Waxiang Chinese

Waxiang (; ) is a divergent variety of Chinese, spoken by the Waxiang people, an unrecognized ethnic minority group in the northwestern part of Hunan province, China. Waxiang is a distinct language, and is very different from the surrounding Southwestern Mandarin, Xiang Chinese, and the Eastern Miao (Xong) languages.

Classification

Waxiang is widely considered a Chinese variety.

Nevertheless, as noted by Laurent Sagart (2011) and others, Waxiang appears to share some words with the Caijia language of western Guizhou. Sagart (2011) considers Caijia to be a sister of Waxiang. Currently, Waxiang is classified as a divergent Chinese variety rather than a non-Sinitic language. Similarities among Old Chinese, Waxiang, Caijia, and Bai have also been pointed out by Wu & Shen (2010).

Although most Waxiang speakers are classified as ethnic Miao by People's Republic of China, Qu & Tang (2017) show that Waxiang and Miao (Qo Xiong) have had little mutual influence on each other.

Distribution

Waxianghua is found in Luxi, Guzhang and Yongshun counties in Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Zhangjiajie prefecture-level city (in Dayong ), and Chenxi, Xupu and Yuanling counties in Huaihua prefecture-level city. Neighboring languages include Southwestern Mandarin, Xiang Chinese, Tujia, Qo Xiong, and Hm Nai.

• means 'speech' in Mandarin Chinese,
• means 'rural' in Mandarin Chinese
• means 'speech' in Southern Chinese dialects.

The word is only a phonetic transcription.

Wu & Shen (2010) report Waxianghua to be spoken in the following villages.

• Yuanling County: Qingshuiping , Maxipu , Taichang , Wusu , Liangshuijing
• Luxi County: Basheping , Shangbao , Liangjiatan , Baisha
• Guzhang County: Linchang of Gaowangjie , Gaofeng (in Taojin , Beishuiping , etc.), Yantouzhai , Shanzao , Yezhu , Hepeng , Caotan
• Chenxi County: Tianwan , Banqiao , Chuanxiyi , Tanjiafang
• Xupu County: Rangjiaxi , Daweixi , Muxi
• Yongshun County: Limin , Zhenxi , Xiaoxi of Wangcun Township

Liubaohua , a dialect closely related to Waxianghua, is spoken in several villages in southeastern Guzhang County (including in Shaojitian Village , Shanzao Township ) and parts of Luxi County. Liubaohua is spoken in the following locations (Zou 2013).

• Guzhang County
• Shanzao Township : Huoma , Gaozhai , Shaojitian , Modao
• Yantouzhai Township : Yinping , Zimuping , Wangouxi , etc.
• Luxi County: Basheping Township
• Yuanling County: Maxipu Town and Shaojiwan Town

The Nanshan dialect of Waxianghua () is spoken in parts of Chengbu County, Hunan and Longsheng County, Guangxi by about 1,100 Waxiang people who had originally migrated from Yuanling County. Their villages include:

• Chengbu County, Hunan
• Xuntou Village 巡头村 and Mugua Village 木瓜村, both of which are in Wutuan Town 五团镇
• Juezhiping Village 蕨枝坪村, Nanshan Town 南山镇
• Longsheng County, Guangxi
• Ganjia Village 甘甲村, Weishan Township 伟江乡

Phonology

Conservative features

Waxiang preserves a number of features of Old Chinese not found in most modern varieties of Chinese, such as the initial *l- (which became a voiced dental stop in Middle Chinese):

• Guzhang li⁶, OC (Baxter–Sagart) > MC > Mandarin 'earth, ground'
• Guzhang lu⁶, OC > MC > Mandarin 'big'
• Guzhang li², OC > MC > Mandarin 'slow'
• Guzhang luʔ⁸, OC > MC > Mandarin 'read'

Waxiang also has some cases of for Old Chinese *r- (which became l- in Middle Chinese):

• Guzhang za², OC > MC > Mandarin 'pear tree, pear'
• Guzhang zɛ², OC > > MC > Mandarin 'come'

In a number of words, Waxiang and Proto-Min have affricate initials where Middle Chinese has sy-:

• Guzhang tsu³, pMin ^B, OC > MC > Mandarin 'water'
• Guzhang tɕiəu¹, pMin ^A, OC > MC > Mandarin 'writing'

In some words, Waxiang and Proto-Min have voiced affricates where Middle Chinese has y-:

• Guzhang dzoŋ³, pMin ^B, OC > MC > Mandarin 'itch'

Waxiang and Caijia

Sagart (2011) argues that Waxiang and Caijia together constitute the earliest branching of Chinese. However, Sagart later retracted this proposal, saying that he is no longer sure whether Waxiang and Caijia actually form a subgroup together.

Like Waxiang, Caijia preserves Old Chinese *l-, has a voiced fricative reflex of *r-, and retains the Old Chinese word 'love', which has been replaced by in all other Chinese varieties. Waxiang and Caijia also share two words not found in other Chinese varieties:

• 'two': Caijia , Waxiang , from Old Chinese 'twice'
• 'milk': Caijia , Waxiang , which Sagart suggests is a non-Sinitic word

References

Further reading

• Hilary Chappell (2012), "Typology of an isolated Sinitic language: Waxiang, a language of northwestern Hunan, China" (presentation slides), keynote at 45th International Conference on Sino-Tibetan Languages and Linguistics.
• Yang, Wei [杨蔚]. 1999. Yuanling Xianghua yanjiu [沅陵乡话研究]. Changsha: Hunan Educational Press [湖南敎育出版社].
• Yang, Wei [杨蔚]. 2010. Xiangxi Xianghua yuyin yanjiu [湘西乡话语音研究]. Guangzhou: Guangdong Press [广东省出版集团].
• Zheng, Yanxia [郑焱霞]; Peng, Jianguo [彭建国]. 2016. Hunan Chengbu Xuntou Xianghua yanjiu [湖南城步巡头乡话研究]. Hunan Normal University Press [湖南师范大学出版社].
• Chen, Hui [陈晖]. 2016. Hunan Luxi Liangjiatan Xianghua yanjiu [湖南泸溪梁家潭乡话研究]. Hunan Normal University Press [湖南师范大学出版社].
• Chen, Hui [陈晖]. 2019. Hunan Luxi Xianghua [湖南泸溪乡话]. Beijing: The Commercial Press [商务印书馆]. .
• Deng, Jie [邓婕]. 2020. Xiangxi Xianghua jiechu yu yanbian yanjiu [湘西乡话的接触与演变研究]. Beijing: The Commercial Press.
• Li, Jiaolei [李姣雷]. 2021. Xiangxi Xianghua yuyin cengci ji yanbian yanjiu [湘西乡话语音层次及演变研究] / Phonological Strata and Evolution of Xianghua Dialects of Western Xiang. Beijing: The Commercial Press.