ཞེ་སྒྲ། ཞེས་སྒྲ། ལོ་སྒྲ།

How about the phenomena of reported (or indirect) speech and direct speech in Tibetan? Some preliminary observations may be made here. The topic requires a thorough systematisation.

§1. Reported Speech

In Tibetan one can not only report a “speech” but also a “thought” or “notion,” or an “idea,” and also that be of oneself or others. The way a reporter reports a “speech” depends on whether or not he or she endorses the content of the speech. Therefore in Tibetan there seems to be at least four kinds of reported speech for which there is obviously no collective or generic term:

(a) Reporting/Citing an Authoritative Speech (with Approval) 

(b) Reporting/Citing a Speech with Scepticism or Disapproval

(c) Reporting a Thought/Notion/Idea

(d) Reporting a Position/Question/Doubt (for Investigation) 

(a) Reporting/Citing an Authoritative Speech (with Approval) 

• speech + (with or without final particle) + zhes gsung/gsungs/bshad or bka’ bstal 

E.g. gang zag gi tshad gang zag gis gzung bar mi bya’o zhes gsungs so ||

(b) Reporting/Citing a Speech with Scepticism or Disapproval 

• speech + lo/grag/zer/skad

e.g. mi shes pa dag thams cad sems yin lo ||

(c) Reporting a Thought/Notion/Idea

• speech + (zhes) snyam/bya/etc.

e.g. ’di ni sngon po’o snyam mo ||

(d) Reporting a Position/Question/Doubt (for Investigation) 

Such a speech may be enclosed within:

• “’o na … zhe na”

• “gal te … na” 

• “… zhe na”

• “… zhes sems na”

• “… brtag grang na,” etc.

§2. Indirect Speech

• speech + la don + gsungs (etc.)

e.g. skye ba’i mtha’ ni ’chi ba yin par gsungs so ||

Some random examples:

1. bcu bzhi ni phas pham pa zhes bya ste rtsa ba’i ltung ba bcu bzhi zhes grags so || (RZ 2: 317)

2. dngos grub mchog ni thob par ’gyur || zhes gsungs so ||  (RZ 2: 318)

3. nan tan bya’o zhes bstan pa’o ||  (RZ 2: 320)

4. dam tshig ’da’ bar dka’o || zhes so ||  (RZ 2: 320)

5. zhi ba sangs rgyas nyid thob ’gyur || zhes bya ba la sogs pa rgya cher gsungs so || (RZ 2: 329)

6. ’di bdud rtsi yin te ’ju bar dka’o zhes bstan | (RZ 2: 333)

7. bdud rtsi yin no zhes bya ba ni dgongs pa’i tshig ste (RZ 2: 334)

8. bdud rtsi zhes bya ba ni ’di dag yin no || (RZ 2: 334)

9. sangs rgyas mnyam sbyor ni rnal ’byor chen po’i rgyud ma yin no zhes kyang zer ro || (RZ 2: 336)

10. … zhes ’byung (RZ 2: 361)

11. ’di ni gsang sngags kyi lung drug ces grags || (RZ 2: 371)

12. … zhes bstan to || (RZ 2: 371)

13. … zhes grags so || (RZ 2: 373)

14. … zhes ’byung ba’o || (RZ 2: 373)

15. … rtsa ba nyams pa zhes bya’o || (RZ 2: 378)

16. ma hā yā na zhes bya ste | (RZ 2: 214)

17. dri mas dri ma ’khru ba dang ’dra’o zhes zer ro || (RZ 2: 212)

18. mu stegs pa na re | … rgyu med pa las kyang skye’o zhes zer te | (RZ 2: 206)

19. … skur pa gdab tu mi rung ngo zhes ’dod do || (RZ 2: 201)