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Cited by 1Turkic and Altaic LinguisticsEurasian Exchange NetworksLinguistics and language evolution

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 12 of the 12 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 17 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Interpretation of Two Personal Names in the Ninth Line of the Tonyukuk Inscription (Toñ S2)

Open access
Ryken, Pavel, Telitsin, Nikolai·2021·Journal of the American Oriental Society
DOI 10.7817/jameroriesoci.140.2.0287
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Abstract

The paper deals with the etymology of the personal names Qunï Säŋün and Toŋra Simä appearing in the ninth line of the Old Turkic Tonyukuk inscription (ca. 716). These names are borne by the envoys sent by the kagan of the Tokuz Oghuz to the Chinese and Khitan, respectively, to conclude a military alliance against the Turks. Both names have the same structure, a combination of an ethnonym (qun(ï) vs. toŋra), referring to a tribal unit within the Tiele 鐵勒 confederation, and a title of Chinese origin (säŋün vs. simä). Based on a thorough analysis of historical and philological data, the authors try to establish possible ethnolinguistic grounds for the Tokuz Oghuz mission, which have so far eluded researchers of the inscription and can be fully restored only in the light of the latest discoveries in the history and philology of Inner Asia of the Old Turkic period, e.g., the decipherment of the famous Khüis Tolgoi inscription from Mongolia.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

The authors reinterpret two names in line 9 of the Tonyukuk inscription, arguing that Qunï Säŋün and Toŋra Simä are not ordinary personal names but combinations of an ethnicon and a Chinese-derived military title. They link the envoys’ tribal identities to the Tokuz Oghuz diplomatic missions to Tang China and the Khitan.

Key findings

  • The name *Qunï Säŋün* is analyzed as referring to a member/commander of the Xun/Kun tribe within the Tiele confederation, with *säŋün* borrowed from Chinese *jianjun* 將軍 “general,” rather than as a Chinese official’s personal name.
  • The name *Toŋra Simä* is analyzed as referring to a leader of the Toŋra tribe, with *simä* derived from Chinese *sima* 司馬, an adjutant or executive military office under the Sui and Tang.
  • The authors connect the choice of envoys to historical and linguistic factors: the Xun/Kun had long-standing ties with China, while the Toŋra were sent to the Khitan, whose Para-Mongolic/Serbi language may have been closer to the Toŋra’s linguistic environment.
  • They also accept the reading *küräg* “deserter, fugitive” rather than *körüg* “scout, spy” in the same passage.

Methods

  • Philological and historical analysis of the Old Turkic runiform text of the Tonyukuk inscription, especially line 9 / south side line 3, using photographs and modern editions.
  • Comparison with Chinese historical sources, including the *Suishu*, *Tang Huiyao*, and *Cefu Yuangui*, to identify the Xun/Kun and Toŋra within the Tiele confederation.
  • Etymological and phonological argumentation using Early Middle Chinese, Late Middle Chinese, and Old Uyghur transcriptions, plus recent scholarship on the Khüis Tolgoi inscription.

Limitations

  • The paper does not include a formal limitations section.
  • It acknowledges that some points cannot be settled from Old Turkic material alone, such as whether *säŋün* and *saŋun* reflect two different Chinese administrative terms.
  • Evident limitations include dependence on reconstructed pronunciations, debated etymologies, and fragmentary or ambiguous runiform readings; several conclusions are presented as probable rather than certain.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.7817/jameroriesoci.140.2.0287

Cites

12 of 12 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 17 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

  • Findingcitation

    The word in the ninth line that earlier scholars read as körüg 'scout, spy' is instead read by the authors as küräg 'deserter, fugitive'.

    “However, we accept the reading küräg 'deserter, fugitive', first suggested by James Hamilton”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites James Hamilton

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Findingown data

    The ninth line of the Tonyukuk inscription, dated around 716, contains the personal names Qunï Säŋün and Toŋra Simä.

