• Source: Waxiang Chinese

Waxiang (simplified Chinese: 瓦乡话; traditional Chinese: 瓦鄉話; pinyin: Wǎxiānghuà; ɕioŋ˥tsa˧) is a divergent variety of Chinese, spoken by the Waxiang people, an unrecognized ethnic minority group in the northwestern part of Hunan province, China. Waxiang is a distinct language, and is very different from the surrounding Southwestern Mandarin, Xiang Chinese, and the Eastern Miao (Xong) languages.




Classification



As noted by Laurent Sagart (2011) and others, Waxiang appears to share some words with the Caijia language of western Guizhou. Sagart (2011) considers Caijia to be a sister of Waxiang. Currently, Waxiang is classified as a divergent Chinese variety rather than a non-Sinitic language. Similarities among Old Chinese, Waxiang, Caijia, and Bai have also been pointed out by Wu & Shen (2010).
Qu & Tang (2017) show that Waxiang and Miao (Qo Xiong) have had little mutual influence on each other.




Distribution


Waxianghua is found in Luxi, Guzhang and Yongshun counties in Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Zhangjiajie prefecture-level city (in Dayong 大庸 ), and Chenxi, Xupu and Yuanling counties in Huaihua prefecture-level city. Neighboring languages include Southwestern Mandarin, Xiang Chinese, Tujia, Qo Xiong, and Hm Nai.

hua means 'speech' in Mandarin Chinese,
xiang means 'rural' in Mandarin Chinese
wa means 'speech' in Southern Chinese dialects.
The word Wa 瓦 is only a phonetic transcription.
Wu & Shen (2010) report Waxianghua to be spoken in the following villages.

Yuanling County: Qingshuiping 清水坪 , Maxipu 麻溪铺 , Taichang 太常 , Wusu 乌宿 , Liangshuijing 凉水井
Luxi County: Basheping 八什坪 , Shangbao 上堡 , Liangjiatan 梁家谭 , Baisha 白沙镇
Guzhang County: Linchang 林场 of Gaowangjie 高望界 , Gaofeng 高峰 (in Taojin 淘金村 , Beishuiping 北水坪 , etc.), Yantouzhai 岩头寨 , Shanzao 山枣 , Yezhu 野竹 , Hepeng 河蓬 , Caotan 草潭
Chenxi County: Tianwan 田湾 , Banqiao 板桥 , Chuanxiyi 船溪驿 , Tanjiafang 谭家坊
Xupu County: Rangjiaxi 让家溪 , Daweixi 大渭溪 , Muxi 木溪
Yongshun County: Limin 里明村 , Zhenxi 镇溪 , Xiaoxi 小溪 of Wangcun Township 王村镇
Liubaohua 六保话 , a dialect closely related to Waxianghua, is spoken in several villages in southeastern Guzhang County (including in Shaojitian Village 筲箕田村, Shanzao Township 山枣乡 ) and parts of Luxi County. Liubaohua is spoken in the following locations (Zou 2013).

Guzhang County
Shanzao Township 山枣乡 : Huoma 火麻村 , Gaozhai 高寨村 , Shaojitian 筲箕田村, Modao 磨刀村
Yantouzhai Township 岩头寨乡: Yinping 银坪村 , Zimuping 梓木坪村, Wangouxi 碗沟溪村, etc.
Luxi County: Basheping Township 八什坪乡
Yuanling County: Maxipu Town 麻溪铺镇 and Shaojiwan Town 筲箕湾镇
The Nanshan dialect of Waxianghua (Chinese: 南山乡话) is spoken in parts of Chengbu County, Hunan and Longsheng County, Guangxi by about 1,100 Waxiang people who had originally migrated from Yuanling County. Their villages include:

Chengbu County, Hunan
Xuntou Village 巡头村 and Mugua Village 木瓜村, both of which are in Wutuan Town 五团镇
Juezhiping Village 蕨枝坪村, Nanshan Town 南山镇
Longsheng County, Guangxi
Ganjia Village 甘甲村, Weishan Township 伟江乡




Phonology






Conservative features


Waxiang preserves a number of features of Old Chinese not found in most modern varieties of Chinese, such as the initial *l- (which became a voiced dental stop in Middle Chinese):

