Xibe Language
/ˈʃiːbə ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/noun
The endangered Tungusic language traditionally spoken by the Xibe people of northwestern China.
Did you know?Xibe is written with a modified form of the Manchu script, preserving a rare living connection to the Qing dynasty’s multilingual imperial world.
Etymological Timeline
Early modern period
Manchu
Sibe / Sibei
“Ethnonym for the Xibe people; the historical form is closely connected with the modern name, though the name’s ultimate origin remains debated.”
17th–18th Century
Manchu
ᠰᡳᠪᡝ
“Sibe, the name of the people recorded in the Manchu script.”
1764
Qing historical usage
Sibe
“Large groups of Xibe people were relocated by the Qing government to Xinjiang, where their speech developed in relative isolation.”
19th Century
Chinese and Manchu usage
Xibe / Sibe
“Names used for the ethnic group and its language in different transcription traditions.”
Modern English
English
Xibe language
“The conventional English designation for the Xibe language, also called Sibe.”