중국 漢代 방언사전 『方言』에 수록된 北燕지역 어휘와 고대 몽골어의 친연관계 고찰 試論

Abstract

Fang Yan (『方言』), the earliest direct dictionary compiled 2,000 years ago, including 55 regional vocabulary of Beiyan(北燕) in which Donghu(東胡) tribe, an ancestor of Mongolian, had been lived. According to the result of analysis, Beiyan’s vocabularies in Fangyan, it revealed that the regional words were almost insulated against language of Mainland China including Yan(燕) area which was geographically adjacent to Northern Yan, and that Beiyan was classified as one Sprachraum with Chosun area by a high rate common vocabulary. Like vocabularies of Chosun(朝鮮) and Nanyue(南越) region which had been annexed by China, that of Beiyan also showed very high linguistic isolation and identity against ancient Chinese, and great likelihood that Beiyan’s language might be non-Chinese. On the result of reviewing Chinese historical records and Fang Yan’s connectively, it could be deduced that the Donghu ethnic group and ancestor of Korean people had used a common language, which was diversified into Mongolian and Korean language etc. according to diversifying of the ethnic groups into Mongolian and Korean people. By the comparative analysis with classic Mongolian relevant words, 20 of 55 vocabularies, more than 1/3 of Beiyan showed deep phonological and semantical relationship, and 17 of the above 20 words were common vocabulary with Chosun region. But 12 of the 13 lexicon which were used only in Beiyan region could not be connected with classic Mongolian words in phonology probably due to the lexicon might had been ‘creole’ or ‘pidgin’ as a result of combination among ancient Chinese from mainland and non-Chinese local languages in the region for about 300 years since Yan’s political annexation in early BC 3 century. This empirical conclusion could provide valuable clues and evidences for reexamination of previous researches and shed light on tracing the origin of Mongolian language.