The Mienic or Yao languages are spoken by the Yao people of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.
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.
Mienic is one of the primary branches of the Hmong–Mien language family, with the other being Hmongic.
Martha Ratliff (2010:3) proposed the following classification:
MienicIu Mien, 840,000 speakersKim Mun, 400,000 speakersBiao Min, 43,000 speakersDzao Min, 60,000 speakersStrecker 1987, followed (with the addition of Moxi) by Matisoff 2001, proposed the following, with some of the more divergent varieties as additional languages:
Mienic (Yao)Biao–Jiao:Biao MinChao Kong MengMoxiMian–Jin:Biao MonIu MienKim MunZaomin: Dzao MinMao Zongwu (2004) classifies the following Mienic languages and dialects of China as such. Data points studied in Mao (2004) are also listed for each dialect.
Mien 勉: 550,000 speakersGuangdian 广滇 dialect: 400,000 speakersDapingjiang, Jianxin village, Jiangdi township, Longsheng County (龙胜县江底乡建新村大坪江屯)Shinongjiao village, Daxiaohe township, Guanyang County (灌阳县大小河乡石弄脚村)Xianjiacao, Liuding village, Sanjiao township, Jinxiu County (金秀县三角乡六定村仙家槽屯)Fengle village, Panshi township, Rongjiang County (榕江县盘石乡丰乐村)Miaozhu village, Gongkeng township, Ruyuan County (乳源县公坑乡苗竹村)Shuizi'ao village, Liangchahe township, Jianghua County (江华县两岔河乡水子坳村)Yanbian village, Shilixiang township, Jinping County (云南省红河哈尼族彝族自治州金平苗族瑶族傣族自治县十里香乡百岩边村)Xiangnan 湘南 dialect: 130,000 speakersMiaoziyuan village, Xiangjiang township, Jianghua County (湖南永州市江华瑶族自治县湘江乡庙子源村)Ganziyuan village, Mianhuaping township, Ningyuan County (湖南省永州市宁远县棉花坪乡柑子园村)Luoxiang 罗香 (Ao Biao 坳标) dialect: 3,000 speakersLuoxiang township, Jinxiu County (广西来宾市金秀瑶族自治县罗香乡罗香村)Changping 长坪 (Biao Man 标曼) dialect: 20,000 speakers in the counties of Mengshan, Pingdong, Zhaoping, and LipuDongpingdong village, Changping township, Mengshan County (广西壮族自治区梧州市蒙山县长坪乡东坪垌村)Jinmen 金门: 220,000 speakersDiangui 滇桂 dialect: 166,000 speakersXinzhai village, Liangzi township, Hekou County (云南省红河哈尼族彝族自治州河口瑶族自治县梁子乡新寨村)Nacai village, Dulong township, Malipo County (云南省文山麻栗坡县都龙乡那才村)Suoshanjiao village, Yaoqu township, Mengla County (云南省勐腊县瑶区乡梭山脚村)Lanjin township, Lingyun County (广西壮族自治区百色市凌云县览金乡览金村)Xintun, Jiajiang village, Sanjiao township, Jinxiu County (广西壮族自治区来宾市金秀瑶族自治县三角乡甲江村新屯)Fanghai 防海 dialect: 60,000 speakersTansan township, Fangcheng County (广西壮族自治区防城县十万大山区滩散乡滩散村)Xin'an village, Daping township, Qiongzhong County (海南省琼中黎族苗族自治县大平乡新安村)Biao Min 标敏: 40,000 speakersDongshan 东山 dialect: 35,000 speakersShuanglong, Huanglong village, Dongshan township, Quanzhou County (全州县东山乡黄龙村双龙屯)Shikou 石口 dialect: 8,000 speakersShikou village, Sanjiang township, Gongcheng County (恭城县三江乡石口村)Niuweizhai 牛尾寨 dialect: 2,000 speakersNiuwei village, Sanjiang township, Gongcheng County (恭城县三江乡牛尾村)Zao Min 藻敏: 60,000 speakersDaping township, Liannan County (连南县大坪乡大坪村)A Mienic lect called bjau2 mwan2, related to Mien of Changping and Luoxiang, is spoken in Liuchong 六冲, Qiaoheng Township 桥亭乡, Pingle County 平乐县, Guangxi (Tang 1994). 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.
- Guangdian Mien (Jiangdi); autonym: mjen31
- Diangui Kim Mun (Liangzi); autonym: kjeːm33 mun33
- Dongshan Biao Min; autonym: bjau31 min31
- Daping Dzao Min; autonym: dzau53 min53
- Xiangnan Mien (Miaoziyuan); autonym: mjəŋ31
- Changping Mien ( = Biao Mon); autonym: bjau31 moːn31
- Luoxiang Mien; autonym: bjau31 mwan31
- Fanghai Kim Mun (Tansan); autonym: kiːm33 mun33
- Shikou Biao Min ( = Chao Kong Meng); autonym: mɔu31 jɔu55
- Niuweizhai Biao Min ( = Moxi); autonym: mɔ433 ɕi53
Using Mao's (2004) new data, Aumann & Sidwell (2004) propose the following classification of the Mienic languages, based on innovations in rhotic consonants. 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.
Proto-MienMien-Biao MinGuangdian MienXiangnan MienBiao MinDongshanShikouMun-DzaoLuoxiang-Kim MunLuoxiang MienKim MunChangping-Dzao MinChangping MienDzao MinAumann & 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.
Proto-MienLuoxiang MienIu MienGuangdian MienXiangnan MienDongshan Biao MinMun-DzaoShikou Biao MinKim Mun(Branch)Changping MienDzao MinSome languages may be mixed Chinese and Mienic (Yao) languages, such as:
The Maojia dialect (Aoka) of Chengbu Miao Autonomous County, Hunan and Ziyun, Longsheng Various Nationalities Autonomous County, GuangxiShaozhou Tuhua, the language of the nüshu script, is an unclassified variety of Chinese spoken by ethnic Yao. Its origin is obscure, but it may have started out as a Sinicized Mienic language.
