Review of Zangmianyu Yuyin He Cihui "Tibeto-Burman phonology and lexicon"

Abstract

China, the Utheimat of the great Sino-Tibetan linguistic family, boasts more than forty Tibeto-Burman languages, some of which have been identified only recently. Located mostly in remote corners of the country, these languages had never been subject to systematic investigation until the monumental Linguistic Survey of China conducted in the late fifties. Owing mainly to financial difficulties, the greater part of the enormous data collected during the survey—cabinets and cabinets of handwritten manuscripts hoarded now in the Institute of Minority Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing—have unfortunately yet to see the light of publication.' In the meantime, more recent field trips to Tibet, Sichuan, and Yunnan undertaken by individual linguists keep adding new members to the growing list of Tibeto-Burman languages of China.