Tibet (Tibetan The Tibetan script is an abugida of Indic origin used to write the Tibetan language as well as the Dzongkha language, Denzongkha, Ladakhi language and sometimes the Balti language. The printed form of the script is called uchen script while the hand-written cursive form used in everyday writing is called umé script (Tibetan: དབུ་མེད: བོད་; Wylie The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating the Tibetan script using only the letters available on a typical English language typewriter. It bears the name of Turrell V. Wylie, who described the scheme in an article A Standard System of Tibetan Transcription published in 1959. It has subsequently become a standard: bod, pronounced [pʰø̀ʔ]; Chinese Chinese or the Sinitic language (汉语／漢語 Hànyǔ; 华语／華語 Huáyǔ; 中文 Zhōngwén) is a language family consisting of languages which are mostly mutually unintelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the two branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages: 西藏; pinyin Pinyin , or more formally Hanyu Pinyin (汉语拼音 / 漢語拼音), is currently the most commonly used romanization system for Standard Mandarin (标准普通话 / 標準普通話). Hànyǔ (汉语 / 漢語) means the Chinese language, and pīnyīn (拼音) means "phonetics", or more literally, "spelling sound" or ": Xīzàng) is a plateau region The Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (Chinese: 青藏高原; Pinyin: Qingzang Gaoyuan) is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province in China and Ladakh in India-controlled Kashmir. It occupies an area of around 1,000 by 2,500 kilometers, and has an average in Asia Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population. During the 20th century Asia's population nearly quadrupled, north of the Himalayas The Himalaya Range (Sanskrit: literally, "abode of snow", Hindi/Sanskrit: हिमालय, IPA: /hɪˈmɑːləj/), or the Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. By extension, it is also the name of a massive mountain system that includes the Karakoram, the Hindu. It is home to the indigenous Tibetan people The Tibetan people are indigenous to Tibet and surrounding areas stretching from Central Asia in the North and West to Myanmar and China Proper in the East and India, Nepal and Bhutan to the south. Numbering 5.4 million, they are the 10th largest of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, and to some other ethnic groups such as Monpas The Monpa is a major tribe of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India. Currently it is also one of the 56 officially recognized ethnic groups in China. Most Monpas live in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, with a population of 50,000, centered in the districts of Tawang and West Kameng. Around 25,000 Monpas can be found in the district of and Lhobas Lhoba is a term of obscure (though probably Tibetan) origin which has come to apply to a diverse amalgamation of Tibeto-Burman tribespeople living in and around "Pemako" (a region in Southeastern Tibet), including Mainling, Medog, Zayü counties of Nyingchi Prefecture and Lhünzê County of Shannan Prefecture. The term is largely, and is inhabited by considerable numbers of Han Predominantly Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism. Small Christian, Muslim, Xiantian and other religious minorities. Background of Confucianism and Chinese folk religion and Hui In modern People's Republic of China, the term "Hui people" refers to one of the officially recognized 56 ethnic groups into which Chinese citizens are classified. Under this definition, the Hui people are defined to include all historically Muslim communities in People's Republic of China that are not included in China's other ethnic people. Tibet is the highest region on earth, with an average elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface. Elevation, or geometric height, is mainly used when referring to points on the Earth's surface, while altitude or geopotential height is used of 4,900 metres (16,000 ft). It is sometimes referred to as the roof of the world With the awakening of public interest in Tibet, the Pamirs, "since 1875 ... probably the best explored region in High Asia", went out of the limelight and the description "Roof of the World" has been increasingly applied to Tibet and the Tibetan plateau, and occasionally, esp. in French , even to Mt. Everest, but the.[1]