Guzhang li6, 地 OC (Baxter–Sagart) *lˤejs > MC dijH > Mandarin dì 'earth, ground'
Guzhang lu6, 大 OC *lˤats > MC dajH > Mandarin dà 'big'
Guzhang li2, 遲 OC *lrəj > MC drij > Mandarin chí 'slow'
Guzhang luʔ8, 讀 OC *C.lˤok > MC duwk > Mandarin dú 'read'
Waxiang also has some cases of /z/ for Old Chinese *r- (which became l- in Middle Chinese):

Guzhang za2, 棃 OC *C.rəj > MC lij > Mandarin lí 'pear tree, pear'
Guzhang zɛ2, 來 OC *mə.rˤək > *rˤə > MC loj > Mandarin lái 'come'
In a number of words, Waxiang and Proto-Min have affricate initials where Middle Chinese has sy-:

Guzhang tsu3, pMin *tšyiB, 水 OC *s.turʔ > MC sywijX > Mandarin shuǐ 'water'
Guzhang tɕiəu1, pMin *tšyA, 書 OC *s-ta > MC syo > Mandarin shū 'writing'
In some words, Waxiang and Proto-Min have voiced affricates where Middle Chinese has y-:

Guzhang dzoŋ3, pMin *-džioŋB, 癢 OC *Cə.ɢaŋʔ > MC yangX > Mandarin yǎng 'itch'




Waxiang and Caijia


Sagart (2011) argues that Waxiang and Caijia together constitute the earliest branching of Chinese. However, Sagart later retracted this proposal, saying that he is no longer sure whether Waxiang and Caijia actually form a subgroup together.
Like Waxiang, Caijia preserves Old Chinese *l-, has a voiced fricative reflex of *r-, and retains the Old Chinese word 字 'love', which has been replaced by 愛 in all other Chinese varieties. Waxiang and Caijia also share two words not found in other Chinese varieties:

'two': Caijia ta⁵⁵, Waxiang tso⁵³, from Old Chinese 再 *tsˤəs 'twice'
'milk': Caijia mi⁵⁵, Waxiang mi⁵⁵, which Sagart suggests is a non-Sinitic word




References






Further reading



Hilary Chappell (2012), "Typology of an isolated Sinitic language: Waxiang, a language of northwestern Hunan, China" (presentation slides), keynote at 45th International Conference on Sino-Tibetan Languages and Linguistics.
Chappell, Hilary; Peyraube, Alain; Wu, Yunji (2011). "A comitative source for object markers in Sinitic languages: 跟 kai55 in Waxiang and 共 kang7 in Southern Min". Journal of East Asian Linguistics. 20 (4): 291–338. doi:10.1007/s10831-011-9078-z. PMC 3837201. PMID 24273384.
Yang, Wei [杨蔚]. 1999. Yuanling Xianghua yanjiu [沅陵乡话研究]. Changsha: Hunan Educational Press [湖南敎育出版社].
Yang, Wei [杨蔚]. 2010. Xiangxi Xianghua yuyin yanjiu [湘西乡话语音研究]. Guangzhou: Guangdong Press [广东省出版集团].
Zheng, Yanxia [郑焱霞]; Peng, Jianguo [彭建国]. 2016. Hunan Chengbu Xuntou Xianghua yanjiu [湖南城步巡头乡话研究]. Hunan Normal University Press [湖南师范大学出版社].
Chen, Hui [陈晖]. 2016. Hunan Luxi Liangjiatan Xianghua yanjiu [湖南泸溪梁家潭乡话研究]. Hunan Normal University Press [湖南师范大学出版社].
Chen, Hui [陈晖]. 2019. Hunan Luxi Xianghua [湖南泸溪乡话]. Beijing: The Commercial Press [商务印书馆]. ISBN 9787100179850.
Deng, Jie [邓婕]. 2020. Xiangxi Xianghua jiechu yu yanbian yanjiu [湘西乡话的接触与演变研究]. Beijing: The Commercial Press.
Li, Jiaolei [李姣雷]. 2021. Xiangxi Xianghua yuyin cengci ji yanbian yanjiu [湘西乡话语音层次及演变研究] / Phonological Strata and Evolution of Xianghua Dialects of Western Xiang. Beijing: The Commercial Press.

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• List of ethnic groups in China
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