Southeastern Loloish languages

The Southeastern Loloish languages, also known as Southeastern Ngwi, are a branch of the Loloish languages. In Lama's (2012) classification, it is called Axi-Puoid, which forms the Nisoish branch together with the Nisoid (Nisu–Lope) (Northern Loloish) languages.

Southeastern Loloish
Southeastern Ngwi Axi-Puoid
Geographic distribution	Southern China, Vietnam
Ethnicity	Yi people
Linguistic classification	Sino-Tibetan (Tibeto-Burman) Lolo–Burmese Loloish Nisoish Southeastern Loloish
Language codes
Glottolog	sout3212
Phula is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Languages

Southeastern Yi is one of the six Yi languages (fangyan 方言) officially recognized by the Chinese government. Sani 撒尼 is the officially recognized literary standard for Southeastern Yi. Pelkey (2011) considers Southern Yi (Nisu 尼苏) to be another officially recognized Yi fangyan 方言 that belongs to Southeastern Loloish.

Pelkey (2011)

Jamin Pelkey (2011) lists the following languages in Southeastern Ngwi (Southeastern Loloish). Four branches of Southeastern Loloish are recognized, namely Nisu, Sani–Azha, Highland Phula, and Riverine Phula.

• Nisu: Nyisu?; Northern Nisu, Southern Nisu [+ Lope]
• Sani–Azha: Sani, Axi; Azhe; Azha [+ Samei?]
• Highland Phula:
  • Muji:
    • Core Muji: Northern Muji, Qila Muji, Southern Muji, Bokha–Phuma; Muzi; Laghuu
    • Thopho
    • Moji
  • Phowa:
    • Ani Phowa, Labo Phowa
    • Hlepho Phowa, Phukha
    • Khlula, Zokhuo
• Riverine Phula:
  • Upriver: Phola, Alo Phola, Phala
  • Downriver:
    • Phupa, Phuza
    • Phupha, Alugu

Pelkey (2011b)^[1] contains a comparative word list of Phola (Upriver Phula), Phuza (Downriver Phula), Muji (Highland Phula), Phowa (Highland Phula), and Azha.

Bradley (2007) had classified Sani, Axi, Azhe, and Azha as forming a Southeastern Central subgroup of Central Loloish, but Pelkey (2011) reclassified them as Southeastern Loloish rather than Central Loloish languages.

Also, Pelkey (2011) notes that Southeastern Ngwi may be most closely related to Northern Ngwi (including Nosu and Nasu), which is in line with Lama's (2012) proposal of a Nisoish clade.

Other languages

Pelkey (2011:353)^[2] specifically excludes Pholo, noting that although it has been closely associated with speakers of Southeastern Ngwi languages historically, it does not share the defining features of the branch.

Pelkey (2011) classifies Nyisu of Shilin County as belonging to the Nisu language cluster, but notes that this classification is in need of further formal evidence. Bradley (2007), however, classifies Nyisu of Kunming as being most closely related to Suondi Yi. It is not known whether Nyisu of Kunming and Nyisu of Shilin County are related or not.

Ethnologue classifies Ache as a Southeastern Loloish language. However, Ache has not been analyzed in classifications of Southeastern Loloish by Pelkey (2011) and Lama (2012), and hence remains unclassified within the Southeastern Loloish branch.

Pelkey (2011:431) suggests that the Xiqi, Ati, and Long languages of Huaning County may be Southeastern Loloish languages.

It is uncertain if Zhayipo 扎依颇 (dza21 ʑi21 pʰo21) of Mile County is a Southeastern Loloish language or not.^[3]

Glottolog and ISO 639 (2007) also add the "Nisi (China)" language (code: yso), previously named "Southeastern Lolo Yi", and still unclassified within branches of Southeastern Loloish.^[4]

Innovations

Pelkey (2011:356-365) lists the following four mergers from Proto-Ngwi as Southeastern Ngwi innovations.

1. Proto-Ngwi *ʔ-k and *ʔ-ɡl > Proto-Southeastern Ngwi *tɬ (modern reflexes: tɬ, kɬ, k, t, ɬ, etc. in words such as to load)
2. Proto-Ngwi *pl/pj and *ʔ-kl > Proto-Southeastern Ngwi *tɬʰ (modern reflexes: tɬʰ, kɬʰ, kʰ, tʰ, ɬ, etc. in words such as bee, taro, destroy, change, excrement)
3. Proto-Ngwi *bl/bj and *ɡl > Proto-Southeastern Ngwi *dɮ (modern reflexes: dɮ, ɡɮ, ɡ, d, etc. in words such as silver, face, pus, full, to fly, lightning, four)
4. Proto-Ngwi *m-pl/m-plj and *m-bl/m-blj > Proto-Southeastern Ngwi *ndɮ (modern reflexes: ndɮ, ŋɡɮ, nd, etc.)

Another Southeastern Ngwi lexical innovation is that of ‘bat’, which is compounded from *b-yam¹ (‘to fly’) and *wa² (‘person’), literally meaning ‘flyer’ (Pelkey 2011:375).

Chen (1985)

Chen, et al. (1985)^[5] also recognizes a similar group called Southeastern Yi (彝语东南部方言), which includes the following dialects.

• Yiliang 宜良土语: spoken in Yiliang (including the Shilin border area), Qiubei, Luxi, Mile, and Luliang counties
• Mile 弥勒土语: spoken in Mile, Huaning, Kunming, Luxi, and Yiliang counties
• Huami 华弥土语 (Huaning-Mile): spoken in Mile, Huaning, and Jianshui counties
• Wenxi 文西土语 (Wenshan-Xichou): spoken in Wenshan, Xichou, Yanshan, Malipo, Maguan, Funing, Guangnan, and Qiubei counties. Internal variation is greatest within the Wenxi lect.

Chen (2010)

In Chen (2010), Southeastern Loloish called Nesu (聂苏方言). Also listed are the counties where each respective dialect is spoken.

• Nesu 聂苏方言
  • Nesu, Nièsū 聂苏次方言
    • Nesu, Nièsū 聂苏 (ne̠33su55): 500,000 speakers in Honghe, Mojiang, Yuanjiang, Yuanyang, Luchun, Jiangcheng, Jinping, Hekou, Pu'er, Jinghong, Mengla, etc.
    • Narsu, Nuósū 娜苏 (na33su55): 500,000 speakers in Shiping, Eshan, Tonghai, Jianshui, Kaiyuan, Gejiu, Mengzi, Pingbian, etc.
    • Zoko, Zuòkuò 作括 (dzo21kʰo44): 100,000 speakers in Wenshan, Yanshan, Xichou, Maguan, Malipo, etc.
  • Sani, Sǎní 撒尼次方言
    • Sani, Sǎní 撒尼 (nɪ21): 200,000 speakers in Lunan, Yiliang, Luliang, Mile, Luxi, Shizong, Malong, Luquan, Qiubei, etc.
    • Asi, Āxì 阿细 (a21ɕi55pʰo21): 200,000 speakers in Mile, Lunan, Chengjiang, Kunming, Huaning, etc.
    • Nise, Nísài 尼赛 (ni55sɛ21pʰu55): 100,000 speakers in Lunan
  • Azi, Āzhé 阿哲次方言
    • Azi, Āzhé 阿哲 (a21dʐɛ̠21pʰo21): 100,000 speakers in Mile, Huaning, Kaiyuan, Jianshui, etc.
    • Neshu, Nièshū 聂舒: (nɪ̠33ʂu55pʰo21): 500,000 speakers in Xinping, Yuxi, Jiangchuan, Yimen, Puning, etc.
    • Lopo, Luópō 罗泼 (lo21pʰɯ21): 100,000 speakers in Mile
    • Kopo, Gépō 格泼 (ko55pʰo21): 100,000 speakers in Fuyuan, Luoping, Zhanyi, Qujing, Shizong, Huize, Lunan, Luliang, Mile, etc.
    • Sanni, Sāngní 桑尼 (ʂɛ21ni51): 100,000 speakers in Kunming

Demographics

The following demographics of Southeastern Loloish languages are from Pelkey (2011).

Demographics of Phula languages

Language	Autonym(s)	Speakers	Ethnic population	Villages	Dialects	ISO-639
Phala	pʰa31 la33/pʰa31 la55	12,000	13,000	33	5+	ypa
Phola	pʰo31 la55	13,000	13,000	42	7+	ypg
Alo Phola	pʰo31 la55	500	500	1	1	ypo
Qila Muji	m̩13 dʑi33	1,500	1,500	3	3	ymq
Southern Muji	m̩13 dʑi33	26,000	28,000	104	6+	ymc
Northern Muji	mɯ21 dʑi33	9,000	15,000	61	3+	ymx
Muzi	m̩13 dzɨ33	10,000	16,000	42	5+	ymz
Bokha	po21 kʰo55	10,000	12,000	31	3+	ybk
Phuma	pʰɯ55 ma21	8,000	8,000	23	2	ypm
Alugu	a55 lɯ33 gɯ33 χa21	3,500	3,500	11	2	aub
Phupa	pʰɯ33 pa21	3,000	4,000	13	3	ypp
Phupha	pʰɯ55 pʰa33	1,300	1,500	5	3	yph
Phuza	pʰɯ55 za31	6,000	8,000	28	2+	ypz
Ani Phowa	pʰo21 va33	10,000	10,000	30	3+	ypn
Labo Phowa	pʰo21 va33	17,000	21,000	70	Dialect chain	ypb
Hlepho Phowa	pʰo21 va33	36,000	50,000	187	Dialect chain	yhl
Azha	a33 tsa21, a55 tʂa33	53,000	54,000	98	5+	aza
Zokhuo	tso21 kʰuo55	13,000	17,000	56	2	yzk
Khlula	kɬʰu21 la33	21,000	34,000	114	3+	ykl
Moji	–	2,000	7,000	45	2+	ymi
Phukha	–	10,000	14,000	41?	Unknown	phh
Laghuu	la21 ɣɯ44	500	1,500	7	Unknown	lgh
Pholo	pʰo55 lo55	30,000	34,000	112	3+	yip
Thopho	tʰo21 pʰo33	200	500	2	1	ytp