During Tibet's history Tibetan history, as it has been recorded, is particularly focused on the history of Buddhism in Tibet. This is partly due to the pivotal role this religion has played in the development of Tibetan, Mongol, and Manchu cultures, and partly because almost all native historians of the country were Buddhist monks, it has existed as a region of separate sovereign Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided. The concept has been discussed, debated and questioned throughout history, from the time of the Romans through to the present day, areas, a unified empire[2] and as a vassal A vassal, in the terminology that preceded and accompanied the feudalism of medieval Europe, is one who enters into mutual obligations with a monarch, usually of military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain guarantees, which came to include the terrain held as a fief. By analogy it is applied to similar systems in other feudal under Chinese suzerainty or sovereignty. Tibet was first unified under King Songtsän Gampo Songtsän Gampo was the founder of the Tibetan Empire (Tibetan: Bod; Chinese: 吐蕃, Tubo/Tufan), by tradition held to be the thirty-third ruler in his dynasty. In the Chinese records his name is given as Qizonglongzan in the 7th century. At various times from the 1640s until the 1950s, a government nominally headed by the Dalai Lamas The Dalai Lama is a Buddhist leader of religious officials of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word Далай "Dalai" meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word བླ་མ ་"Blama" (with a silent b) meaning "chief" or "high priest.&, a line of spiritual political leaders, ruled a large portion of the Tibetan region. Today, most of cultural Tibet is ruled as autonomous areas An autonomous area is an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or freedom from an external authority. Typically it is either geographically distinct from the country or is populated by a national minority. Countries that include autonomous areas are often federacies. Autonomous areas can be divided into territorial autonomies, in the People's Republic of China b. ^ Simple characterizations of the political structure since the 1980s are no longer possible.
| Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region , also called Xizang Autonomous Region (Tibetan: ; Wylie: Bod-rang-skyong-ljongs; simplified Chinese: 西藏自治区; traditional Chinese: 西藏自治區; pinyin: Xīzàng Zìzhìqū is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC) within the People's Republic of China | |||||||||
| "Greater Tibet"; Tibet as claimed by Tibetan exile groups | |||||||||
| Tibetan areas as designated by the People's Republic of China | |||||||||
| Chinese-controlled areas claimed by India as part of Aksai Chin Aksai Chin, also Aksayqin, Akesaiqin or Akesai Qin , is a disputed region located in the northwestern region of the Tibetan Plateau north of the western Kunlun Mountains. It is entirely administered by the People's Republic of China as a part of Hotan County in the Hotan Prefecture of Xinjiang Autonomous Region. It is, however, claimed by India as | |||||||||
| Indian-controlled areas claimed by China as part of Tibet | |||||||||
| Other areas historically within Tibetan cultural sphere | |||||||||
The economy of Tibet is dominated by subsistence agriculture Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficiency farming in which farmers grow only enough food to feed their families. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to eat during the year. Planting decisions are made with an eye toward what the family will need during the coming year, rather than market prices, though tourism Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity has become a growing industry in Tibet in recent decades. The dominant religion in Tibet is Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan. It is also practiced in Mongolia and parts of Russia (Kalmykia, Buryatia, and Tuva) and Northeast China. Texts recognized as, though there are Muslim and Christian minorities. Tibetan Buddhism is a primary influence on the art Tibetan art refers to the art of Tibet and other present and former Himalayan kingdoms . Tibetan art is first and foremost a form of sacred art, reflecting the over-riding influence of Tibetan Buddhism on these cultures, music, and festivals of the region. Tibetan architecture reflects Chinese Chinese architecture refers to a style of architecture that has taken shape in Asia over many centuries. The structural principles of Chinese architecture have remained largely unchanged, the main changes being only the decorative details. Since the Tang Dynasty, Chinese architecture has had a major influence on the architectural styles of Korea, and Indian The architecture of India is rooted in its history, culture and religion. Indian architecture progressed with time and assimilated the many influences that came as a result of India's global discourse with other regions of the world throughout its millennia-old past. The architectural methods practiced in India are a result of examination and influences. Staple foods in Tibet are roasted barley Barley is a cereal grain derived from the annual grass Hordeum vulgare, yak The yak, Bos grunniens, is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population meat, and butter tea Butter tea, also known as po cha , cha süma (Tibetan: ཇ་སྲུབ་མ་; Wylie: ja srub ma, "churned tea"), Mandarin Chinese: su you cha (酥 .
