Mienic languages

Last updated
Mienic
Yao
Geographic
distribution		 China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, United States
Ethnicitysome of the Yao peoples
Linguistic classification Hmong–Mien
  • Mienic
Proto-language Proto-Mienic
Subdivisions
Language codes
ISO 639-3 –
Glottolog mien1242
Hmong Mien lang.png
Mienic languages:
  Iu Mien & Kim Mun
  Biao Min
  Dzao Min
Not shown: Biao Mon

The Mienic or Yao languages are spoken by the Yao people of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.

Contents

Some of the Yao peoples speak Hmongic languages (Miao); these are called Bunu . A small population of Yao people in Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County (金秀瑶族自治县) in eastern Guangxi speak a Tai-Kadai language called Lakkia. Other Yao peoples speak various Sinitic (Chinese) language varieties.

Classification

Distribution of Yao (Iu-Mien speakers) population in China Yao distribution China.png
Distribution of Yao (Iu-Mien speakers) population in China

Mienic is one of the primary branches of the Hmong–Mien language family, with the other being Hmongic.

Ratliff (2010)

Martha Ratliff (2010:3) proposed the following classification: [1]

Strecker (1987)

Strecker 1987, [2] followed (with the addition of Moxi) by Matisoff 2001, proposed the following, with some of the more divergent varieties as additional languages:

Luang-Thongkum (1993)

Luang-Thongkum (1993:170) [3] proposes the following classification for Mjuenic, a proposed branch consisting of the Mien, Mun, and Muen (Biao Mon) languages. The classifications of Biao Min and Dzao Min are not addressed.

  • Proto-Mjuenic
    • Mun
      • West Mun (Landian Yao 蓝靛瑶)
      • East Mun (Shanzi Yao 山子瑶)
    • (Mien-Muen)
      • Muen (Ao Yao 坳瑶)
      • Mien (Pan Yao 盘瑶)
        • North Mien
        • East Mien, West Mien

Mao (2004)

Mao Zongwu (2004) classifies the Mienic languages varieties of China as follows. Data points studied in Mao (2004) are also listed for each dialect.

A Mienic lect called bjau2 mwan2 ("Biao Man 标曼"), related to Mien of Changping and Luoxiang, is spoken in Liuchong 六冲, Qiaoting Township 桥亭乡, Pingle County 平乐县, Guangxi (Tang 1994); another "Biao Man 标曼" dialect is spoken in Dongpingdong 东坪洞 (Tang 1994). [7] There are about 10,000 speakers in Mengshan, Lipu, Pingle, and Zhaoping counties.

The comparative vocabulary chart in Mao Zongwu (2004) consists of the following languages.

  1. Guangdian Mien (Jiangdi); autonym: mjen31
  2. Diangui Kim Mun (Liangzi); autonym: kjeːm33mun33
  3. Dongshan Biao Min; autonym: bjau31min31
  4. Daping Dzao Min; autonym: dzau53min53
  5. Xiangnan Mien (Miaoziyuan); autonym: mjəŋ31
  6. Changping Mien ( = Biao Mon); autonym: bjau31moːn31
  7. Luoxiang Mien; autonym: bjau31mwan31
  8. Fanghai Kim Mun (Tansan); autonym: kiːm33mun33
  9. Shikou Biao Min ( = Chao Kong Meng); autonym: mɔu31jɔu55
  10. Niuweizhai Biao Min ( = Moxi); autonym: mɔ433ɕi53

Aumann & Sidwell (2004)

Using Mao's (2004) new data, Aumann & Sidwell (2004) propose the following classification of the Mienic languages, based on innovations in rhotic consonants. [8] This classification presents a bipartite division of the Mienic into a subgroup consisting of Iu Mien and Biao Min, and another subgroup consisting of Kim Mun and Dzao Min. Luoxiang is grouped with Kim Mun, while Changping is grouped with Dzao Min.

Aumann & Sidwell (2004) consider the following classification by Wang & Mao to be unlikely, which is based on the voicing of voiceless sonorants, a common areal feature.

Taguchi (2012)

Yoshihisa Taguchi's (2012) computational phylogenetic study classifies the Mienic languages as follows. [9]

Hmongic

Mienic

Zao Min

Biao Min (Dongshan)

Biao Min (Shikou)

Kim Mun (Diangui)

Mien (Changping, Luoxiang)

Mien (Guangdian, Xiangnan)

Hsiu (2018)

Hsiu's (2018) [10] computational phylogenetic study classifies the Mienic languages as follows.

