| Huishui Miao | |
|---|---|
| Mhong | |
| Native to | China |
| Region | Guizhou |
Native speakers | (180,000 cited 1995) [1] |
Hmong–Mien
| |
| Dialects | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Variously: hmc – Central hme – Eastern hmi – Northern hmh – Southwestern |
| Glottolog | huis1239 |
Huishui Miao, a.k.a. Huishui Hmong, is a Miao language of China. It is named after Huishui County, Guizhou, though not all varieties are spoken there. The endonym is Mhong, though it shares this with Gejia and it is simply a variant spelling of Hmong. Raojia is closely related.
Huishui was given as a subgroup of Western Hmongic in Strecker (1987). Matisoff (2001) split it into four separate languages, and, conservatively, did not retain it as a group.
Below is a list of Miao dialects and their respective speaker populations and distributions from Li (2018), [2] along with representative datapoints from Wang (1985). [3]
| Dialect | Speakers | Counties | Representative datapoint (Wang 1985) |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | 60,000 | Guiyang (including in Huaxi Gaopo 花溪区高坡乡), Longli, Guiding, Huishui | Jiading 甲定寨, Gaopo Township 高坡苗族乡, Guiyang City |
| Central | 40,000+ | Huishui, Changshun | Baijin Township 摆金乡, Huishui County |
| East | 10,000+ | Huishui, Pingtang | Xiguan Township 西关乡, Pingtang County |
| West | 50,000 | Huishui, Changshun | Yarong Township 鸭绒乡, Huishui County |
According to Sun (2017), the northern dialect of Huishui Miao is spoken in the following townships by a total of approximately 50,000 speakers. [4]
The Hmu language, also known as Qiandong Miao, Central Miao (中部苗语), East Hmongic, or Black Miao, is a dialect cluster of Hmongic languages of China. The best studied dialect is that of Yǎnghāo (养蒿) village, Taijiang County, Guizhou Province.
The She language, autonym Ho Ne, or Ho Nte, is a critically endangered Hmong–Mien language spoken by the She people. Most of the over 709,000 She people today speak Shehua. Those who speak Sheyu—approximately 1,200 individuals in Guangdong Province—call themselves Ho Ne, "mountain people".
Ai-Cham is a Kam–Sui language spoken mainly in Diwo 地莪 and Boyao 播尧 Townships, Jialiang District, Libo County, Qiannan Prefecture, Guizhou, China. Alternative names for the language are Jiamuhua, Jinhua and Atsam. Fang-Kuei Li first distinguished the language in 1943. Nearby languages include Bouyei and Mak. However, Yang (2000) considers Ai-Cham and Mak to be different dialects of an identical language.
Gha-Mu, often translated as Small Flowery Miao, is a Miao language of China spoken by the Gha-Mu people. It is closely related to the Hmong dialects of China and Laos; both Gha-Mu and Hmong are members of the Chuanqiandian cluster of West Hmongic languages. It is spoken in Nayong, Shuicheng, Zhenning, Guanling, and Hezhang counties of western Guizhou, China.
The Mulam language is a Kam–Sui language spoken mainly in Luocheng County, Hechi, Northern Guangxi by the Mulao people. The greatest concentrations are in Dongmen and Siba communes. Their autonym is mu6 lam1. The Mulam also call themselves kjam1, which is probably cognate with lam1 and the Dong people's autonym "Kam".
The Mak language is a Kam–Sui language spoken in Libo County, Qiannan Prefecture, Guizhou, China. It is spoken mainly in the four townships of Yangfeng, Fangcun (方村), Jialiang (甲良), and Diwo (地莪) in Jialiang District (甲良), Libo County. Mak speakers can also be found in Dushan County. Mak is spoken alongside Ai-Cham and Bouyei. The Mak, also called Mojia (莫家) in Chinese, are officially classified as Bouyei by the Chinese government.
Younuo is a divergent Hmongic language spoken in Longsheng Various Nationalities Autonomous County, Guangxi, China. Mao (2007:129) reports a total of approximately 4,000 speakers.
Nisu is a language cluster spoken by half a million Yi people of China. It is one of six Yi languages recognized by the government of China. The Yi script was traditionally used, though few can still read it. According to Lama (2012), Nisu (Nishu) autonyms include, , and.
The Nasu language, also known as the Eastern Yi language or Naisu, Luquan Yi, Wuding Yi, Guizhou Yi, Weining Yi, Guangxi Yi or Longlin Yi, is a Loloish language spoken by the Yi people of China. Nasu and Wusa are two of six Yi languages recognized by the Government of China. There are also some speakers in Vietnam. Unlike most written Yi languages, Nasu uses the Pollard script. A distinct form of the Yi script was traditionally used for Wusa, though few can still read it.
The Honi language (豪尼語), also known as Haoni, Baihong, Hao-Bai, or Ho, is a language of the Loloish (Yi) branch of the Tibeto-Burman linguistic group spoken in Yunnan, China. The Chinese government groups speakers of this language into the Hani nationality, one of China's 56 recognized nationalities and considers the language to be a dialect of the wider Hani languages. Honi itself is divided into two distinct dialects, Baihong and Haoni, which may be separate languages.
Cun, also known as Gelong or Ngan-Fon, is a Kra–Dai language spoken on Hainan Island. It is a part of the Hlai languages branch and has a lexical similarity with standard Hlai at 40%. The language has approximately 80,000 speakers, 47,200 of which are monolingual. Cun is a tonal language with 10 tones, used depending on whether a syllable is checked or unchecked. The speakers of this language are classified by the Chinese government as ethnic Han; in Hainan, Nadou and Lingao speakers are also classified as ethnic Han.
The Xong language is the northernmost Hmongic language, spoken in south-central China by around 0.9 million people. It is called Xiangxi Miaoyu in Chinese, as well as Eastern Miao (东部苗语). In Western sources, it has been called Meo, Red Miao, and North Hmongic. An official alphabet was adopted in 1956.
The A-Hmao language, also known as Large Flowery Miao or Northeast Yunnan Miao, is a Hmongic language spoken in China. It is the language the Pollard script was designed for, and displays extensive tone sandhi. There is a high degree of literacy in Pollard among the older generation.
The Ge or Gejia language, also known as Chong'anjiang Miao, is a West Hmongic language of Huangping County, Guizhou, China. The endonym is spelled Mhong, though it shares this with Huishui Miao; it is pronounced, as in the Hmong language. When speaking Chinese, they call themselves Gédōu.
The West Hmongic languages, also known as Chuanqiandian Miao and Western Miao, are a major branch of the Hmongic languages of China and Southeast Asia.
Hm Nai is a Hmong-Mien language spoken in western Hunan province, China. There are approximately 5800 people speaking this language, and the number is decreasing. Mao & Li (1997) determined it to be closely related to the Pa-Hng language.
Luobohe Miao, also known as Hmjo or A-Hmyo, is a Miao language of China.
Guiyang Miao, also known as Guiyang Hmong, is a Miao language of China. It is named after Guiyang County, Guizhou, though not all varieties are spoken there. The endonym is Hmong, a name it shares with the Hmong language.
Mang, or Mashan Miao also known as Mashan Hmong, is a Miao language of China, spoken primarily in Ziyun Miao and Buyei Autonomous County, southwestern Guizhou province, southwest China. The endonym is Mang, similar to other West Hmongic languages such as Mong.
Pingtang Miao, named after Pingtang County in which it is spoken, is a group of Miao language varieties of China.