Ancient Texts and Languages of Ethnic Groups Along the Silk Road
Ancient Texts and Languages of Ethnic Groups Along the Silk Road

Author: Johannes Reckel

Publisher: Universitätsverlag Göttingen

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 230

ISBN-13: 3863954890

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Central Asia has been dominated by Mongolian and Turkic speaking nations for the past 1300 years. Uyghurs and Uzbeks were the most important traders on the Central Asian Silk Roads. Earlier Sogdians and Tokharians and other ethnic groups speaking Indo-Germanic (Indo-Iranian) languages were active on these ancient trade routes. In the 18th and 19th century a Tungus language, Manchu, became important for Sinkiang, Mongolia and the whole of China. Expansion policy of different realms, comprehensive commercial activities and the spread of religious ideas facilitated the exchange of (cultural) knowledge along the Silk Road. Texts and scripts tell us not only about the different groups that were in contact, but also reflect details of diplomatic, religious, and economic ambitions and the languages that were used for these different forms of communication. Several examples of contact induced language change or specific linguistic influence as a result of contacts along the Silk Road invite us to understand more about the frequency, intensity and intention of contacts that took place in very different regions connected by the Silk Road.

The Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction
The Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction

Author: James A. Millward

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2013-04-26

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 0199782865

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The Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction is a new look at an ancient subject: the silk road that linked China, India, Persia and the Mediterranean across the expanses of Central Asia. James A. Millward highlights unusual but important biological, technological and cultural exchanges over the silk roads that stimulated development across Eurasia and underpin civilization in our modern, globalized world.

The Silk Roads
The Silk Roads

Author: Peter Frankopan

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2016-02-16

Total Pages: 688

ISBN-13: 1101946334

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INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • Far more than a history of the Silk Roads, this book is truly a revelatory new history of the world, promising to destabilize notions of where we come from and where we are headed next. "A rare book that makes you question your assumptions about the world.” —The Wall Street Journal From the Middle East and its political instability to China and its economic rise, the vast region stretching eastward from the Balkans across the steppe and South Asia has been thrust into the global spotlight in recent years. Frankopan teaches us that to understand what is at stake for the cities and nations built on these intricate trade routes, we must first understand their astounding pasts. Frankopan realigns our understanding of the world, pointing us eastward. It was on the Silk Roads that East and West first encountered each other through trade and conquest, leading to the spread of ideas, cultures and religions. From the rise and fall of empires to the spread of Buddhism and the advent of Christianity and Islam, right up to the great wars of the twentieth century—this book shows how the fate of the West has always been inextricably linked to the East. Also available: The New Silk Roads, a timely exploration of the dramatic and profound changes our world is undergoing right now—as seen from the perspective of the rising powers of the East.

The Turfan Dialect of Uyghur
The Turfan Dialect of Uyghur

Author: Abdurishid Yakup

Publisher: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 508

ISBN-13: 9783447052337

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This volume presents a synchronic description of the phonology, morphology and lexicon of a local variety of modern Uyghur, which is mainly spoken in Turfan, one of the famous ancient cultural centres in the Silk Road. It includes three descriptive chapters, a rather large corpus of texts and a dialect vocabulary. Descriptive chapters focus mainly on actual and uniform phonological, morphological and lexical features distinguishing this local dialect from the standard form and other regional varieties of modern Uyghur, whereas the text part provides a comprehensive and reliable linguistic sample of all possible regional varieties of the Turfan dialect and presents a corpus of oral history and folk literature of the Turfan region, reflecting ethnological and geographical peculiarities of the local settlements. All data are given in International Phonetic Alphabet together with a direct translation as well as with linguistic and extra-linguistic explanations.

Routledge Handbook of the Belt and Road
Routledge Handbook of the Belt and Road

Author: Cai Fang

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-05-22

Total Pages: 643

ISBN-13: 0429511620

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Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, a development strategy involving infrastructure development and investments in countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. It has rapidly turned into action, reflected in the establishment of a series of international cooperation mechanisms, landing of cooperation projects, and harvest of some early results. The influence is huge, and controversy is not unexpected. As one of the most frequently mentioned concepts in the official media, how does the “bid to enhance regional connectivity” construct a unified large market through cultural exchange and integration in practice? What is the status quo of building an innovative pattern with capital inflows, talent pool, and technology database? Routledge Handbook of the Belt and Road is an initial review of the theory and practice of BRI, and is the first handbook of its kind. Contributors are leading subject researchers, aiming to reflect the original intentions and principles, history and current situation, basic knowledge and latest studies. A total of 117 entries related to the BRI have been included, organised into 12 clear parts covering the following key topics: • China’s reform and opening-up and formation of the BRI • Backstory, concept and framework • The five roads and six economic corridors • Foreign affairs with Chinese characteristics • International action plans relevant and similar to the BRI • Case studies of the BRI implementation and promotion Routledge Handbook of the Belt and Road is an essential guide for researchers, practitioners and observers involved in the BRI construction. Global think tanks, media practitioners and universities will also find the book a useful reference.

