通过亲属语言、方言的比较了解语言的历史发展

Understanding the historical development of a language from comparing it with related languages and dialects

本文通过缅甸北部卡钦州的日旺语与中国云南省的独龙语这两个亲属语言的比较,探究日旺语的受益结构的来源,同时也应用同样的比较方法,探究独龙语标记第一人称复数的动词长元音和标记施事者的代词长元音的来源。本文用这两个现象来例示一个研究方法:在描写某一种语言的时候,可以用该语言与其亲属语言的比较来了解该语言本身的发展。

This paper discusses the use of comparative data when describing a particular language.That is,even though we might be describing one variety,we can gain insights into the development of that variety from comparisons with related varieties.The examples presented are from the Rawang and Dulong languages,two closely related Tibeto-Burman languages in Myanmar and China respectively.We see that comparison with Dulong data can help us to understand the development of the applicative benefactive in Rawang,and comparison with Rawang can help us understand the development of the verbal first-person plural long vowels and nominal agentive marking long vowels in Dulong.