Introduction, translated from Russian and commented by M. O. SMIRNOVA

The origin of traditional Tibetan linguistics is attributed by the Tibetans themselves to the creation of two grammatical treatises, Sum cu pa and Tagkijugpa, whose authorship is attributed to Thon mi sambho ta. It is believed that King Songtsen Gampo (Tib. Srong btsan sgam po) sent Thonmi Sambhota to India in 632 to invent the Tibetan alphabet. After returning to Tibet, Thonmi Sambhota created the Tibetan alphabet, and in 635 he compiled a Tibetan grammar consisting of eight treatises [Introduction to the Study of Ganchur and Danchur..., 1989, p. 26].

The first mention of Thonmi treatises is found in the History of Buddhism (Tib. Chos 'byung) by the Tibetan historian Bu ston rin chen grab. As Roy Andrew Miller points out, this essay says: yi ge dang sgra 'i bstan bcos brgyad mdzad de"having compiled eight treatises on letters and [grammatical] indicators" [Miller, 1976, p.2]. However, neither the names of the treatises, nor detailed information about their author and the time of his journey to India are given in this work. Later sources contain only brief information about the first grammatical treatises and their author [Thubten Kunga Chashab..., 2008, p. 20].

Since Thonmi Sambhot is not mentioned in early Tibetan sources, its authorship remains unproven. Thus, it is impossible to determine the time when the monument was created. According to the researchers, the structure of the text indicates that different parts of the grammar were compiled at different times and, possibly, by different authors. The earliest fragments of the grammar date back to the seventh century, while some of the most recent fragments date back to the ninth century (Ivanov, 1981, p. 195).

The treatise "Sumchupa" is composed in seven-syllable verses united in slokas (Skt. sloka, tib. sho kla)¹. Some researchers believe that the name refers to the number of slokas in the treatise and translates as "[Containing] thirty [slokas]." Tibetans include an introductory part in the grammar-the worship of deities and saints and the promise of writing a treatise. Depending on the division of this part into slokas, Tibetan authors distinguish from 33 to 35 slokas in the treatise. In the publications of the grammar "Sumchupa" by A. Ron-tash and Zh. Bako does not have an introductory section, so the text includes 29 slokas. There is also an opinion that the title of the essay should be translated as" [Dedicated to] the thirty [letters]." In this case, the name refers to the thirty consonants of the Tibetan alphabet.

The treatise "Sumchupa" can be divided into four parts. The first, introductory part is the worship of deities and saints and the author's promise to compose a treatise. The second part is a set of rules that describe the Tibetan alphabet and various categories of letters. rules for syllable formation and grapheme combinations. The third part presents allomorphs and describes the functions of various service tokens and morphemes. The fourth part describes the stages of learning and proves the importance of grammatical knowledge, which the authors of the treatise "Sumchupa" see in becoming educated and comprehending the Buddhist religious doctrine.

The description in the treatise "Sumchupa" largely follows the Indian tradition. Most of the special terms are translations of terms from the Panini grammar. Understanding the treatise "Sumchupa" largely depends on the correct interpretation of its grammatical terminology. However

¹ Element of a verse text (similar to a stanza). In the Sumchupa treatise, slokas include from two to five seven-syllable lines.

When explaining the functions of grammatical lexemes and morphemes mentioned in the essay "Sumchupa", there are certain discrepancies between the authors of traditional commentaries and Western researchers.

(Sanskrit name in Tibetan transliteration)

BASIC GRAMMAR [TEXT] IN THIRTY [SLOKAS ]( in Tib.)*

 
 
 I worship the Lord of Speech Manjughosha 

¹

. 
 
 I worship those [three] jewels, 
 Which have the best qualities. 
 
 I worship Manjughosha, 
 Who uttered all the sounds. 
 
 I Worship the Eternally Peaceful 

²

, 
 The first person to pronounce phonemes 

³

. 
 
