A vanishing language: the case of Xiandao

• Autores: Linda T.H. Tsung, Dai Qingxia
• Localización: International journal of the sociology of language, ISSN 0165-2516, Nº. 173, 2005, págs. 177-186
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This article aims to analyze the social functions and linguistic features of an endangered language: Xiandao, and discuss the major factors that have caused Xiandao to become endangered. The research data is drawn from recent fieldwork conducted in two villages in Jiemao district, Yingjiang County, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. Local administrators, teachers, and all Xiandao families were interviewed. In addition, descriptive linguistic studies were conducted into the grammar, text, and vocabulary glossary of Xiandao. The findings show that most Xiandao people speak three languages: Xiandao, Jingpo and Chinese, but the younger generation speak better Jingpo or Chinese than Xiandao. The Xiandao people live intermingled with and intermarry with the Jingpo and Han Chinese people and are strongly influenced by Jingpo culture and customs and their participation in the Christian religion through the Jingpo language. This close contact with other people has resulted in a language shift to the use of the Jingpo and Chinese languages for much of their daily communication. Xiandao has also adopted many loanwords from the Jingpo and Chinese languages. It is anticipated that, unless effective work is undertaken quickly to revive the language, Xiandao will be replaced by other languages in the near future.