Manju and Mongolian Perceptions of Tibetan
(52nd Annual Meeting, 2009)
Mongolian has a high number of Tibetan loans, while the number of Tibetan loans in Manju is not as high. Besides numerous words related to the realms of religion and writing, a significant portion of Tibetan words in the Altaic languages is of Sanskrit origin where Tibetan only=20
serves as an intermediary. The Pentaglot, a multi-lingual dictionary compiled at the Qing court, offers useful comparisons which help in understanding the mechanisms of loan acception and adaptation. Of particular importance in understanding these processes is the transcription of Tibetan pronounciation with Manju letters in the Pentaglot as it offers unique insight into the perception of Tibetan pronounciation as well as the possibilities and limitations of e.g. Manju in expressing Tibetan pronounciations.