 I worship the sages, 
 Those who have created great poetry, as well as mentors. 
 
 I'll explain the [rules] for adding letters 

⁴

 - 
 The basis for all practices, the reason for all 
 Preached Vedas, 
 The basis of all 

⁵

 words, 

⁶

 phrases, and 

⁷

 sentences. 
 
 There are two types of letters - vowels and consonants 

⁸

. 
 Vowels are four explicitly marked [vocalizations]

⁹

, i, and others. 
 There are thirty consonants. 
 
 Of those [consonants] final 

¹⁰

 - ten; 
 As for the five of those [finite], [they] are also used 
 and in the front [part of the syllable]

¹¹

.
As for the non-used 

¹²

 [neither in the front
nor in the back parts of the syllable, there are] twenty of them. 
 As for the seven and a half rows of 

¹³

 consonants, 
 Then [they] are divided by four in a row; 
 
 Among [them] are the last two in the first, third and fourth [rows], 
 The third of the sixth and [all] in the seventh, except sha, 
 They are considered to be ten finite graphemes. 
 
 Among the ten finite graphemes themselves - 
 As for the first, third, fifth, sixth and seventh, 
 [Then they] are also used in the front [part of the syllable]. 
 
 Even if you [randomly] connect two or three
basic [word graphemes] and 
 If at the same time [they] will have [any of] the four vowels, 
 [Then they] cannot be used anywhere and cannot be added. 
 
 

* The text of the monument was translated from the publications of A. Rona-Tas [Rona-Tas, 1985, S. 264-276] and Thubten Kunga Chashab [Thubtcn Kunga Chashab, 2008, p. 88-92].

 
 
 As for the ten finite graphemes, 
 Then to [them] added after any word, 
 Add a fourth vowel. 
 [This] is known as generalization 

¹⁴

. 
 
 Out of ten finite graphemes 
 To the tenth line located after any word, 
 Add a second vowel; 
 To the eighth one located after any word, 
 Also add a second [vowel] and; 
 To the third one, located after any word, 
 Add a second vowel; 
 The fourth and ninth [finite graphemes] - by themselves, - 
 Object, goal, or location, 
 Identity 

¹⁵

 and time 

¹⁶

, are the exponents of [group] /o 

¹⁷

.

As for the ten finite graphemes, 
 You should know the following rule for matching i.

The first and second [finite graphemes] correspond to the first, 
 To the third, fifth and tenth add kya, 
 To the seventh seventh. 
 Gya is added to the rest, 
 And [all] of them, with the addition of i, is the link indicator 

¹⁸

.

The tenth [final grapheme] is added to the same [indicators]. 
 You should know that [this is] a doer 

¹⁹

. 
 
 After removing the vowel, add a second [final grapheme], 
 And it turns out a double decoration of speech and connection 

²⁰

. 
 
 By removing u from su, [which has the same] value [as] la, 
 Add the first [grapheme] from the third [row]
to it, and add the third vowel to it. 
 It has a continuation 

²¹

. 
 If to ten finite [graphemes] 
 If you add a sixth, then it is a split and join 

²²

. 
 
 As for the ten finite [graphemes], 
 Then the tenth added to the fourth and ninth
is the source of 

²³

; 
 
 Also [this] is a branch and compound 

²⁴

. 
 
 As for the kye added 
 Before you say a word, this is an appeal 

²⁵

. 
 
 I added to the fourth [finite grapheme], 
 Corresponding to the ending of any [whatever] word, 
 Becomes a dividing and reinforcing word 

²⁶

.

Between matching words 
 To the third [final grapheme] add a second one, 
 And these are the five [values]: join, split, 
 Reason, Time, and Instruction 

²⁷

. 
 
 

  
  
 E added to the third [finite grapheme] 
 Before any word, - 
 These are three [values] relative to the notation 

²⁸

, 
 In four [cases] it is added relative to the thing 

²⁹

, 
 Two [values] are relative to time 

³⁰

. 
 