    “The paper deals with the etymology of the personal names Qunï Säŋün and Toŋra Simä appearing in the ninth line of the Old Turkic Tonyukuk inscription (ca.716).”
    • Also stated in: § Abstract · plain
      “The names are attested in line nine (or line three of the south side) of the inscription in the following passage:”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingown data

    The two personal names in line 9 of the Tonyukuk inscription share a common structure: an ethnonym followed by a military title of Chinese origin.

    “To sum up, it can be noted that the names of both persons mentioned in line 9 of the Tonyukuk inscription have the same structure, which consists of an ethnonym (kun(ï) vs. toŋra) denoting a tribal unit within the Tiele confederation and a military title of Chinese origin (säŋün vs. simä).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingreasoning

    The Xun/Kun tribe sent a military commander on a mission to the Chinese court.

    “so a military commander of this tribe was sent on a mission to the Chinese court”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The Xun/Kun tribe maintained close relations with China over a long period.
  • Findingreasoning

    The form in question may be read as simä or sïma/sima.

    “Based on these considerations, the form in question may be read as simä or sïma/sima.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 19
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 17

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Findingnone given

    The inscription does not mention Tonyukuk's merits in the struggle against the Basmïls in 720.

    “Besides, the inscription makes no mention of the merits of Tonyukuk in the struggle against the Basmïls in 720.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Findingown data

    The accusative suffix written with a front g 2 G supports reading the name as simä, though the variant sïma/sima remains possible.

    “The presence of the accusative suffix spelled with a front g 2 G allows us to opt for the reading simä, but the variant sïma/sima cannot be excluded.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    In 646 the Toŋra took part in the defeat of the Xueyantuo by Tang and Tiele forces, and soon afterward the Guilin Area Command was created on their territory.

    “In 646 the Toŋra participated in the defeat of the Xueyantuo by the joint forces of the Tang Empire and the Tiele tribes, and shortly afterward Guilin Area Command 龜林都督府 was specially created on their territory by the Chinese authorities.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The authors may not put it forward as true. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisecitation

    According to de la Vaissière, the Khüis Tolgoi inscription may be a Tiele inscription commemorating the defeat of Niri Khagan by Bodhisattva Khagan.

    “According to de la Vaissière, 75 it may be a Tiele inscription, probably written in commemoration of the defeat of Niri Khagan (588-604) of the Western Turks by Bodhisattva Khagan of the Tiele.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites de la Vaissière

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisenone given

    By the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, after the Second Turkic Khaganate subdued the Tiele north of the Gobi, the Xun/Kun and three other tribes moved to Ganzhou and Liangzhou.

    “By the period of the reign of Empress Wu Zetian 武則天 (690-705), after the subjugation of the Tiele tribes that lived north of the Gobi by the growing power of the Second Turkic Khaganate, the Xun/Kun and another three tribes (Huihe 廻紇 = the Uyghurs, Qibi 契苾, and Sijie 思結) moved to Ganzhou 甘州 and Liangzhou 凉州 prefectures.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

    Interpretationreasoning

    A full understanding of the passage's events depends on recent advances in the history and philology of Inner Asia during the Old Turkic period.

    “The events described in this passage are to be explained by ethnolinguistic and historical reasons that have until now largely escaped scholarly attention and can be fully determined only in the light of the latest discoveries in the history and philology of Inner Asia of the Old Turkic period.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The name kunï can be interpreted as an ethnicon meaning 'the Xun(ï)/Kun(ï), a member of the Xun(ï)/Kun(ï) tribe', which challenges Radloff's traditional sinological interpretation.

    “Thus, the name kunï can be interpreted as an ethnicon: 'the Xun(ï)/Kun(ï), a member of the Xun(ï)/Kun(ï) tribe', which calls into question the traditional”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

    Interpretationreasoning

    It was natural for the Tokuz Oghuz khagan to send to Tang a high-ranking representative of a tribe with a long vassal relationship with China and joint military campaigns with Chinese troops.

    “For the Tokuz Oghuz khagan, it was quite natural to send to the Tang court a high-ranking representative of the tribe that had a long-standing vassal relationship with China and participated in joint military campaigns with the Chinese troops.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Interpretationcitation

    The Old Turkic form simä derives from the Chinese title sima 司馬, which under the Sui and Tang referred to the office of Adjutant.

