Published
Sino-Tibetan
vr.tr.sino-tibetan · thing-q45961
Let an agent handle the Sino-Tibetan family by branch, languages, speakers, scripts and scholarly debate, presenting competing classifications neutrally.
Thing Registry Information and virtual systems INF.MED
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Structure Branches.
Branches
Subgroups.
Branches
Branches.
- Which branches are commonly recognised? provenance
- Which classifications disagree? boundary
Membership
Languages.
Membership
Member languages.
- Is this language part of the family, according to which catalogue? provenance
- Is its position disputed? boundary
Speakers Communities.
Numbers
Speakers.
Numbers
Speaker numbers.
- How many speakers does the language have, according to which source? measurement
- How current is the figure? provenance
Vitality
Endangerment.
Vitality
Language vitality.
- Is the language endangered? provenance
- Which documentation projects exist? provenance
Writing Scripts.
Scripts
Writing systems.
Scripts
Scripts.
- Which script is used for this language? provenance
- Is there a romanisation standard? provenance
Features
Tone.
Features
Linguistic features.
- Is the language tonal, and how many tones? measurement
- Which sources describe it? provenance
Handling Sensitivity.
Labels
Language or dialect.
Labels
Naming sensitivity.
- Is the language or dialect label sensitive here? boundary
- How can labels be attributed to sources? action
Proposals
Macro-families.
Proposals
Speculative proposals.
- Is a proposed macro-family being presented as accepted? boundary
- How widely is it accepted? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Information and virtual systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- INF
- Domain
- INF.MED
- Other names and narrower kinds
- Meitei language in Bangladesh, Chu, Meitei language in Assam, Meitei language in Tripura, Sunam, Songlin, Dhimal, Sino-Bai, Karenic, Kuki-Chin–Naga, Taman, Hruso
What it is Filled
A large language family of East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, including the Sinitic languages (Chinese varieties) and the many Tibeto-Burman languages such as Tibetan, Burmese and Meitei; its internal structure is debated.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent handle the Sino-Tibetan family by branch, languages, speakers, scripts and scholarly debate, presenting competing classifications neutrally.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Second largest family by speakers
- Includes Chinese varieties
- Hundreds of languages
- Internal classification debated
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Present speculative macro-families or reconstructions as settled fact.
- Treat a contested dialect or language label as politically neutral.
- Use language classification to deny a community's identity or rights.
- Rank Sino-Tibetan languages or their speakers as superior or inferior.
Only with a human decision
- Choosing a classification for a public reference where the labels are politically disputed.
May
- Describe the Sino-Tibetan family and its branches with the classification debates stated.
- Identify languages by standard codes and name the source of a classification.
Moral aspects Filled
- Whether a variety is called a language or a dialect is tied to identity and politics.
- Many Tibeto-Burman languages are endangered and poorly documented.
Who is affected
- Speakers of minority languages
- Linguistic communities
- Researchers
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody: a scholarly classification held in common.
Master systems
- ISO 639-3 language code registry
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q507968 - registry parent class
- Q7524744 - registry parent class
- Q97690709 - registry parent class
- Q98791755 - registry parent class
related
- language family - category
- Chinese and Burmese - members
- Glottolog and Ethnologue - catalogues
- speculative macro-families - proposals
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.sino-tibetan
- Wikidata: Q45961 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q45961)
- ISO 639-5: sit language family code
- Glottolog: sino1245 family id
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Plane INF: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Sinitic and Tibeto-Burman groupings
- Many tonal languages
- Proposed macro-families are speculative
- Not physical; seen in speech and in scripts such as Chinese characters, Tibetan and Burmese scripts.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- identify branches and member languages
- find speaker numbers from sources
- compare scripts used
- present competing classifications
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Presenting speculative macro-families as fact
- Treating dialect and language labels as neutral when politically sensitive
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- ISO 639 language codes
- National language policies
Context of use required Filled
- Classifying and studying related languages.
- Sinitic languages
- Tibetic languages
- Lolo-Burmese languages
- Kuki-Chin and Meitei
- many smaller branches
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q45961: Sino-Tibetan - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Sino-Tibetan languages - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should each branch be a separate entry?
- How should competing classifications be shown?
- How should speaker numbers be dated?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q45961/spec.json