06
- "bēshtar dar shahr wa dīh mēnishasta-and lēkin lashkarī azīm wa ni[h]āyat-i jangī būda-and" (Rashīd al-Dīn, ~1306)On the Tangut writing system:
- "most complicated system ever invented by a human mind ... a bewildering mass of irregular lines" (Berthold Laufer, 1916)On Tangut phonology:
- "multiple phonological distinctions to monosyllables ... phonological complexity [as] Mazatec languages" (me, to appear)This course aims to equip students with a practical understanding of the Tangut language, covering its phonology, typological features, inflectional morphology, syntax, and basic lexical semantics. Additionally, students will develop some familiarity with the Tangut writing system.The primary focus will be on reading selected portions of Tangut Buddhist literature, encompassing Early Mahayana, Chan, and Tibetan Buddhism. Key grammatical concepts will be presented in an accessible, non-technical manner. By the end of this course, students will have acquired a basic knowledge of the Tangut script and language, enabling them to transcribe Tangut texts set in modern typefaces and read simpler Tangut texts with the help of a character lexicon.Beyond assessment-relevant materials, this course also explores Tangut culture and society within its Chinese, Tibetan and Inner Asian contexts, introduces notions of Sino-Tibetan historical linguistics through the Tangut perspective, and familiarizes students to practical skills for working with Tangut manuscript culture.