    “The second hypothesis looks much more persuasive.It suggests that the Old Turkic form derives from the Chinese title sima 司馬 (EMC sɨ-ma B , LMC sz̩ -maː), which in different historical periods denoted various positions within the Chinese administrative system but under the Sui and Tang dynasties specifically referred to the office of Adjutant”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Rybatzki

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    In 647 the Xun/Kun and other Tiele tribes recognized Tang vassalage, and a special lesser prefecture of Eastern Gaolan was created for them with 1342 families and 5182 people, but it was soon abolished.

    “In 647 the Xun/Kun, along with other Tiele tribes, recognized vassal dependence on the Tang Empire, in consequence of which a special lesser prefecture of Eastern Gaolan 東皐 蘭, nominally under supervision of Lingzhou 靈州 Area Command (dudufu 都督府), 31 was created for them, with a total of 1342 families, 5182 people, but soon after abolished.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Interpretationown data

    Rybatzki's hypothesis that the word comes from Sanskrit siṃhá 'lion' is unconvincing phonologically, because Old Uyghur transcriptions keep medial h as k and replace anusvara ṃ with n.

    “However, such a comparison appears unconvincing on phonological grounds, at least if we take into account later Old Uyghur transcriptions of this Sanskrit word, in which the medial h is always retained and rendered by k <k/q>, 81 while the anusvara ṃ is regularly replaced by n”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Rybatzki

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    The Suishu states that the Toŋra lived north of the Tola river with four other Tiele tribes, and that their chieftains held the title irkin.

    “In the above-cited Suishu account of the Tiele, it is stated that the Toŋra lived to the north of the Tola river, along with four other Tiele tribes, and their chieftains bore the title irkin”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    The Tokuz Oghuz of the Orkhon inscriptions are identical with the Tiele of the Chinese sources; this was first proposed by Haneda Tōru in 1919 and is now generally accepted.

    “The identity of the Tokuz Oghuz of the Orkhon inscriptions with the Tiele of the Chinese sources was first suggested by the Japanese Sinologist Haneda Tōru in 1919 and is now generally accepted.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites Pulleyblank, “Some Remarks on the Toquzoghuz Problem,” 35-36

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Czeglédy, “Zur Stammesorganisation,” 89-93

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Senga, “The Toqhuz Oghuz Problem,” 58

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisecitation

    Chinese sources describe the Toŋra (tongluo 同羅) as part of the Tiele tribal confederation.

    “In Chinese sources the Toŋra (tongluo 同羅, EMC duŋ-lâ, LMC tɦəwŋ-la) are also described as belonging to the Tiele tribal confederation.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    The Khüis Tolgoi inscription is written in a special Brāhmī script variety and in an unknown language with many Proto-Mongolic morphological and lexical elements.

    “showed that the inscription, originally located at the very heart of the Ötükän land, is written in a special variety of the Brāhmī script in an unknown language with a significant number of Proto-Mongolic morphological and lexical elements.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisecitation

    According to de la Vaissière, for most of the seventh century the Tiele held power over most originally Turkic lands north of the Gobi, including the Ötükän land.

    “According to a recent study by Étienne de la Vaissière, 71 during almost the whole of the seventh century, it was the Tiele that held power over most of the originally Turkic lands north of the Gobi Desert, including the”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Étienne de la Vaissière

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    The name Xun/Kun probably entered Turkic from Sogdian and is regarded by Hamilton as identical with the names of the European Huns and the Far Eastern Xiongnu.

    “On the other hand, the very name Xun/Kun, probably passed into Turkic from Sogdian, 38 is regarded by Hamilton 39 as identical to those of the European Huns and the Far Eastern Xiongnu.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Hamilton

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    The episode of the envoys took place shortly before the battle on the Tola River between the Eastern Turks and the Tokuz Oghuz, which according to Kli͡ashtornyĭ may have occurred between 687 and 691, most likely in 688 or 689.

