| Lahu | |
|---|---|
| Spoken in | Yunnan, China; Thailand; Laos; Myanmar |
| Ethnicity | Lahu |
| Native speakers | 640,000 (1993–2007) |
| Language family | |
| Writing system | Latin script |
| Official status | |
| Official language in | Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Yunnan |
| Regulated by | No official regulation |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | either: lhu – Lahu lhi – Lahu Shi |
Lahu is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Lahu people of China, Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos. It is widely used in China, both by Lahu people, and by other ethnic minorities in Yunnan, who use it as a lingua franca. [1] 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. [2]
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Three dialects are noted, known by a variety of names: [3]
Black Lahu is the standard dialect in China, [1] as well as the lingua franca among different groups of Lahu in Thailand. [2] However, it is intelligible to speakers of Yellow Lahu only with some difficulty. [1]