Tibetan Babzo [Baozuo] Dialect
Phonetic and Dialectological Analysis
Suzuki, Hiroyuki
Kyoto University
This article treats a phonetic analysis and a preliminary dialectological consideration on Babzo dialect, one of the characteristic Tibetan dialects spoken in Songpan, Jiuzhaigou and the eastern area of Ruoergai Counties, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan. Babzo dialect, spoken in Baxi district, the eastern area of Ruoergai, possesses the following dialectological particularities: the register distinction based on the two different phonation types, the special consonant phonemes such as /q^h, q, ɢ, v, ɮ/, the prenasal preceded to the non-aspirated voiceless plosive/affricate initials, the preaspiration which is different from the main initial about the voicedness, simplified vowel correspondence with Written Tibetan forms. Most of these typological characteristics are similar to other Tibetan dialects spoken in Baxi district as Askyirong and Chosrje dialects, but some word forms are especially similar to dialects spoken in Songpan and Jiuzhaigou Counties. The common particularities between Amdo nomadic Tibetan dialects and these dialects are less found.