    “This episode took place shortly before the battle on the Tola River between the Eastern Turks and the Tokuz Oghuz, which, according to Kli ͡ ashtornyĭ (Drevneti ͡ urkskie runicheskie pami ͡ atniki, 33-34), may have occurred between 687 and 691, most likely in 688 or 689.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Kli ͡ ashtornyĭ

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    Unlike the Xun/Kun, the Toŋra joined the military conflicts between some Tiele tribes and the Tang in 660-663, which probably ended the Tiele confederation's vassal relationship with China.

    “Unlike the Xun/Kun, they took part in the military conflicts between some Tiele tribes and the Tang in 660-663, which probably ended with the cessation of the vassal relationship of (most members of) the Tiele confederation with China.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisenone given

    The Tiele confederation contained many ethnic groups, including Turkic-speaking groups and groups that may have spoken Proto- or Para-Mongolic or Iranian idioms.

    “The Tiele confederation comprised a large number of ethnic groups, both Turkic-speaking (including the Uyghurs) and those that may have spoken some Proto-or Para-Mongolic 69 or even Iranian 70 idioms.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The Tonyukuk text may be considered an exculpatory document describing Tonyukuk's merits and military achievements in forming and expanding the khaganate.

    “By its content the text may be considered a kind of an exculpatory document that describes the merits and military achievements of Tonyukuk in the formation and expansion of the khaganate.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    In 686 the Toŋra rebelled again and were defeated by Chinese troops, but by the early eighth century they supported the Tang against the Second Turkic Khaganate and received awards in 719.

    “In 686 the Toŋra”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Old Turkic borrowed the title säŋün from the Chinese jianjun 將軍 'general'.

    “It is commonly accepted that Old Turkic borrowed it from the Chinese jianjun 將軍 (EMC tsjaŋ-kjwən, LMC tsiaŋ-kyn) 'general'.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    According to the Tang dynastic histories, the Toŋra lived east of the Duolange and north of the Xueyantuo, and they are also mentioned among the tribes at the Ötükän mountains.

    “According to the Tang dynastic histories, they lived east of the Duolange 多覽葛 and north of the Xueyantuo 薛延陀; they are also mentioned among the tribes staying at the Ötükän mountains.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisenone given

    In Old Turkic transcriptions of foreign words, front-vowel and back-vowel forms often fluctuate, and vowel harmony in suffixation is often violated.

    “In Old Turkic transcriptions of foreign words, fluctuations between front-vowel and back-vowel forms (cf.above, säŋün ~ saŋun), as well as violations of the vowel harmony rules in suffixation, are commonly observed.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Interpretationnone given

    The idea that säŋün and saŋun come from two different Chinese administrative terms cannot be confirmed or refuted using Old Turkic material alone.

    “There is a view according to which the forms säŋün and saŋun go back to two different Chinese administrative terms, 58 but it can hardly be confirmed or refuted on the basis of Old Turkic language material alone.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Because the Khüis Tolgoi inscription dates to the early seventh century, at least one Proto-Mongolic variety seems then to have been widely distributed among the Tiele and to have had official written status.

    “Since the inscription dates back to the very beginning of the seventh century, this seems to suggest that at least at that time one of the Proto-Mongolic varieties had a fairly wide distribution among the Tiele tribes, as well as a well-established official status, in order to be put into writing.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The authors may not put it forward as true. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisecitation

    Tocharian B simā, meaning '[executive] adjutant, marshal' (?), was most probably borrowed from an Early Middle Chinese form of this title.

    “An anonymous reviewer of our paper has kindly drawn our attention to Tocharian B simā '[executive] adjutant, marshal' (?), most probably also borrowed from an Early Middle Chinese form of this title”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Adams, A Dictionary of Tocharian B, vol. 2: 758

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

28 of 28

  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Some part of the Khounni tribe could have remained within the Tiele confederation after most Oghurs migrated west.

    “It can be assumed that some part of the Khounni (Χουννί) tribe could remain within the Tiele confederation after the migration of most of the Oghurs to the West.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    A Chinese official serving the Turks, if sent back to China on a diplomatic mission, would certainly be executed as a traitor.

