| Lakkia | |
|---|---|
| Lakkja | |
| Spoken in | China |
| Region | Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi |
| Native speakers | 12,000; < 4,000 monolinguals (1999) |
| Language family |
Tai–Kadai
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | lbc |
The Lakkja language (Chinese: 拉珈语; also spelled Lakkia) is a Tai–Kadai language spoken in Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Laibin 来宾, east-central Guangxi, China. Lakkja people are also known as the Chashan Yao, or Tea Mountain Yao, since they were traditionally considered by neighboring peoples to be a Miao–Yao (Hmong–Mien) people. The name Lakkja means mountain people. All Lakkja dialects have 5 tones.
Lakkja speakers are thought to have migrated from further east, possibly from the Biao-speaking areas of northwestern Guangdong province. Today, they live mostly in the Dayaoshan (Chinese: 大瑶山; "Big Yao Mountain") region of Jinxiu County.
The genetic affiliation of the Lakkja language within the Tai–Kadai family is uncertain, although its position could be coordinate with the Kam–Sui languages.
Dialects of Lakkia include: