[Rgyalrong] Minyagic

[Xun Gong]

Hi all,

I would first like to thank Zev, our gracious host, for this wonderful
reunion. Among the marvelous influences the workshop has had on me,
I'm now taking Greek yogurt + fruits for breakfast :)

It's for continuing a thought I had been having in the last day's
lunch, when we were discussing about the best way to replace the word
"Qiangic": how about naming the cohesive core of what is called
Qiangic languages Minyagic? The classificatory idea is same as Sun
Hongkai's Northern Qiangic or Guillaume's Macro-Rgyalrongic –
Rgyalrongic, Rmaic (Qiang) plus the Tangut-Menya-Queyu-'Bo cluster,
and possibly Prinmi.

I'm personally OK with the term Qiangic, but those who oppose it have
solid motivations, so we assume for this discussion that the word
needs to be replaced. In such a case, here are the reasons why I think
Minyagic is the best replacement for Qiangic.

1) At least three lects of the group have the autonym /mi-nyag/:
Nyagrong Minyag, Menya/Minyag and Tangut. The smallest genetic group
that includes all three is clearly Northern Qiangic/Macro-Rgyalrongic.

2) According to the New History of Táng, /mi-nyag/ designates the
kinsfolk of the founding population of the Xīxià Empire who stayed in
Northern Sichuan.

以其地為懿、嵯、麟、可三十二州，以松州為都督府，擢赤辭西戎州都督，賜氏李，貢職遂不絕。於是自河首積石山而東，皆為中國地。後吐蕃浸盛，拓拔畏逼，請內徙，始詔慶州置靜邊等州處之。地乃入吐蕃，其處者皆為吐蕃役屬，更號弭藥。

tr:
The land (belonging to the Tanguts under Tuòbá Chìcí) are divided (by
the Chinese government) into 32 prefectures: Yì, Cuō, Lín, Kě, et
cetera. (most of these prefectures were near the modern Mdzo·dge
county), with the Superintendency [都督府] placed in the prefecture of
Sōng [modern Zung·chu]. Chìcí was promoted as the Superintendent of
the Western Róng Prefecture and bestowed the family name of Lǐ.
Regular missions were sent since then. East of Héshǒu [Liángzhōu] and
the Mountain of Jīshí [A·myes Rma·chen] are hence annexed as Chinese
territory. Later, as the Tibetans gradually gained power, the Tuòbá
became afraid of their pressure and asked the government to allow them
to move inside (China proper). An order was given to the prefecture of
Qìng to install the prefecture of Jìngbiān in order to accomodate
them. Their original territory was annexed by Tibet. Those who stayed
there were subjugated by Tibet and called since then the Mi-nyag.

tl;dr:
The Tanguts (dǎngxiàng) who went to Jìngbiān later became the Tanguts
of the Xīxià state; those who stayed in what has become by then the
Tibet Empire are called (in Chinese at least) Mi-nyag.

3) The Tangut empire has a lot of prestige value. Rma nationalists, in
particular, have invented a Tangut-style Rma script (cf.
http://tieba.baidu.com/p/2012791391). I have seen Tangut-looking
chūnlián's all over Wènchuān. It was in a bus so I cannot check if
it's real Tangut or the Tangut-style Rma script, but it's clear that a
Tangut connection is important for the Rma self-conception.

4) Mi-nyag is not offensive to a retrospective Tibeto-centric view of
the history. It is important that Qiangic is designated by a name
Tibetan enough that Tibetans can claim Qiangic-speaking peoples as
Tibetan. The name Mi-nyag is perfect for this purpose.

The speakers of Menya/Minyag and those of Nyagrong Minyag are already
classified as Tibetans. The word "mùyǎ zàngzú" does not grate at all
on an early 21th-century ear. The Xīxià Tanguts are also claimed by
some as Tibetans
(http://www.tibetcul.com/zhuanti/whzt/201101/25364.html).

</reasons>

Here are the reasons to have the word "Minyagic" handy in case a
replacement is felt by everyone as necessary. In Chinese, the
classicalizing spelling "弥药语支" can be used to distinguish it from 木雅,
the Modern Menya language. Tangut is called 西夏语 anyway so there's no
problem about that.

I hope a "bonne continuation" for all and look forward to your ideas about it.

Best wishes,
Xun Gong


-- 
Xun GONG

CRLAO, INALCO/EHESS, Paris