Bai language
Sino-Tibetan language of Yunnan, southwestern China / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Bai (Bai: Baip‧ngvp‧zix; simplified Chinese: 白语; traditional Chinese: 白語; pinyin: Báiyǔ; lit. 'white language') is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in China, primarily in Yunnan Province, by the Bai people. The language has over a million speakers and is divided into three or four main dialects. Bai syllables are always open, with a rich set of vowels and eight tones. The tones are divided into two groups with modal and non-modal (tense, harsh or breathy) phonation. There is a small amount of traditional literature written with Chinese characters, Bowen (僰文), as well as a number of recent publications printed with a recently standardized system of romanisation using the Latin alphabet.
Bai | |
---|---|
白语, Báiyǔ | |
Baip‧ngvp‧zix | |
Native to | Yunnan, China |
Ethnicity | Bai, Hui[1] |
Native speakers | 1.3 million (2003)[2] |
Dialects |
|
Latin Bowen script | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | Variously:bca – Central Bai, Jianchuan dialectbfs – Southern Bai, Dali dialectbfc – Panyi Bailay – Lama Bai |
ISO 639-6 | bicr |
Glottolog | baic1239 |
The origins of Bai have been obscured by intensive Chinese influence of an extended period. Different scholars have proposed that it is an early offshoot or sister language of Chinese, part of the Loloish branch or a separate group within the Sino-Tibetan family.