A GIS-Assisted Study ofThe Origins of Tai Irrigated Rice Technology and

CultureIn Southern China from a Linguistics Perspective

John HartmannDepartment of Foreign Languages and Literature

Northern Illinois University

A Presentation atThe University of Hawaii-Manoa

October 5, 2007

Team Members:

U.S.

John HartmannJohn Hartmann Northern Illinois UniversityNorthern Illinois University

Jerold EdmondsonJerold Edmondson University of TexasUniversity of Texas

Vinya SysamouthVinya Sysamouth University of WisconsinUniversity of Wisconsin

ChineseChinese

Zhang GonjinZhang Gonjin Central University of NationalitiesCentral University of Nationalities

Yang QuanYang Quan Central University of NationalitiesCentral University of Nationalities

Li JinfangLi Jinfang Central University of NationalitiesCentral University of Nationalities

Zhou GuoyanZhou Guoyan Central University of NationalitiesCentral University of Nationalities

Liu JianxunLiu Jianxun Central University of NationalitiesCentral University of Nationalities

Huang PingwenHuang Pingwen Central University of NationalitiesCentral University of Nationalities

Objective:Objective:

To gather dialect data on rice agriculture for comparative-To gather dialect data on rice agriculture for comparative-historical reconstruction of the Tai homeland in Southern Chinahistorical reconstruction of the Tai homeland in Southern China

Methodology:Methodology:

1. Audio recordings of 400-500 words were made involving more 1. Audio recordings of 400-500 words were made involving more than 30 speakers of Tai dialects for later analysis.than 30 speakers of Tai dialects for later analysis.

2. Video and still photos capture indigenous agriculture practices, 2. Video and still photos capture indigenous agriculture practices, general culture, and aspects of the environment.general culture, and aspects of the environment.

Time Frame:Time Frame:

May 24-July 17, 2000 and March 2002May 24-July 17, 2000 and March 2002

Significant Regional Divisions of China

Linguistic Geography

China Precipitation

Agricultural Regions

Linguistic Groups in China

China Precipitation

Agricultural Regions

Three Provinces with Large Tai Populations in China

2. Wuming

1. Longan

3. Ningmin

4. Taxing

Fieldwork May 26-July 2, 2000

5. Jingxi

6. Donglan

7. Liuzhou

8. Sandu

9. Guiyang

10. Kunming

11. Jinghong12. Mengla

Who are the Tai?

The ethno-linguistic grouping known as the “Tai” originatedin Southern China in the border region between Guangxi

Province and Northern Vietnam about 2000 years ago.

Tai groups are now found in modern Thailand, where they are called Thai, in Laos, where they are known as Lao, in Burma, where they are called Shan, and in Assam, India.

TAI

Name of the parent or proto- language. Tai dates back to morethan 2000 years BP. Some of its 100+ daughter language include:

THAI - Thailand, the largest group (60 million)SHAN – BurmaLAO – LaosTAI DAM, TAI DON – VietnamTAI (DAI) LUE – Sipsongpanna,Yunnan, ChinaZHUANG – Guangxi, Yunnan, the largest minority in ChinaAHOM – Assam, IndiaLI – Hainan Island

The next slide shows the relationships among the different groups inthe form of a “tree” diagram.

The Tai As Early Rice Agriculturalists

Implications fromO’Connor, Richard A., 1995“Agricultural Change and Ethnic Succession in Southeast Asian States.”

Diamond, Jared, 1997Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies.

From Wild Rice to Domesticated Rice

Wild rice is found throughout Southern China and partsof India. The areas where it is has been unearthed have

moderate seasonal precipitation and heat, the naturalenvironment in which rice flourishes. Yields are increasedand assured with irrigation.

Evidence of the earliest domestication of rice fromabout 8000 years ago has been excavated at several sitesin the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Basin.

Wild Rice Distribution in Southern China

Tai as People of the Naa

Historically, the Tai peoples have been associated with growing irrigated rice in bunded fields called naa.

To achieve this, they have lived along rivers on which they construct diversion dams or dikes called fai and channel the water into rice fields through a system of canals or smaller channels or ditches called meuang.

This type of agriculture is called “wet rice” or irrigated rice farming.

Tai Place Names with “NAA” [Ricefield]

MEUANG-FAI and NAA

The traditional Tai irrigation system was called “Meuang-Fai” or “Ditch-Dike” by the Tai peoples of South China, Northern Vietnam, Northern Thailand/Laos, and Burma. The Tai were known as “people of the naa – wet/irrigated rice fields.

meuang *A1 means ‘water channel, ditch’It appears that theVietnamese and Burmese borrowed the term

meuang *A4 means ‘basin, intermountane plane; chiefdom, kingdom’

fai *A1 means‘dam, weir’

naa *A4 means ‘irrigated rice field’

Voiceless Voiceless friction friction sounds,sounds, 11 55 99 1313 1717*s, hm, ph,*s, hm, ph, etc.etc.Voiceless Voiceless unaspiratedunaspirated

22 66 1010 1414 1818stops,stops, *p, *p, etc.etc.Glottal,Glottal, * *??, , ??b,b, etc. etc. 33 77 1111 1515 1919

Voiced,Voiced, * m, * m, j, z,j, z, n, etc. n, etc. 44 88 1212 1616 2020

Chart Showing the Splitting of Three Proto-Tai Tones Conditioned by the Nature of Syllable-Initial Sounds

Proto-Tai Tones *A *B *C *D-short/long vowels

Initials (at time of tonal splits)

Smooth Syllables Checked Syllables

Satellite Map of Muang Sing recorded on Jan. 11, 1989.The plain of Muang Sing covers 60-80 km².The smaller plain of Muang Phong, looking like a person, is in China (NE of Muang Sing)__________________________________________________________________________

Source: http://www.haw-hamburg.de/pers/Kaspar-Sickermann/mgsing/emgs08.html. For more interesting details on the history of Muang Sing and Muang Khaeng and their relationship to each other and surrounding powers in the region in the past, go tohttp://www.haw-hamburg.de/pers/Kaspar-Sickermann/mgsing/emgs119.html andhttp://www.haw-hamburg.de/pers/Kaspar-Sickermann/mgsing/emgs.html#bev

Muang *A4 ‘basin; plainfor growing irrigated rice.