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Names
Himalayas, on the southern rim of the Tibetan plateau Main article: Definitions of Tibet Tibet, a historical plateau region in Central Asia, today under the sovereignty of the People's Republic of China and administered as the Tibet Autonomous Region is subject to many definitions and controversy over its function and boundaries as a country and what territorial claim it imposed"Tibet" names and definitions are linguistically and politically loaded language Loaded language is wording that attempts to influence the listener or reader by appealing to emotion.
The modern Standard Tibetan endonym An exonym is a name for a place or a personal name that differs from that used in the official or well-established language within that place or for that person by the local inhabitants, or a name for a people or language that is not native to the people or language to which it refers. The name used by the people or locals themselves is called (or autonym) Bod བོད་ means "Tibet" or "Tibetan Plateau The Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (Chinese: 青藏高原; Pinyin: Qingzang Gaoyuan) is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province in China and Ladakh in India-controlled Kashmir. It occupies an area of around 1,000 by 2,500 kilometers, and has an average", although it originally meant the central region "Ü-Tsang". The standard pronunciation of Bod, [pʰø˨ʔ], is transcribed P oi The close-mid front rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ø, a lowercase letter o with a diagonal stroke through it, derived from the Danish, Norwegian and Faroese alphabets which use the letter to represent this sound. The symbol is g (Bhö or Pö in THDL) in Tibetan Pinyin. Some scholars believe the first written reference to Bod "Tibet" was the ancient "Bautai" people recorded in the (ca. 1st century) Periplus of the Erythraean Sea The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is a Greek periplus, describing navigation and trading opportunities from Roman Egyptian ports like Berenice along the coast of the Red Sea, and others along Northeast Africa and India. The text has been ascribed to different dates between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD, but a mid-1st century date is now the most and (ca. 2nd century) Geographia The Geography is Ptolemy's main work besides the Almagest. It is a treatise on cartography and a compilation of what was known about the world's geography in the Roman Empire of the 2nd century. Ptolemy relied mainly on the work of an earlier geographer, Marinos of Tyre, and on gazetteers of the Roman and ancient Persian empire, but most of his.[3]
The two Standard Mandarin Standard Mandarin, or Standard Chinese, known by various names to native speakers, is the official modern Chinese spoken language used in mainland China and Taiwan, and is one of the four official languages of Singapore exonyms An exonym is a name for a place or a personal name that differs from that used in the official or well-established language within that place or for that person by the local inhabitants, or a name for a people or language that is not native to the people or language to which it refers. The name used by the people or locals themselves is called for "Tibet" are classical Tǔbō 土蕃 or Tǔfān 吐蕃 and modern Xīzàng 西藏 (which now specifies the "Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region , also called Xizang Autonomous Region (Tibetan: ; Wylie: Bod-rang-skyong-ljongs; simplified Chinese: 西藏自治区; traditional Chinese: 西藏自治區; pinyin: Xīzàng Zìzhìqū is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC)"). Tubo or Tufan "ancient name for Tibet" was first transliterated into Chinese characters as 土番 in the 7th-century (Li Tai) and as 吐蕃 in the 10th-century (Book of Tang The Book of Tang Jiu Tangshu or the Old Book of Tang (舊唐書/旧唐书) is the first classic work about the Tang Dynasty. The book began when Gaozu of Later Jin ordered its commencement in 941. Its lead editor, Liu Xu (劉昫), the chief minister and director of the National History, redacted it during the last years of his life, and presented describing 608–609 emissaries from Tibetan King Namri Songtsen to Emperor Yang of Sui Emperor Yang of Sui , personal name Yang Guang (楊廣), alternative name Ying (英), nickname Amo (阿摩), known as Emperor Ming (明帝) during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong), was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the second emperor of China's Sui Dynasty). In the Middle Chinese Middle Chinese , or Ancient Chinese as used by linguist Bernhard Karlgren, refers to the Chinese language spoken during Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties (6th century - 10th century). The term "Middle Chinese", in contrast to Old Chinese and Modern Chinese, is usually used in the context of historical spoken during that period, Tǔbō or Tǔfān are reconstructed (by Bernhard Karlgren Bernhard Karlgren was a Swedish sinologist, philologist, and the founder of Swedish sinology as a scholarly discipline. His full name was Klas Bernhard Johannes Karlgren, and he adopted the Chinese name "Gao Ben Han" traditional Chinese: 高本漢; simplified Chinese: 高本汉; pinyin: Gāo Běnhàn)) as T'uopuâ and T'uop'i̭wɐn. Xizang 西藏 was coined during the Qing Dynasty The Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 (with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917). It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China period of the Jiaqing Emperor (r. 1796–1820). The People's Republic of China b. ^ Simple characterizations of the political structure since the 1980s are no longer possible government equates Xīzàng with the Xīzàng Zìzhìqū 西藏自治区 "Tibet Autonomous Region".