    “if a Chinese official in the service of the Turks was sent back to China on a diplomatic mission, he would certainly be put to death as a traitor.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    An envoy sent on an important diplomatic mission would not bear the nickname 'Quiet, Silent'.

    “it is hard to imagine that the envoy sent on an important diplomatic mission bore the nickname”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The Xun/Kun tribe maintained close relations with China over a long period.

    “the Xun/Kun tribe had long-term close relations with China”
4 of 4

Citations

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 39

  1. See Marcel Erdal, Old Turkic Word Formation: A Functional Approach to the Lexicon, 2 vols., Turcolo- gica, vol. 7 (Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1991), vol. 1: 196;
  2. Talât Tekin, Tunyukuk yazıtı, Türk Dilleri Araştır- maları Dizisi, vol. 5 (Ankara: Simurg, 1994), 32; idem, "Some Remarks on the Tunyukuk Inscription," in Beläk bitig: Sprachstudien für Gerhard Doerfer zum 75. Geburtstag, ed. Marcel Erdal and Semih Tezcan, Turcologica, vol. 23 (Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1995), 213;
  3. Árpád Berta, "Neue Lesungs-und Deutungsvorschläge für die Inschrift Tońuquq," Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 48.3 (1995): 313-15;
  4. "About qwγ and qwni säŋünüg from Old Turkic Inscriptions," Türk Dilleri Araştırmaları 28.2 (2018): 101-7.
  5. See Marcel Erdal, "The Chronological Classification of Old Turkish Texts," Central Asiatic Journal 23.3/4 (1979): 151-75; idem, Grammar of Old Turkic, 170-71.
  6. Wang Pu 王溥, comp., Tang Huiyao 唐會要, Siku quanshu edition, 100 juan in 32 vols., available online at the Chinese Text Project website (https://ctext.org/library.pl?if=en&res=239), vol. 32: j. 98, 2b-3a.
  7. Pulleyblank, "Some Remarks on the Toquzoghuz Problem," 39. See also Liu Mau-tsai, Die chinesischen Nachrichten, vol. 2: 592;
  8. Étienne de la Vaissière, "Huns et Xiongnu," Central Asiatic Journal 49.1 (2005): 3-26.
  9. Liu Mau-tsai, Die chinesischen Nachrichten, vol. 1: 127. 41. "Huns and Xiōngnu," 36-38.
  10. Charles O. Hucker, A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China (Stanford: Stanford Univ. Press, 1985), 140a, no. 694.
  11. Talat Tekin, "The Tariat (Terkhin) Inscription," Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 37.1/3 (1982): 48;
  12. Rybatzki, Die Toñuquq-Inschrift, 91. 59. This war may have taken place either in 716 or in 723/724. See Grigoriĭ E. Grumm-Grzhimaĭlo, Zapadnai ͡ a Mongolii ͡ a i Uri ͡ ankhaĭskiĭ kraĭ, 3 vols. (St. Petersburg, 1914-1930), vol. 2: 320;
  13. Liu Mau-tsai, Die chinesischen Nachrichten, vol. 2: 591-92.
  14. Chavannes, Documents sur les Tou-kiue, 87 n. 3; Liu Mau-tsai, Die chinesischen Nachrichten, vol. 1: 354; vol. 2: 721 n. 1793; Mali ͡ avkin, Tanskie khroniki o gosudarstvakh T ͡ Sentralʹnoĭ Azii, 143 n. 55.
  15. Liu Mau-tsai, Die chinesischen Nachrichten, vol. 1: 127; Golden, Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples, 155-56; Dobrovits, "The Altaic World through Byzantine Eyes," 375.