The geographic region understudy is studded with them.

Rice RelatedRice Related

1.1. 稻类词表 稻类词表 Rice—kinds, parts ofRice—kinds, parts of

1.1. 谷物 谷物 Grain—general term for grainGrain—general term for grain

1.1. 粮食 粮食 CerealsCereals

1.1. （一）颗（一）颗 // 粒（谷子） 粒（谷子） Grain—as a CLS (classifier)Grain—as a CLS (classifier)

1.1. 早稻 早稻 Rice early seasonRice early season

1.1. 中稻 中稻 Rice middle season ( once a year only—no early or Rice middle season ( once a year only—no early or late planted in this field )late planted in this field )

1.1. 晚稻 晚稻 Rice late (season) Rice late (season)

1.1. 米饭（干饭） 米饭（干饭） Rice cookedRice cooked

1.1. 糯米 糯米 Rice glutinous (sticky)Rice glutinous (sticky)

1.1. 糙米 糙米 Unpolished riceUnpolished rice

1.1. 精米 精米 Polished, round-grained Japonica, non-glutinous Polished, round-grained Japonica, non-glutinous

ricerice

1.1. 粳米粳米 Polished long-grained Indica, non-glutinous ricePolished long-grained Indica, non-glutinous rice

1.1. 稻谷 稻谷 Rice huskedRice husked

1.1. 稻米 稻米 Rice polishedRice polished

1.1. 稻种 稻种 Rice (paddy)Rice (paddy)

1.1. 细糠 细糠 Rice husk/chaff: soft (pounded long to become Rice husk/chaff: soft (pounded long to become powder-like)powder-like)

1.1. 粗糠 粗糠 Rice husk/chaff: hardRice husk/chaff: hard

1.1. 稻株 稻株 Rice plantRice plant

1.1. （禾）把 （禾）把 Bundle of rice strawBundle of rice straw

Wordlist: Xishuangbanna 2002

“Rice” as it is spoken across the Tai-Kadai region: Sui ‘au vs. Lao khaw

Table: The word “Rice” Spoken in Different Languages and Location

Note: See Figure 4 for a tree diagram of the language group. The language are sorted in the order of decreasing similarity to the proto-Tai word of “rice”- *khau [C3]. In other words, going down the list, you are going in a general direction of a pronunciation most similar to proto-Tai (at periphery) to one most different (at origin).

Language GroupLanguage Group LanguageLanguage ““Rice” Rice” Location SpokenLocation Spoken

SiameseSiamese BangkokBangkok

IsanIsan Roi EtRoi Et

S. ZhuangS. Zhuang LungmingLungming

LaoLao VientianeVientiane

Tai DonTai Don Lai ChauLai Chau

SaekSaek Nakhon PhanomNakhon Phanom

Tai DamTai Dam Son LaSon La

Tai DehongTai Dehong LuxiLuxi

Tai LueTai Lue JinghongJinghong

YayYay Lao CaiLao Cai

N. ZhuangN. Zhuang WumingWuming

BouyeiBouyei WangmoWangmo

SuiSui LiboLibo

S. KamS. Kam RongjiangRongjiang

MaonanMaonan HuangjiangHuangjiang

MulamMulam LuochengLuocheng

Tai

Kam-Sui

Subject Area

CH I N A

< .6

Kilometers

90 0 90 180

N

.6-.7

.7-.8

.8-.9

.9-1.01.0-1.11.1-1.21.2.1.31.3-.14

Mean Score Value

0.625

0.969

1.406

1.094

1.250

0.7501.375

1.3750.969

1.000

0.688

0.813

1.000

1.125

1.063

1.063

1.438

0 100 200 300 400

K ilom ete rs

This map shows the contour of mean scores for 21 rice culture related words at each location. A score of 1 is assigned to a word that is most close to the proto-Tai pronunciation; 3 to a word that is most different from the proto-Tai pronunciation; to those that fall in between.The lower the mean value, the closer the word is to the proto-Tai form (periphery); the higher the value, the more different the word is from the proto-Tai form (origin).The number next to location point is the mean score value at each location.The contours are interpolated from these mean scores using Arc/Info “topogrid” command. Major streams are incorporated as break lines during the interpolation because they may representa topographic barrier for population migration.

GIS Analysis

A traditional Tai fai or dam built on a mountain stream in northern Thailand

En Cheng, China, a site where traditional irrigation once dominated

Harrowing the field before transplanting

Acknowledgements

Funding from the Henry Luce Foundation U.S.-ChinaCooperative Research Program, 2000-2003.

Assistance from the Central University for Nationalities-Beijing and Jerold Edmondson, University of Texas-Arlington.

Wei Luo, NIU Dept. of Geography GIS analysis and maps,with Vinya Sysamouth, Center for Lao Studies.

Vinya Sysamouth for photos and fieldwork assistance inSipsongpanna, Yunnan in 2002.

Northern Illinois University Office of Sponsored Projects.

Dr. Yuphaphann Hoonchamlong and The Center for Southeast Asian Studies, University of Hawaii-Manoa