Abstract:

As early as the establishment of the tributary relationship toward the Later Jin Dynasty (Qing), clan chieftains of the Daur people began to learn the Manchu language. By the beginning of Kangxi era, as a result of the formation of the Butha hunting tribe, knowledge of the Manchu language and script became a basic skill for Daur officials. In the middle of the Kangxi reign, promoted by the policy of Manjurification, Manchu language and script were popularized in military families of Daur which belonged to the Heilongjiang Eight banner garrisons. Influenced by the Butha hunting tribe, was put under the jurisdiction of the military governor of Heilongjiang, and then recombined as Eight banner garrisons of Hulun buir and Butha, the Manchu language spread throughout the Daur people by the middle of the Qianlong reign. By the late Qing, Manchu language and script were declining throughout China, but the language remained in vogue among the Daur people.