河西语:14世纪一种未知的语言

Hexi(河西): An Unknown Language in the 14th Century

中国国家图书馆收藏的《河西译语》抄本记录了14世纪一种未知的语言。参照元代汉语北方话理解书中的注音汉字,再证以文献记载的波斯语借词,可得出《河西译语》的语音系统和汉字对音规律,并在此基础上尽可能地恢复全部河西语词形式。这种语言当年分布在以宁夏南部为行政中心的广大地区,曾受到伊斯兰文化的强大影响,但是在那以后不久就彻底消亡了。

An unknown language is recorded in the manuscript Hexi Yiyu(河西译语)preserved at the National Library of China.Under the help of the Chinese transcription by reference to the Mandarin in the Yuan(元)era,and then evidenced by literal Persian loan words,the phonemic system of Hexi Yiyu(河西译语)and the transcription rules of Chinese characters may be obtained as a basis for restoring all the Hexi(河西)words as exact as possible.At those years the Hexi(河西)language,found in the vast area with the administration center in South Ningxia(宁夏),was greatly influenced by Islamic culture but not long after that it withered away without traces.