 Before you say a word,
add a second one to the first [end grapheme]., 
 And [it] becomes embracing the general 

³¹

. 
 
 [If] after any word 
 No pu lingga score

³²

, 
 Then, if you add pu lingga to it, 
 You should know that this is the indicator of the owner of 

³³

. 
 
 [If] before saying any word, 
 No stri lingga score

²⁵

, 
 Then, if you add stri lingga to it, 
 You should know that this is a negative indicator

^.

. 
 
 Even if there are small abbreviations [of words] 
 When combined in verses, 
 Those [indicators] should be added in the same way. 
 
 Regardless of the presence or absence of the initial [grapheme], 
 Even if to the main [grapheme], whatever it may be, 
 Two or three [consonants]are attached, 
 And whichever of the four vowels [the main grapheme] has, 
 If you don't use a dozen finite [graphemes], 
 You can't add other words. 
 
 If you know the meaning of ten finite [graphemes], 
 When writing, reading, and explaining 
 There will be no difficulties with the indicators that connect [words],
And you will become the best of the speakers of coherent [speeches]. 
 In addition, due to the knowledge of finite [graphemes] 
 Although I didn't see any sense in it, 
 You will learn the construction that corresponds to the meaning. 
 
 When versed in adding finite [graphemes],
then by combining the meaning of canonical texts,
[knowledge of the method] of adding [finite graphemes] 
 And oral instructions from the mentor, 
 You will come to the [true] meaning. 
 
 A person who is diligent in learning, 
 You must first master the sounds. 
 Start, main, and end [graphemes] 
 You need to learn to read. 
 As for adding ten final [consonants], 
 They are added for listening, reflection, and instruction. 
 Using these aspects 
 You will come to the [true] meaning for [gaining] fruit. 
 Using these training steps 
 
 

 
 
 Even the one whose persistence is small, 
 Quickly becomes [possessor of] liberated wisdom. 
 So that's what you need to learn first. 
 Then, after listening to a lengthy [exposition], 
 You should listen to your mentors 
 The main text 

itself is not dedicated to any practice. 
 
 Receiving teachers in this [capacity], 
 Completely discarded laziness and absent-mindedness 
 And based on good character and trust - 
 Such a person quickly attains comprehension - 
 He deserves guidance at the proper time. 
 Other [from it] - in the opposite way. 
 
 

comments

¹ Skt. Mahjughosa, tib. 'jam pa' i dbyangs - one of the eight Mahabodhisattvas (gib. pue ba ' i sras brgyad), considered to embody the speech and wisdom of the Buddhas [Illuminator].

² Tib. rlag zhi ba, skt. Sadasiva, lit. 'eternally peaceful' is an epithet of Mahshwara (Tib. dbang phyug chertu, skt. Mahesvara), one of the eight great gods (Tib. lha chen brgyad) [Bu Chung, 1997, sh. 209] [Illuminator].

³ Tib. ming gzhi, lit. 'word foundation'. Probably referring to yi ge 'phonemes'. Ming gzhi can also be used as a grammatical term meaning "the main [grapheme] of a word".

⁴ Tib. yi ge is one of the basic terms of the Tibetan grammatical tradition. Basic terms in the Tibetan grammatical tradition represent the designations of elementary units of different language levels. Basic terms were used in the first grammatical treatises "Sumchupa "and"Tagkichzhugpa". The commentators of these grammars - Mahapandita Situ, Ngulchu Dharmabhadra, the unknown author of the commentary "The Precious Wreath of Good Sayings" and others - continued to use, develop and refine the basic terminology.

The term yi ge is polysemous, it can mean a written sign (grapheme), a sound, or a syllable open or closed. Depending on the meaning, the term can correspond to one of three Sanskrit terms-aksara 'syllable', vyahjana 'consonant', varna 'phoneme'.

