Lahu language
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| Lahu | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spoken in: | Yunnan, China; Thailand; Laos; Myanmar | |
| Total speakers: | 577,178 | |
| Language family: | Sino-Tibetan Tibeto-Burman Yi Southern Akha Lahu |
|
| Official status | ||
| Official language in: | Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Yunnan | |
| Regulated by: | no official regulation | |
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1: | none | |
| ISO 639-2: | lah | |
| ISO 639-3: | lah | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. | ||
The Lahu language is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Lahu people of China, Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos. Similarities in phonology and grammar have been noted with Korean; however, these are not generally accepted as evidence of any genetic relationship.[1] Lahu is widely used in China, both by Lahu people, and by other ethnic minorities in Yunnan, who use it as a lingua franca.[2] However, the language is not widely used nor taught in any schools in Thailand, where many Lahu are in fact refugees and illegal immigrants, having crossed into Thailand from Myanmar.[3]
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[edit] Dialects
Three dialects are noted, known by a variety of names:[4]
- Na (Black Lahu, Musser Dam, Northern Lahu, Loheirn)
- Nyi (Red Lahu, Southern Lahu, Musseh Daeng, Luhishi, Luhushi), Shehleh
- Lahu Shehleh
- Lahu Shi (Yellow Lahu, Kutsung)
Black Lahu is the standard dialect in China,[2] as well as the lingua franca among different groups of Lahu in Thailand.[3] However, it is intelligible to speakers of Yellow Lahu only with some difficulty.[2]
[edit] Notes
[edit] Sources
- Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.) (2005). Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
- Lee, Hyun-bok (2000). "라후어의 언어학적 연구 (A Linguistic Study of Lahu)". The Journal of Humanities 44. Seoul National University.
- Matisoff, James A. (2006). English-Lahu Lexicon. Berkeley, California: University of California Press.
- Reh, Louis. "Silenced Minorities", The Irrawaddy, August 2005. Retrieved on 2006-12-29.
[edit] Further reading
- Wang, Zhenghua (2004). "拉祜语共时音变研究 (On the Synchronic Phonetic Change of the Lahu Language)". Yunnan Nationalities University Journal (1).
- Shi, Feng; Liu, Jing-rong (2006). "拉祜语的元音格局 (The Vowel Pattern of the Lahu Language)". Yunnan Nationalities University Journal (2).
[edit] External links
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