Japhug and other Rgyalrong languages are among the morphologically richest languages in the Sino-Tibetan family, and not only present typologically unusual characteristics such as direct-inverse indexation, but are particularly important for reconstructing the proto-language. This course will introduce the verbal morphology of Japhug, including person indexation, voice and denominal derivations and TAME, and explain its morphosyntax through the reading of Japhug texts from the Pangloss collection. This course can be useful to anyone interested in Sino-Tibetan historical linguistics, including Old Chinese, but also to typologists working on polysynthetic languages and/or on languages of East Asia.

• Level: No previous knowledge of any Sino-Tibetan language is required, but familiarity with the IPA is necessary.
• Requirements: Homework.
• Materials: Jacques, Guillaume (2025) A grammar of Japhug. Second edition. Language Science Press (https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/549).

This course introduces Old Chinese historical phonology, showing how to reconstruct Old Chinese step by step from Middle Chinese, using rhymes in the Book of Odes and phonetic series (xiéshēng). In week one we cover the Middle Chinese basics and learn how to infer earlier sounds by internally reconstructing based on gaps in Middle Chinese phonotactics. We then read selected Odes to link Middle Chinese rhymes to Old Chinese rhyme groups. In week two we use phonetic series to propose lost onset consonants (e.g. voiceless nasals or uvulars).

• Level: Knowledge of either Chinese or Japanese is necessary (familiarity with Chinese characters). Fluency in Mandarin Chinese is not required.
• Requirements: Homework.
• Materials: Provided by the teachers.

This course introduces Old Tibetan through basic grammar and guided reading, using transliteration throughout (no Tibetan script required). We begin with core topics needed for real texts: noun phrase structure, case markers, pronouns, and key features of the verbal system (tense and clause-linking). From the start, participants read short, carefully chosen passages, moving gradually toward sustained text reading over two weeks. The main focus is narrative material, especially Old Tibetan versions and adaptations of the Rāma story, with occasional brief non-narrative documents. By the end, participants should be able to analyse typical sentences and recognise frequent markers using standard reference tools.

• Level: No prior knowledge of Tibetan is required. Familiarity with basic grammatical terminology is assumed (e.g. ergativity).
• Requirements: Homework.
• Materials: provided by the teachers, but acess to one of the following Classical Tibetan textbooks is encouraged:
  1. Hodge, Stephen (2003) An Introduction to Classical Tibetan (rev. ed.; Bangkok: Orchid Press).
  2. Bialek, Joanna (2022) A Textbook in Classical Tibetan (London: Routledge).
  3. Hahn, Michael (1994) Lehrbuch der klassischen tibetischen Schriftsprache (6., überarb. und neugesetzte Aufl.; Swisttal-Odendorf: Indica et Tibetica Verlag [Indica et Tibetica 10]).

This course will explore different ways to ask a question in various Chinese dialects. We will examine wh-questions (e.g., ‘who'-, ‘what'-questions) and polar questions (i.e., questions that can be answered with ‘yes' or ‘no', e.g., 'Did he arrive?') Questions are an important topic in linguistic theory, sitting at the intersection of syntax, semantics and prosody. As this course surveys the broad variation of questions across the Chinese dialects, we will also consider whether current theories can account for their diversity. Is there order and systematicity to cross-linguistic variation, and could it be reduced to a finite number of parameters?

• Level: Basic knowledge about syntax and semantics; knowledge of Chinese is a bonus but not required
• Requirements: Participation and homework assignments.
• Materials: To be distributed by the teacher.