Laomian language
Laomian | |
---|---|
Bisu, Guba or Lawmeh | |
Native to | Yunnan Province |
Ethnicity | Laomian |
Native speakers | (5,000 cited 1985)[1] |
| |
Dialects |
|
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | lwm |
Glottolog | laom1237 |
ELP | Laomian |
Laomian (
Geographic distribution
Two centuries ago, the Lahu people started a rebellion in the Shuangjiang, Lancang and Menglian areas of Yunnan Province. The Bisu people, also known as the Laomian and Laopin people, joined them. In 1801 the rebellion was stopped and the Bisu people followed the Nanku River south. They experienced many grades of oppression in various locations and finally arrived at Muga Mengnuo and Zhutand in Lancang. The Bisu people were entangled in an armed uprising of farmers. This was put down by the alliance of the Lahu Tsui, Han landlords and the local warlords. The Bisu people then moved to Menglian, Ximeng and Menghai. Mong Yang township is bordered to the east by Menghai County and to the north by Menglian County – both areas where Bisu settled and remain to the present day.[5]
Official status
China is the only country to still have people who still use Laomian. Some of the places located within China that still use this language are:[1]
- Yunnan Province
- Menghai County (in Mengzhe Township)
Dialects/Varieties
The languages Lanmeng, Huaipa, Dakao, Laopin are similar to Pyen and Bisu, but have a ninety-three to ninety-five percent lexical similarity to Laomian and Laopin and eighty-eight percent to Bisu in Thailand.[1]
Derived languages
Laopin has been influenced by the Tai Lue people over a long time period, while both Laomian and Laopin have been influenced recently by Chinese. Due to this, there are many loanwords, concepts and new technological terms that are not traditional Bisu terms. These neighboring influences have affected Laomian and Laopin grammar and phonology.
Grammar
In 2000, Person studied sentence-final particles in Bisu narrative. In his studies, he looked at 13 written folktales, 6 expository texts, and 3 life histories to establish the aspects that influence particle usage. Person examines variables such as, place in the discourse, relative transitivity, sentence complexity, occurrence or nonoccurrence in quotations and evidential perspective. He also studied the effect of text-type on particle usage in Bisu discourse and concluded that Bisu particles vary according to text type.[5]
Syntax
A researcher named Xu Shixuan studied and gave examples of how Bisu syntax had been affected due to the contact that they had with neighbouring languages. The traditional SOV constituent order is occasionally changed to SVO because both Chinese and Dai have SVO order. Also, another researcher, Day, analyzed Bisu noun phrase in Doi Chumphu village, Thailand. She characterized the noun phrase in Bisu, and declared that the word, [maŋ], in Bisu is a classifier and that the prefix [aŋ-] is a nominalizer. Another researcher, Gustafson, contributed a detailed grammar statement for Thailand Bisu. She described complex sentences including nominalization, relativization and complementation, as well as, a more in-depth piece information of verbal particles, pragmatically marked structures and an explanation of the role of the prefixes ang- and a- are provided in her study.[5]
Vocabulary
In the recent years, the use of Chinese is becoming more popular and is causing a language shift. Many people are using
In Muang Muang Tun's research 48/48 of the people responded that they use Laomian/Laopin while speaking to their parents, grandparents, siblings, children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. These people use Laomian/Laopin the most in their families. Although, 3/36 Laomian people stated that they use Lahu when they speak to their spouses and 3/12 Laopin people use Chinese or Lahu or Dai to communicate with their spouses. 48/48 Laomian/Laopin people stated that they use Laomian/Laopin when they talk to Laomian/Laopin friends at a funeral or village meeting, but 48/48 [100%] said that they use Chinese when they meet government workers. Lastly, 48/48 [100%] said that the Laomain/Laopin children will be speaking Laomian/Laopin in the future.[5]
Writing system
The writing system that is used is
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Laomian at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ "Láncāng Lāhùzú Zìzhìxiàn Zhútáng Xiāng Dōngzhǔ Lǎomiǎn Dàzhài" 澜沧拉祜族自治县竹塘乡东主老缅大寨 [Laomian Dazhai, Dongzhu, Zhutang Township, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County]. ynszxc.gov.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
- ^ Bradley (2007).
- ^ a b "Laomian". Endangered Languages. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- ^ CiteSeerX 10.1.1.695.3962.
Further reading
- Chong, Suk Ching Stella (2007). "Critical Issues in Diversity and Schooling within Asia". In Phillipson, Shane N. (ed.). Learning Diversity in the Chinese Classroom: Contexts and Practice for Students with Special Needs. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 35–64. JSTOR j.ctt1xwb4p.6.
- "OLAC Resources in and About the Laomian Language". Open Language Archives. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- "Laomian Language". Global Recordings Network. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- Bradley, David (2007). "Language Endangerment in China and Mainland Southeast Asia". In Brenzinger, Matthias (ed.). Language Diversity Endangered. New York: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 278–302. ISBN 978-3-11-017050-4.