  16. Cf. Prokopiĭ B. Konovalov, Ėtnicheskie aspekty istorii T ͡ Sentralʹnoĭ Azii (drevnostʹ i srednevekovʹe) (Ulan- Udė: Izdatelʹstvo BNT ͡ S SO RAN, 1999), 105-6; Golden, Studies on the Peoples and Cultures of the Eurasian Steppes, 32. Cf. also the hydronym Chile 敕勒 (*Tegreg), reflecting the same original form as the name of the Tiele confederation itself, which is attested in the famous Para-Mongolic (Serbi) song Chile Ge 敕勒歌 (*Tegreg Song). See Andrew Shimunek, Languages of Ancient Southern Mongolia and North China: A Historical-Comparative Study of the Serbi-Mongolic Language Family, with an Analysis of Northeastern Frontier Chinese and Old Tibetan Phonology, Tunguso-Sibirica, vol. 40 (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2017), 44 n. 32.
  17. "Away from the Ötüken: A Geopolitical Approach to the Seventh Century Eastern Türks," in Complexity of Interaction along the Eurasian Steppe Zone in the First Millenium CE, ed. Jan Bemmann and Michael Schmauder, Bonn Contributions to Asian Archaeology, vol. 7 (Bonn: Vor-und Frühgeschichtliche Archäologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, 2015), 453-61.
  18. See Mehmet Ölmez, "The Khüis Tolgoi Inscription: On the Discovery, Whereabouts, Condition of the Stones, and On-the-spot Visit," Journal Asiatique 306.2 (2018): 287-89, doi: 10.2143/JA.306.2.3285619; · DOI
  19. Dieter Maue, "Signs and Sounds," ibid.: 291-301, doi: 10.2143/JA.306.2.3285620; · DOI
  20. Alexander Vovin, "An Interpretation of the Khüis Tolgoi Inscription," ibid.: 303-13, doi: 10.2143/JA.306.2.3285621; Étienne de la Vaissière, "The Historical Context to the Khüis Tolgoi Inscription," ibid.: 315-19, doi: 10.2143/JA.306.2.3285622. · DOI
  21. Mehmet Ölmez, "Hüis Tolgoi Inscription: On the Discovery, the Whereabouts, Condition of the Stones, and Our Expedition," accessed June 25, 2019, https://www.academia.edu/34765961/Hüis_Tolgoi_Inscription_On_the_discovery_the_whereabouts_condi- tion_of_the_stones_and_our_expedition;
  22. Alexander Vovin, "Interpretation of the Hüis Tolgoi Inscription," accessed June 25, 2019, https://www.academia.edu/34550816/Interpretation_of_the_H%C3%BCis_Tolgoi_Inscription;
  23. Étienne de la Vaissière, "The Historical Context to the Hüis Tolgoi Inscription," accessed June 25, 2019, https:// www.academia.edu/34569840/The_Historical_context_to_the_H%C3%BCis_Tolgoi_inscription.
  24. The same also applies for the language of the Bugut Brāhmī inscription of ca. 581, dated even a little earlier than the Khüis Tolgoi inscription, as convincingly shown by Dieter Maue, "The Brāhmī Script on the Bugut Stele," Journal Asiatique 307.1 (2019): 109-19, doi: 10.2143/JA.307. · DOI
  25. 3286343, and Alexander Vovin, "Groping in the Dark: The First Attempt to Interpret the Bugut Brāhmī Inscription," ibid.: 121-34, doi: 10.2143/JA.307.1.3286344. · DOI
  26. Juha Janhunen, Routledge Lan- guage Family Series, vol. 5 (London: Routledge, 2003), 391-402;
  27. Wu Yingzhe and Juha Janhunen, New Materials on the Khitan Small Script: A Critical Edition of Xiao Dilu and Yelü Xiangwen, Corpus Scriptorum Chitanorum, vol. 1/ Languages of Asia, vol. 9 (Folkestone: Global Oriental, 2010); Shimunek, Languages of Ancient Southern Mongolia and North China, 197-281.
  28. Cf. Middle Mongol sem 'silent', probably also in the sense of 'taciturn' (The Secret History of the Mon- gols, mid-thirteenth century; see Igor de Rachewiltz, tr., The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian Epic Chronicle of the Thirteenth Century, 2 vols. [Leiden: Brill, 2006], vol. 1: 238), sem bai ̯ ba 'stoi ͡ al spokoĭno', sem bayilγaba 'zastavil ego stoi ͡ atʹ tikho', sem bayilγaqsan ere 'zastavlennyĭ bytʹ tikhim muzhchina', sem bī 'tikh' (the Muqaddimat al-adab, fourteenth century; see Nikolaĭ N. Poppe, Mongolʹskiĭ slovarʹ Mukaddimat al-Adab, 2 pts.
