Puneet Varma (Editor)

Hanoish languages

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Glottolog:
  
hani1249

Geographic distribution:
  
Southern China and Indochina

Linguistic classification:
  
Sino-Tibetan (Tibeto-Burman) Lolo–Burmese Loloish Hanoish

The Hanoish (Hanish) languages, also known in a broader scope as the Southern Loloish or Southern Ngwi languages, are a branch of the Loloish languages that includes Akha and Hani.

Contents

Languages

The branches included in Lama (2012), with languages from Bradley (2007), are:


Other Hanoish languages are:

  • Muda
  • Paza (Phusang), a recently discovered Loloish language of northern Laos, is also Hanoish, but it is unclear where it should be classified within Hanoish.
  • Sadu, a recently discovered Loloish language of Yuxi, Yunnan, China
  • Bana or Bala in Laos. Speakers are included in the Kaw (Akha) ethnic group. The language is now being replaced by other larger languages such as Akha and Lahu.
  • Suobi 梭比, spoken in Yinyuan Township 因远镇, Yuanjiang County
  • Nuobi 糯比, closely related to Suobi
  • Cosao, an unclassified Southern Loloish language
  • Yiche 奕车, spoken in Honghe County

    • Kato (2008) also documents:

  • Muteun (mɔ˨˩ tɯ˨˩)
  • Khongsat (su˥ ma˧)
  • Khir (la˨˩ ja˨˩)

    • Other Hanoish language varieties in south-central Yunnan include Bukong 布孔, Budu 布都, Asuo 阿梭, Duota 堕塔, Amu 阿木, Lami 腊米, Qiedi 切弟, Kabie 卡别, and Woni 窝尼.

    Bisoid

    David Bradley (2007) considers the following Bisoid dialects to be closely related.

  • Bisu: 500 ethnic members in northern Thailand, with far fewer speakers
  • Hpyin (Pyen): already reported as moribund in 1900, and replaced by Lahu
  • Laomian: 4,000 speakers (out of 5,000 ethnic members) in central Lancang County
  • Laopin: fewer than 1,000 speakers (out of 1,300 ethnic members) in Menghai County
  • law˧pan˩ (Lao-Pan in Kingsada (1999))

    • Bradley (2007) lists the following Sinsali (formerly Phunoi) languages, which differ from each other.

  • Sinsali proper
  • pʰɔŋ˧ku˥ (Phongku in Kingsada (1999))
  • law˨˩sɛŋ˨˩ (Laoseng in Kingsada (1999))
  • pi˧su˦ (Bisu)

    • Other Bisoid languages include:

  • Phongset (pʰoŋ˧ set˥) (Shintani 2001)
  • Phunyot (pʰu˨˩ nʲɔt˩) (Kato 2008)

    • Kitjapol Udomkool (2006:34), citing data from Wright, also lists the following Bisoid (Phunoi) languages.

  • Tsukong [tsu˧ kɔŋ˧] (China): close to Cốông
  • Cauho [cau˧ ho˧] (Laos): divergent
  • Bantang [ban˧ taŋ˧] (Laos): divergent
  • Cantan [can˧ tan˧] (Laos): close to Sinsali

    • Kitjapol Udomkool (2006) gives the following computational classification for the Bisoid (Phunoi) group, using the UPGMA method.


    Wright (n.d.) tentatively classifies the Singsali (Phunoi) languages of Phongsaly Province, Laos as follows. Phongku may or may not belong as the same group as Laoseng, Phongset, Cantan, and Singsali.

  • Bantang
  • Cauho
  • Laopan
  • (Core branch)
  • Phongku (?)
  • Laoseng
  • Phongset
  • Cantan, Singsali

    • Scope

    Many languages formerly classified as Southern Loloish were known to be divergent, but little data was available; these were split off as Southeastern Loloish by Bradley (2002). The position of Pholo is unclear: although initially kept with the Phula languages in Southeastern Loloish, Pelkey notes that it is only culturally similar, and does not share the defining features of that branch. However, Lama (2012) uses it as one of his sources for classifying Loloish, and finds that it falls in with Zuoke, which Pelkey classifies as Phula. ’Ugong is even more aberrant; Bradley (1997) places it with the Burmish languages.

    Jinuo was added to Hanish by Lama (2012).

    Innovations

    Lama (2012) lists the following changes from Proto-Loloish as Hanoish innovations.

  • *m- → zero /__[u] (Hani and Haoni)
  • *kh- > x- (Hani and Haoni)
  • *N- > NC or C (nasal hardening rule in Bisu and Sangkong)
  • Reversed order of syllables (family-wide)

    • References

    Hanoish languages Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA