Bhasha Journal of South Asian Linguistics, Philology
and Grammatical Traditions

Rivista | Bhasha
Fascicolo monografico | 2 | 1 | 2023
Articolo | Phonographic Characters in the Biography of Xuanzang by Hui Li

Phonographic Characters in the Biography of Xuanzang by Hui Li

The Declension of puruṣa (bùlùshā 布路沙)

Abstract

The article discusses an interesting case of the use of Chinese characters as phonographic devices: the Sanskrit declension of puruṣa (bùlùshā 布路沙) ‘man’ as transcribed by the Chinese monk Hui Li in his Biography of Xuanzang. In particular, the analysis will focus on two aspects: the way Hui Li renders the different Sanskrit nominal endings; the evaluation of the general accuracy of these transcriptions. For the latter point, I will take as reference the phonetic reconstructions of Chinese characters proposed by Pulleyblank (1991) and Baxter - Sagart (2014).


Open access | Peer reviewed

Presentato: 10 Febbraio 2023 | Accettato: 13 Marzo 2023 | Pubblicato 26 Giugno 2023 | Lingua: en

Keywords Middle ChineseSino-Indian contactChinese historical phonologyChinese Rime TablesChinese siddham studies


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