Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Derung language

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Pronunciation
  
[tə˧˩ɻuŋ˥˧ kət˥]

Region
  
Yunnan

Native to
  
China

Native speakers
  
14,000 (2000)

Ethnicity
  
Derung people and part of ethnic Anung of Nu people

Language family
  
Sino-Tibetan Nungish Derung

Derung, Dulong (simplified Chinese: 独龙; traditional Chinese: 獨龍; pinyin: Dúlóng) or Trung is the Sino-Tibetan language of the Derung people of China. It is an unwritten language. It is thought that the Derung and Nu people are of the same origin and speak somewhat the same language. They share the same kinship terminology as well as other cultural features.

Melam, Metu, Tamalu, and Tukiumu may be Derung dialects. They are not included in the speaker total above.

Dulongyu Jianzhi (1986) lists two main dialects of Dulong.

  • Dulong River dialect: Dulong River watershed, primarily in Dulongjiang Township 独龙江乡, Gongshan County, Yunnan, including in Villages 1–4, District 4; the dialect spoken in Village 4 is very different from the dialect spoken in villages 1–3. 4,700 speakers. Note: Villages 1–4 are arrayed north to south, with Village 1 the northernmost, and Village 4 the southernmost. In other writings, these "villages" are called townships.
  • Nujiang dialect: Gongshan County, Yunnan (including in Bingzhongluo Township 丙中洛乡, District 1, Nujiang) and Chawalong Township, Zayü County, Tibet. 6,000 speakers.

    • References

    Derung language Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA