Dongxiang Language Of The Mongolian Ethnic Chinese Contact Study

The DongXiang language belongs to the Altaic language family of Mongolian language system. For a long time, the DongXiang language has been surrounded by the Chinese and the Tibet language families, and has been deeply influenced by the Chinese. But the previous reseaches has attached more importance to the historical comparison, and the development and the evolvement of the DongXiang language has never been elaberated systimatically in the point of the language contact. This article discusses on the historical development of the DongXiang language from the aspect of language contact. By analyzing the condition, method, process, result of the contact between the DongXiang language and the Chinese, the article provides an example for the contact and influence between the Altaic and the Chinese, Tibet, and a new model for the research of the language contact.The whole article is composed of six sections.The first section is the introduction part. It briefly introduces the present situation and the historical development of the DongXiang nation, basic features and the usage of the DongXiang language. In this section, it offers an opinion that the DX language has developed on the base of the medieval mongolian language according to the characteristics of the phonetics, vocabulary, grammar in the DX language and the mongolian historical documents.In section two, The contact and the influence between the DX language and the Chinese has it's complex social and historical conditions. Looking from the DX nation's language and history, it mainly because the DX nation has lived in same area with the Chinese nationality and the Hui nationality, and for the purpose of communication, through learning, the bilingual appearance has taken shape. The form of the DX nation's bilingual language society has briefly experienced three stages. In the bilingual language society, borrowing or lending money and analogyhas become the two major methods in the contact and influence of the DX language and the Chinese. Because of the religious elements, during the process of contact between the DX language and the Chinese, the frequently used wordings and the "Xiaojing"characters coulden't be neglected. The appreance of the frequently used wordings and the "Xiaojing"characters has promoted the completely changes of the pronouncing habit of the DX language speakers .In section three,it mainly expounds the Chinese influences the phonetic system of the DX language now. Under the influence of the Chinese, the native speakers' phonetic habit had changed completely, and for this reason, the phonetic system of the DX language have had a series of changes. The basic monophthong decreased;the diphthong increased;long vowel not developed;most of the consonants which are at the end of syllables dropped or varied;Vowel Harmony trend to disintegrated, etc. After the variation, the phonetic system has drawn close to the Chinese language obviously.In section four, it mainly expounds what influence the Chinese has on the DX language vocabulary. The borrowed words from the Chinese language takes the percentage of 40% or so in the DX language. The pronounciation of the borrowed words is accustomed to keep the complete appearance, and similar to the Chinese local language. The borrowed words together with the proper words are coexist and used together, and the semantic takes on complementary;or the scope of the proper words has been reduced;or the sense of the proper words has been transferred meanings. It has become more and more universal that the borrowed words from the Chinese have replaced the proper words.As the influence of the Chinese deepened, the Chinese grammar structure has permeated tothe DX language, and it has made the original grammatical system of the DX language has appeared some changes.in section five, it mainly explores about the changes in grammar system. For example, after the Co-ordinate verb, an adjective can be linked directly, Catenative verb and the case of noun can be omitted, etc. The changes reflects the trend that the DX language grammar system has gradually deviated the original developing course. It's especially obvious that the DX language has changed from the words with Post-position into the preposition words. The permeation of Chinses grammar structure is related to the browing of Chinese sentence.The section six is the conclusion part. First, it mainly talks about the position of the contact between the Chinese and the DX language among the various kinds of language contacts, and the diachronic mechanismof the contact between the Chinese and the DX language. According to the contact between the Chinese and the DX language, it can be orientated in such three extents as the change of the vocabulary system, the change of the social function and the influence of the social function. In the point of vocabulary system's change, the DX language has emerged partial differences, and among them, the biggest difference is the phonetic system;secondary, the vocabulary system;the finally, the grammar system. In the point of the social function's change, the DX language has been in the process of the (being used at the same time), and in the different language environment, the DX language and the Chinese have undertaken different communicative functions. As far as the influence concerned, the influence which the Chinese has on the DX language belongs to the deeper infuences among the languages. The DX language is not a mixed language, as well as not a mixed phenomenon of languages, and it doesn't emerge qualitative changes.Second,it expounds what inlightenment the research of the DX language and the Chinese has for the language contact research. And the inlightenment is embodied that : the speech sounds' systimatic change can be originated from the language contact;the connected relationship between languages can has_layered functionas promoting or delaying the language development;the influence one kind of language on another kind of language has an active side, as well as a passive side;the contact and the influence of language can be layered. Finally, the contact between the DX language and the Chinese can be described as "changing direction— similar structure-coordinating with each other". Under the strong influence of the Chinese, the DX language has deviated its intrinsic developing track, changed its developing direction, namely "changing direction";there are many similar language phenomena between the DX language and the Chinese, namely "similar structure";the DX language is influenced by the Chinese, at the same time, there is also some influence on local Chinese language by means of interfering the native language, and it reflects that the harmonization in the process of the contact between the DX language and the Chinese, namely "coordinating with each other".