⁵ Tib. ming '[significant] word ' (Skt. pratipadika) [Verhagen, 2001, p. 220] is one of the basic terms of the Tibetan grammatical tradition. The term denotes the minimum significant unit. Despite the widespread use of the term, its definition is not given either in the original treatise "Sumchupa" or in the commentaries to it. The non-grammatical meaning of the term ming is "name". In the grammatical sense, the term refers to any part of speech, including the verb. In the treatise "Sumchupa", this term describes the composition of the signifier and the grammatical semantics of various service morphemes and lexemes.

⁶ Tib. tshig (skt. pada) [Verhagen, 2001, p. 220] - one of the basic terms of the Tibetan grammatical tradition. The term is ambiguous. It can denote words used with any grammatical indicator. Unlike ming, which "denotes the essence of meaning" (meaning), tshig conveys "special meaning" [bod rgya tshig mdzod chen mo, 1985, 2096]. The latter is the main property of the concept denoted by the term tshig. Thus, the term tshig can be used to refer to any word or combination of words in speech.

⁷ Tib. brjod pa (skt. vakya) [Verhagen, 2001, p. 219] is one of the basic terms of the Tibetan grammatical tradition. Indicates the units of the last language level of a sentence in speech.

^{a li, ka li} 8 are two borrowed Sanskrit terms. They have Tibetan equivalents-dbyangs 'vowel' and gsal byed 'consonant'.

⁹ Tib. gsal byed, abr. from gsal bar byed pa ' explicitly indicated by [vowels]'. As R. E. Miller notes, the term gsal byed in the context of the grammatical composition "Sumchupa" denotes a diacritic vowel sign over a graphic consonant sign, and the grapheme that is added to these two characters is gsal byed in its original meaning "consonant".

¹⁰ Tib. rjes ' jug ' joining after the [main grapheme of a syllable]' - ten graphemes that join the main grapheme of a syllable - in postposition (for example, g in the word jug).

¹¹ Tib. sngon du'ang jug 'can also be used in the front [part of a syllable]' - definition of the term-phrase sngon jug 'linear grapheme'. Sngon ' jug denotes five of the ten ascribed graphemes that are attached to the main grapheme of a syllable - in the initial position (for example, 'a in the word 'jug).

¹² Tib. mi jug pa 'non-joining' - twenty graphemes, which can only be the main graphemes of a syllable, can not be joined either as initial or final.

¹³ Tib. sde ' row ' - seven and a half rows of consonants of the Tibetan alphabet. Each row is a group of four consonants.

¹⁴ Tib. slar bsdu 'generalization' - the name of the final particle of the narrative sentence about.

¹⁵ Tib. de nyid. According to the commentary of Situ Mahapandita and the commentary "The Precious Wreath of Good sayings", the term of the original composition "Sumchupa" is de nyid (lit. 'the same; exactly that') in this case

In this case, it is the name of one of the functions of the service token Tu, which expresses subject relations of a dative-local nature. However, according to some Western researchers, de nyid is an element of the metalanguage of the Sumchupa treatise.

¹⁶ Tib. las 'object', ched 'goal', rten gnas 'place', de nyid 'identity', tshe skabs 'time' - Tibetan names of functions of service tokens la, pa, Tu. Some of them correspond to semantic roles-action object (tib. las), recipient (tib. ched) and places (tib. rten gnas).

¹⁷ Tib. la don '[service lexemes] with the meaning la' - service lexemes expressing dative-local subject relations na, la, Tu.

¹⁸ Tib. ' brel ba'i sa, lit. 'link indicator', the name of a service token that expresses subject links of a specific nature KYi.

¹⁹ Tib. byedpaw 'doer' - the name of a service lexeme expressing subject relations of the ergative nature KYis.

²⁰ Tib. tshig rgyan gnyis dang sdud ba 'double decoration of speech [and] connection' - the name of the functions of the amplifying particle and the formant of the subordinate adverb Yang, respectively.