  29. Preclassical Written Mongol sem 'quiet, silent' (the Mongol ver- sion of the Subhāṣitaratnanidhi, late thirteenth or early fourteenth century; see György Kara, Dictionary of Sonom Gara's Erdeni-yin Sang: A Middle Mongol Version of the Tibetan Sa skya Legs bshad. Mongol-English-Tibetan, Brill's Inner Asian Library, vol. 23 [Leiden: Brill, 2009], 257);
  30. secretly, by stealth, furtively' (Ferdinand D. Lessing, ed., Mongolian-English Dictionary [Berkeley and Los Ange- les: Univ. of California Press, 1960], 687a).
  31. See, for example, Gerhard Doerfer, "Mongolica im Alttürkischen," in Bruno Lewin zu Ehren: Festschrift aus Anlaß seines 65. Geburtstages, vol. 3: Korea, ed.
  32. Michael Kühl and Werner Sasse (Bochum: Brockmeier, 1992), 39-56; idem, "The Older Mongolian Layer in Ancient Turkic," Türk Dilleri Araştırmaları 3 (1993): 79-86;
  33. Alexander Vovin, "Some Thoughts on the Origins of the Old Turkic 12-Year Animal Cycle," Central Asiatic Journal 48.1 (2004): 118-32;
  34. Volker Rybatzki, "Mongolische Lehnwörter bei Maḥmūd al-Kāšγarī?" in Maḥmūd al- Kāşġarī'nin 1000. doğum yıldönümü dolayısıyla Uluslararası Dīvānu Luġāti't-Turk Sempozyumu 5-7 Eylül 2008, İstanbul = The Dīvānu Luġāti't-Turk International Symposium: In Commemoration of Maḥmūd al-Kāšγarī's 1000th Birthday, 5th-7th September 2008, Istanbul, ed.
  35. Hayati Develi et al., Türk Dilleri Araştırmaları Dizisi, vol. 63 (Istanbul: Eren, 2011), 367-80.
  36. Cf. Klaus Röhrborn, "Zur Darstellung der Gutturale in den indischen Fremdwörtern des Uigurischen," Cent- ral Asiatic Journal 32.3/4 (1988): 233-35, 238-39.
  37. See Eddy Moerloose, "Sanskrit Loan Words in Uighur," Journal of Turkish Studies 4 (1980): 61-78.
  38. Hucker, Dictionary of Official Titles, 452b, no. 5713. An anonymous reviewer of our paper has kindly drawn our attention to Tocharian B simā '[executive] adjutant, marshal' (?), most probably also borrowed from an Early Middle Chinese form of this title (Douglas Q. Adams, A Dictionary of Tocharian B: Revised and Greatly Enlarged, 2 vols., Leiden Studies in Indo-European, vol. 10 [Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2013], vol. 2: 758).
  39. Mehmet Ölmez, "Uygurca Xuanzang-Biyografisindeki Çince alıntılar (Chinesische Lehnwörter in uig- urischer Xuanzang-Biographie)," Türk Dilleri Araştırmaları 4 (1995): 125;

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Metadata

Authors
Ryken, P., & Telitsin, N.
Affiliations
Institute of Linguistic Studies (RU)
Venue
Journal of the American Oriental Society
Publisher
American Oriental Society
Published
2021-09-19
Volume
140
Issue
2
ISSN
  • 0003-0279 (ISSN-L)
  • 2169-2289
DOI
10.7817/jameroriesoci.140.2.0287
OpenAlex
W3041357497
Cited by
1
References
10
Citations by year
2021: 1
FWCI
1.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
Journal of the American Oriental Society (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Turkic and Altaic Linguistics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Eurasian Exchange Networks
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Linguistics and language evolution
Keywords
etymology of names, ethnonyms, Khitan, Inner Asian history

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