Empires of the Silk Road
Empires of the Silk Road

Author: Christopher I. Beckwith

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2009-03-16

Total Pages: 506

ISBN-13: 1400829941

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An epic account of the rise and fall of the Silk Road empires The first complete history of Central Eurasia from ancient times to the present day, Empires of the Silk Road represents a fundamental rethinking of the origins, history, and significance of this major world region. Christopher Beckwith describes the rise and fall of the great Central Eurasian empires, including those of the Scythians, Attila the Hun, the Turks and Tibetans, and Genghis Khan and the Mongols. In addition, he explains why the heartland of Central Eurasia led the world economically, scientifically, and artistically for many centuries despite invasions by Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Chinese, and others. In retelling the story of the Old World from the perspective of Central Eurasia, Beckwith provides a new understanding of the internal and external dynamics of the Central Eurasian states and shows how their people repeatedly revolutionized Eurasian civilization. Beckwith recounts the Indo-Europeans' migration out of Central Eurasia, their mixture with local peoples, and the resulting development of the Graeco-Roman, Persian, Indian, and Chinese civilizations; he details the basis for the thriving economy of premodern Central Eurasia, the economy's disintegration following the region's partition by the Chinese and Russians in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the damaging of Central Eurasian culture by Modernism; and he discusses the significance for world history of the partial reemergence of Central Eurasian nations after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Empires of the Silk Road places Central Eurasia within a world historical framework and demonstrates why the region is central to understanding the history of civilization.

Atlas of Languages of Intercultural Communication in the Pacific, Asia, and the Americas
Atlas of Languages of Intercultural Communication in the Pacific, Asia, and the Americas

Author: Stephen A. Wurm

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

Published: 2011-02-11

Total Pages: 1903

ISBN-13: 3110819724

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“An absolutely unique work in linguistics publishing – full of beautiful maps and authoritative accounts of well-known and little-known language encounters. Essential reading (and map-viewing) for students of language contact with a global perspective.” Prof. Dr. Martin Haspelmath, Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionäre Anthropologie The two text volumes cover a large geographical area, including Australia, New Zealand, Melanesia, South -East Asia (Insular and Continental), Oceania, the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, Mongolia, Central Asia, the Caucasus Area, Siberia, Arctic Areas, Canada, Northwest Coast and Alaska, United States Area, Mexico, Central America, and South America. The Atlas is a detailed, far-reaching handbook of fundamental importance, dealing with a large number of diverse fields of knowledge, with the reported facts based on sound scholarly research and scientific findings, but presented in a form intelligible to non-specialists and educated lay persons in general.

Silk
Silk

Author: Berit Hildebrandt

Publisher: Oxbow Books

Published: 2017-02-28

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 1785702823

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"Already in Greek and Roman antiquity a vibrant series of exchange relationships existed between the Mediterranean regions and China, including the Indian subcontinents along well-defined routes we call the Silk Roads. Among the many goods that found their way from East to West and vice versa were glass, wine, spices, metals like iron, precious stones as well as textile raw materials and fabrics and silk, a luxury item that was in great demand in the Roman Empire. These collected papers connect research from different areas and disciplines dealing with exchange along the Silk Roads. These historical, philological and archaeological contributions highlight silk as a commodity, gift and tribute, and as a status symbol in varying cultural and chronological contexts between East and West, including technological aspects of silk production. The main period concerns Rome and China in antiquity, ending in the late fifth century CE, with the Roman Empire being transformed into the Byzantine Empire, while the Chinese chronology covers the Han dynasty, the Three Kingdoms, the Western and Eastern Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms, ending in 420 CE. In addition, both earlier and later epochs are also considered in order to gather an understanding of developments and changes in long-distance and longer-term relations that involved silk."

The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Language and Culture
The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Language and Culture

Author: Liwei Jiao

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-03-26

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 1351684078

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The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Language and Culture represents the first English anthology that delves into the fascinating and thought-provoking relationship between the Chinese language and culture, exploring various macro and micro perspectives. Chinese culture boasts a history of ten thousand years, while the Chinese language’s recorded history spans at least three thousand years, dating back to the Shang dynasty oracle bone inscriptions (OBI). This handbook is comprised of 17 chapters from 18 scholars including Victor Mair and William S-Y. Wang. Many chapters approach their respective topics with a comprehensive and historical outlook. Certain extensive subjects are addressed in multiple chapters, complementing one another. These topics include: The languages and peoples of China, and the southern Chinese dialects Mandarin’s evolution into a national language and its related writing reforms Language as a propaganda tool in the Cultural Revolution and in contemporary China Chinese idioms and colloquialisms This book offers an approachable exploration of the subject, appealing to both specialists and enthusiasts of the Chinese language and culture.