²¹ Tib. lhag dang bcas pa 'having a continuation' - the name of the formant of the gerund Ste.

²² Tib. 'byedsdud' split [and] join' - name of two functions of the Am separating union.

²³ Tib. 'byung khungs' source ' - the name of one of the functions of service tokens that express subject connections of the original nas, las nature.

²⁴ Tib. dgar dang sdud pa 'separation and connection' - clarification of one of the grammatical functions of service lexemes expressing subject connections of the original nature, nas and las.

²⁵ Tib. bod pa 'appeal'- name of the interjection kye.

²⁶ Tib. dgar [ba] dang brnanpa'i tshig 'separating and amplifying word' - the name of the amplifying particle ni.

²⁷ Tib. sdud dang 'byed pa dang / / rgyu mtshan tshe skabs gdams ngag 'connection, separation, reason, time and instruction' - grammatical functions of the conjunctive union and the formant of the imperative form of the verb dang.

²⁸ Tib. tha snyad 'designation' is a grammatical term for describing one of the grammatical functions of the demonstrative pronoun de.

²⁹ Tib. dngos po 'thing' is a grammatical term for describing one of the grammatical functions of the demonstrative pronoun de.

³⁰ Tib. tshe skabs 'time' is a grammatical term for describing one of the grammatical functions of the demonstrative pronoun de.

³¹ Tib. spyi la khyab pa 'embracing the common' - name of the grammatical function of the interrogative, relative, or indefinite pronoun gang.

³² Tib. pu ling+ga, Skt. pumlihga, syn. po mtshan ' denoting the masculine [gender]' - the name of the formant of the nominal verb form and the word-forming morpheme pa.

³³ Tib. bdag po 'i sa ' owner indicator' - formant of the nominal verb form and word-forming morpheme pa.

³⁴ Tib. s+t+ri ling+ga, skt. slrllihga, syn. mo mtshan 'feminine [gender] designation' is the name of a word-forming morpheme and the negative prefix ta.

³⁵ Tib. dgag pa 'i gnas ' negation index' - negative prefix ta.

³⁶ Tib. gzhung 'main text' - the basic text for a particular discipline.

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

Illuminator - Duff Т. The Illuminator Tibetan-English Encyclopaedic Dictionary [Translated Style Electronic Edition 5.10 January 1st, 2005 (ver 1.000 3rd March, 2000). - 1 CD-ROM. - The Illuminator Tibetan-English Encyclopaedic Dictionary.

list of literature

Introduction to the study of Gangchu and Danchu. Historical and bibliographic essay / Comp. by N. D. Bolsokhoeva, Ts. P. Vannikova, D. B. Dashiev [et al.]. Novosibirsk: Nauka Publ., 1989.

Ivanov V. V. Tibetskaya grammaticheskaya traditsiya v otnoshenii sanskritskoy (opyt komentariya) [Tibetan Grammatical tradition in relation to Sanskrit (commentary experience)]. Medieval East / Edited by A.V. Desnitskaya and S. D. Katsnelson, Nauka Publ., 1981.

Miller R.A. Studies in the Grammatical Tradition in Tibet. Amsterdam, 1976.

Rona-Tas A. Wiener Vorlesungen zur Sprach-und Kulturgeschichte Tibets. Wien, 1985.

Thubten Kunga Chashab. System of Classical Tibetan Grammar (Sum cu pa and Rtags kyi 'jug pa). Warszawa, 2008.

Vcrhagcn PC. A History of Sanskrit Grammatical Literature in Tibet. Vol. II. Assimilation into Indigenous Scholarship. Lcidcn-Boston-Koln: Brill, 2001.

Bu chung. Mngon brjod tshig mdzod. Lhasa, 1997.

Bod rgya tshig mdzod chen mo. Beijing, 1985.

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