Hmongic languages

Hmongic
Miao
Geographic distribution:	China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and the US
Linguistic classification:	Hmong–Mien Hmongic
Subdivisions:	Pa-Hng Jiongnai–She West Hmongic North Hmongic East Hmongic
ISO 639-2 and 639-5:	hmn

The Hmongic aka Miao languages include the various languages spoken by the Miao people (such as Hmong, Hmu and Xong), Pa-Hng, and the Bunu, Younuo and Jiongnai used by non-Mien-speaking Yao people.

Contents 1 Name 2 Writing 3 Classification 3.1 Ratliff (2010) 3.2 Matisoff (2001) 4 References

Name

The most common name used for the languages is Miao, the Chinese term and the one used by Miao in China. However, Hmong is more familiar in the West, due to Hmong emigration. While many overseas Hmong prefer the name Hmong, and even claim that Miao is pejorative, it has no such connotation in Chinese (apart from most non-Han being traditionally considered barbarians), and is considered neutral by the Miao community in China.^[1]

Writing

The Miao languages were traditionally written with various adaptations of Chinese characters. Around 1905, Samuel Pollard introduced a Romanized script, the Pollard script, for the A-Hmao language, and this is still used for Hmong Daw.^[2] Several more alphabets were devised by the Chinese government in the 1950s for other varieties of Miao; currently, four Miao Latin alphabets are used in China. In the United States, the Romanized Popular Alphabet is often used for White Hmong, but most Miao languages remain unwritten.

Classification

Hmongic is one of the primary branches of the Hmong–Mien language family, with the other being Mienic.

Ratliff (2010)

The classification below is from Martha Ratliff (2010:3).^[3]

• Hmongic (Miao)
  • Pa-Hng – 32,000 speakers
  • (Main branch)
    • Jiongnai & Ho Ne (She) – 2,000 speakers
    • (Core Hmongic)
      • West Hmongic (Chuanqiandian 川黔滇次方言, i.e. Sichuan–Guizhou–Yunnan)
        • Hmong – 2,700,000 speakers
        • A-Hmao – 300,000 speakers in Guizhou and Yunnan
        • Bunu – 260,000 speakers in Guangxi
      • North Hmongic (aka Xong, Meo, Xiangxi Miao) – 900,000 speakers mostly in Hunan
      • East Hmongic (aka Hmu, Qiandong Miao, Standard Miao) – 2,100,000 speakers mostly in Guizhou

Languages in Matisoff (2001) not listed above are Younuo, Wunai, Ge (Gejia), Luopohe Miao, and Central Huishui, Central Mashan, Eastern Huishui, Northern Guiyang, Northern Huishui, Northern Mashan, Southern Guiyang, Southern Mashan, Southwestern Guiyang, Southwestern Huishui, and Western Mashan Miao, with another 640,000 speakers.

Matisoff (2001)

Matisoff 2001 proposed the following, with She left unclassified:

• Hmongic (Miao)
  • Bunu:
    • Younuo: Younuo
    • Wunai: Wunai
    • Bu-Nao: Pu No, Nao Klao, Nu Mhou, Nunu, Tung Nu
    • Jiongnai: Jiongnai
  • Chuanqiangdian Miao:
    • Ge (Chonganjiang Miao)
    • Hmong Dô
    • Hmong Don
    • Hmong Njua (Green Miao)
    • Central Huishui Miao
    • Central Mashan Miao
    • Chuanqiandian Cluster Miao
    • Eastern Huishui Miao
    • Horned Miao
    • Large Flowery Miao (Northeastern Dian Miao)
    • Luopohe Miao
    • Northern Guiyang Miao
    • Northern Huishui Miao
    • Northern Mashan Miao
    • Small Flowery Miao
    • Southern Guiyang Miao
    • Southern Mashan Miao
    • Southwestern Guiyang Miao
    • Southwestern Huishui Miao
    • Western Mashan Miao
    • White Miao (Hmong Daw)
    • Raojia
    • Sinicized Miao (Hmong Shua)
    • Pa Na
  • Pa-Hng: Pa-Hng
  • Qiandong Miao:
    • Northern Qiandong Miao
    • Eastern Qiandong Miao
    • Southern Qiandong Miao
  • Xiangxi Miao:
    • Western Xiangxi Miao
    • Eastern Xiangxi Miao

References