| Hani | |
|---|---|
| Haqniqdoq | |
| Spoken in | China, Vietnam, Laos, Burma |
| Region | Indochina |
| Ethnicity | Hani |
| Native speakers | 760,000 Hani proper (2007) 1.8 million all varieties |
| Language family |
Sino-Tibetan
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | variously: hni – Hani proper ahk – Akha ktp – Kaduo how – Honi byo – Biyo enu – Enu sca – Sansu sgk – Sangkong |
The Hani language (Hani: Haqniqdoq; simplified Chinese: 哈尼语; traditional Chinese: 哈尼語; pinyin: Hāníyǔ; Vietnamese: Tiếng Hà Nhì) is a language of the Loloish (Yi) branch of the Tibeto-Burman linguistic group spoken in China, Laos, Burma (Myanmar), and Vietnam by the Hani people.
Contents |
Hani proper has three dialects: Haya, Haohai, and Bika. In China, Akha and other related languages are considered varieties of Hani; they are closely related but not easily intelligible. The group is called Akha–Hani when a distinction is made. In 2007 there were slightly over 1.8 million speakers of all Akha–Hani varieties, and 760,000 speakers of Hani proper.
Hani proper has three main tones and two types of short vowels.
Oral tradition tells of an ancient written script for Hani but says it was lost when the Hani migrated from Sichuan. In China, Hani now uses a romanization of the Haya dialect of Luchun in the Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture as a written script developed by Chinese authorities and promulgated in 1957. As with the Latin-based scripts of the Zhuang, Hmong and Iu Mien languages, it uses final consonant letters to designate tone.
| Hani | English |
|---|---|
| Aqsol liq yoqdeivq yoqpyuq bo, meeqyaovq ssolnei colpyuq qiq kov dei. Davqtavcolssaq neenyuq bel neema meeq ya siq, laongaoq meilnaol nadul meil e gaq ssol hhyul hha bavqduv nia. | All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. |