TAKATA Yuki

Positions, degrees

Research Associate; JSPS Research Fellowship

Research Keywords

Manchu; Sibe; language contact; endangered languages

Email

gaotianyouji[at]aa.tufs.ac.jp

I conduct research that bridges the gap between the classical and the modern

The Manchu language, which is the subject of my research, is still spoken today. It is the Sibe language spoken in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. However, there are still many aspects that remain unclear regarding how this Sibe language is connected to Manchu, which was the official language of the Qing Dynasty. This is because the Manchu language, which we now have access to in vast quantities as source material, exhibits variations based on era, region, and whether it is written or spoken, In other words, these are Classical Manchu (the classical written language of Northeast China), which was written in the central regions during the Qing Dynasty, and Modern Sibe (the modern spoken language of Xinjiang). To bridge this gap, I am attempting to use materials compiled in Qing-era Xinjiang to trace the evolution of the Manchu language from Northeast China to Xinjiang during the Qing Dynasty, as well as the transition from Classical Manchu to Modern Sibe in Xinjiang. The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region borders China and Central Asia and has long been in contact with the languages and cultures of diverse ethnic groups. I hope that my research on the evolution of the Manchu language in Xinjiang will contribute not only to Manchu linguistics but also to the study of Chinese dialects and to our understanding of language contact in northwestern China and Central Asia.