The English English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into South-East Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria. Following the economic, political, military, scientific, cultural, and colonial influence of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from the 18th century, via word Tibet or Thibet dates back to the 18th century.[4] While historical linguists Modern historical linguistics dates from the late 18th century. It grew out of the earlier discipline of philology, the study of ancient texts and documents dating back to antiquity generally agree that "Tibet" names in European languages are loanwords from Arabic طيبة، توبات Tibat or Tobatt, they disagree over the original etymology. Many sources propose Tibetan Stod-bod (pronounced tö-bhöt)[needs IPA] "Upper Tibet",[5] some suggest Turkic Töbäd "The Heights" (plural of töbän),[6] and a few favor Chinese Tǔbō or Tǔfān.[7] Whatever the precise origin of the word, according to Alexandra David-Néel the Tibetans do not use it. "They call their country Pöd yul and themselves Pöd pas." [8]
Language
Main article: Tibetan languageThe Tibetan language is generally classified as a Tibeto-Burman language of the Sino-Tibetan language family although the boundaries between 'Tibetan' and certain other Himalayan languages can be unclear. According to Matthew Kapstein:
From the perspective of historical linguistics, Tibetan most closely resembles Burmese among the major languages of Asia. Grouping these two together with other apparently related languages spoken in the Himalayan lands, as well as in the highlands of Southeast Asia and the Sino-Tibetan frontier regions, linguists have generally concluded that there exists a Tibeto-Burman family of languages. More controversial is the theory that the Tibeto-Burman family is itself part of a larger language family, called Sino-Tibetan, and that through it Tibetan and Burmese are distant cousins of Chinese.[9]
The language is spoken in numerous regional dialects which, although sometimes mutually intelligible, generally cannot be understood by the speakers of the different oral forms of Tibetan. It is employed throughout the Tibetan plateau and Bhutan and is also spoken in parts of Nepal and northern India, such as Sikkim. In general, the dialects of central Tibet (including Lhasa), Kham, Amdo and some smaller nearby areas are considered Tibetan dialects. Other forms, particularly Dzongkha, Sikkimese, Sherpa, and Ladakhi, are considered by their speakers, largely for political reasons, to be separate languages. However, if the latter group of Tibetan-type languages are included in the calculation then 'greater Tibetan' is spoken by approximately 6 million people across the Tibetan Plateau. Tibetan is also spoken by approximately 150,000 exile speakers who have fled from modern-day Tibet to India and other countries.
Although spoken Tibetan varies according to the region, the written language, based on Classical Tibetan, is consistent throughout. This is probably due to the long-standing influence of the Tibetan empire, whose rule embraced (and extended at times far beyond) the present Tibetan linguistic area, which runs from northern Pakistan in the west to Yunnan and Sichuan in the east, and from north of Qinghai Lake south as far as Bhutan. The Tibetan language has its own script which it shares with Ladakhi and Dzongkha, and which is derived from the ancient Indian Brāhmī script.[10]
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Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:42:11 GMT+00:00
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