  • Mienic

Hsiu (2018) considers Changping Mien to have been influenced by Kim Mun lects due to geographical proximity, although it retains many unique forms that indicate it should belong in its own branch.

Hsiu (2023)

Hsiu (2023) announced the discovery of the previously undocumented Yangchun Pai Yao, likely a sister branch to Dzao Min, or possibly belonging to its own branch outright. [11]

Mixed languages

Some languages may be mixed Chinese and Mienic (Yao) languages, such as:

Numerals

Numerals in Mienic Languages [13]
LanguageOneTwoThreeFourFiveSixSevenEightNineTen
Proto-Hmong-Mien*ʔɨ*ʔu̯i*pjɔu*plei*prja*kruk*dzjuŋH*jat*N-ɟuə*gju̯əp
Iu Mienjet˩˨i˧pwo˧pjei˧pia˧tɕu˥sje˩˧ɕet˩˨dwo˧˩tsjop˩˨
Ao Biao (Luoxiang)jit˦˧vi˧pu˧pje˧pla˧kwo˦˧ȵi˩jat˧˨du˧˩ɕep˧˨
Biao Mon (Changping)no˧˥i˧pu˧plei˧pla˧kju˥˧ŋi˨jaːt˨˩du˨˩sjəp˨˩
Kim Muna˧i˧˥ˀpɔ˧˥pjei˧˥pja˧˥kjo˧˥ȵi˦˨jet˥du˧ʃap˦˨
Biao Mini˧wəi˧pau˧pləi˧pla˧klɔ˥˧ni˦˨hjɛn˦˨iu˧˩ȶʰan˦˨
Chao Kong Meng (Shikou)ji˧˥vi˧bɔu˧pli˧pla˥˧klɔ˧˥ŋi˩˧jæ˨tɕu˥tɕæ˨
Moxi (Niuweizhai)i˧wei˧pəu˧pɣɯi˧pɤa˧kɤɔ˥ɕi˧˩hjɯ˥˧du˥˧tɕʰwa˥˧
Dzao Mina˦vi˦˨bu˦˨pɛi˦˨pjɛ˦˨tɔu˦ȵi˨dzat˨ku˥˧sjɛp˨

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ratliff, Martha. 2010. Hmong–Mien language history. Canberra, Australia: Pacific Linguistics.
  2. ↑ Strecker, David. 1987. "The Hmong-Mien Languages." In Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area, 10 , no. 2: 1-11.
  3. ↑ Luang-Thongkum, Theraphan. 1993. A view on Proto-Mjuenic (Yao). Mon-Khmer Studies 22:163-230.
  4. ↑ location not found on map
  5. ↑ "河口瑶族自治县瑶山乡梁子村委会新寨自然村". www.ynszxc.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 2014-12-18.
  6. ↑ "勐腊县瑶区瑶族乡黄莲山村委会梭山脚". www.ynszxc.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 2014-12-18.
  7. ↑ Tang Yongliang 唐永亮. 1994. 瑶族勉语六冲标曼话语音特点和声调实验研究. Minzu Yuwen 1994:5.
  8. ↑ Aumann, Greg and Paul Sidwell. 2004. "Subgrouping of Mienic Languages: Some Observations." In Papers from the Eleventh Annual Meeting of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society, edited by Somsonge Burusphat. Tempe, Arizona, 13-27. Arizona State University, Program for Southeast Asian Studies.
  9. ↑ Yoshihisa Taguchi [田口善久] (2012). On the Phylogeny of the Hmong-Mien languages Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine . Conference in Evolutionary Linguistics 2012.
  10. ↑ Hsiu, Andrew. 2018. Preliminary classification of Mienic languages Archived 2020-10-23 at the Wayback Machine .
  11. ↑ Hsiu, Andrew (May 16–18, 2023). "The Pai Yao language of Yangchun: Final remnants of a Mienic language". Southeast Asian Linguistics Society. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  12. ↑ Cited in Chiang (1995) We two know the script, we have become good friends, p. 28, footnote 43.
  13. ↑ "Miao-Yao". lingweb.eva.mpg.de. Archived from the original on 2009-05-19.

Further reading

Sources with word lists of Mienic languages
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