Mondzish languages

Mondzish (Mangish) is a small group of languages that constitute the most divergent branch of the Lolo–Burmese languages in the classification of Lama (2012). The Mondzish languages are spoken in Funing, Guangnan, Malipo, and Napo counties of China and Hà Giang and Cao Bang provinces of northern Vietnam. The autonyms of Mondzish-speaking peoples often begins with *man-. Lama (2012) considers *man- to be cognate with Mán (蛮), which is an ancient Chinese exonym for non-Chinese peoples to the south.

Mondzish
Geographic distribution	Chinese–Vietnamese border
Linguistic classification	Sino-Tibetan Lolo–Burmese Mondzish
Subdivisions	Kathu Nuclear Mondzish
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	mond1269

Wenshan prefecture in Yunnan, China

Mondzish languages are spoken in Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan, China and across the border in Hà Giang Province, Vietnam. According to Hsiu (2014), Kathu is related.

Classification

Hsiu (2014:73) classifies the Mondzish languages as follows. Additional languages from Hsiu (2017) are also included.

• Kathu (Thou)
• Nuclear Mondzish (Nuclear Mangish)
  • Muangphe
  • Mango, Manga
  • Maang (also known as Mo'ang, Meang)
  • Mondzi or Mantsi (also known as Lô Lô by the Vietnamese)
  • Maza
  • Mauphu, Motang
  • Mongphu

A revised classification of Mondzish languages by Hsiu (2018)^[1] is as follows.

• Mondzish
  • Northwestern Mondzish: Kathu, Thou
  • Core (Nuclear) Mondzish
    • Southern Mondzish: Mondzi / Mantsi cluster
    • Southeastern Mondzish: Meang / Maang cluster
    • Eastern Mondzish
      • Mango / Manga cluster
      • Mongphu
      • Maza
    • Central Mondzish
      • Muangphe
      • Mauphu, Motang

Sound changes

Lama (2012) lists the following sound changes from Proto-Loloish as Mondzish innovations.

• *tsʰ- > s-
• *ɣr- > ʐ-
• *ɣʷ- > b-

References

1. Hsiu, Andrew. 2018. Mondzish branch.

• Edmondson, Jerold A. 2003. Three Tibeto-Burman Languages of Vietnam.
• Hsiu, Andrew. 2014. "Mondzish: a new subgroup of Lolo-Burmese". In Proceedings of the 14th International Symposium on Chinese Languages and Linguistics (IsCLL-14). Taipei: Academia Sinica.
• Lama, Ziwo Qiu-Fuyuan (2012), Subgrouping of Nisoic (Yi) Languages, thesis, University of Texas at Arlington.