The following datapoints (i.e., sample locations) for Phula languages are from Pelkey (2011:26-27).

Datapoints for Phula languages (Pelkey 2011)

Language	County	Township	Village	Datapoint Code
Alugu	Gejiu	Manhao 蔓耗镇	Chongtianling 冲天岭[6]	CTL
Azha	Yanshan County	Ganhe 干河彝族乡	Faduke Dazhai 法都可大寨 ("Dafa 大法")	DFC
Azha	Wenshan County	Dongshan 东山彝族乡	Huangzhai 荒寨[7]	HZC
Azha	Wenshan County	Binglie 秉烈彝族乡	Luojiayi 倮家邑[8]	LJY
Azha	Wenshan County	Binglie 秉烈彝族乡	Xiaopingba 小平坝[9]	XPB
Bokha	Pingbian County	Dishuiceng 滴水层乡	Yibaizu 邑佰租[10]	YBZ
Bokho	Jinping County	Ma'andi 马鞍底乡	Dixibei 地西北[11]	DXB
Khlula	Wenshan County	Liujing 柳井彝族乡	Laozhai 老寨[12][13][14]	LZC
Khlula	Maguan County	Muchang 木厂镇	Maxi 马西[15]	MXC
Muji	Pingbian County	Xinxian 新现乡	Luoshuidong 落水洞[16]	LSD
Muji	Jinping County	Adibo 阿德博乡	Pujiazhai 普家寨[17]	PJZ
Muji	Jinping County	Jinshuihe 金水河镇	Qila 期腊[18]	QLC
Muji	Mengzi County	Shuitian 水田乡	Xiepo 斜坡[19]	XPC
Muzi	Gejiu	Laochang 老厂镇	Malutang 马鹿塘[20]	MLT
Muzi	Gejiu	Kafang 卡房镇	Nuoguzhai 糯谷寨[21]	NGZ
Muzi	Jinping County	Tongchang 铜厂乡	Shizitou 狮子头[22]	SZT
Phala	Honghe County	Baohua 宝华乡	Beishe 碑赊[23]	BSC
Phala	Honghe County	Yisa 迤萨镇	Feinishao 斐尼哨[24]	FNS
Phola	Honghe County	Menglong 勐龙傣族乡	Adipo 阿底坡[25]	ADP
Phola	Yuanjiang County	Wadie 洼垤乡	Luodie 罗垤[26]	LDC
Phola	Yuanjiang County	Lijiang 澧江镇	Natang 那塘[27]	NTC
Phole	Wenshan County	Dehou 德厚镇	Chekabai 扯卡白[28]	CKB
Pholo	Guangnan County	Wuzhu 五珠乡	Fayi Xiazhai 法衣下寨[29]	FYX
Pholo	Yanshan County	Ganhe 干河彝族乡	Shangxinzhai 上新寨[30]	SXZ
Pholo	Guangnan County	Zhulin 珠琳镇	Xiji 西吉[31]	XJC
Phowa	Pingbian County	Xinhua 新华乡	Feizuke 菲租克[32][33]	FZK
Phowa	Kaiyuan County	Beige 碑格乡	Jiaji 架吉[34]	JJC
Phowa	Mengzi County	Mingjiu 鸣鹫镇	Meizichong 梅子冲[35]	MZC
Phowa	Mengzi County	Beige 碑格乡	Weibazhu Xiaozhai 尾巴猪小寨	WBZ
Phowa	Kaiyuan County	Mazheshao 马者哨乡	Wudupi 乌都皮[36]	WDP
Phowa	Mengzi County	Xibeile 西北勒乡	Daheineng 大黑能[37]	DHN
Phowa	Kaiyuan County	Beige 碑格乡	Lugumu 鲁姑母[38]	LGM
Phowa	Wenshan County	Baxin 坝心彝族乡	Suozhiwan 所支弯	SZW
Phowa	Mengzi County	Xibeile 西北勒乡	Xibeile 西北勒[39]	XBL
Phuma	Pingbian County	Baihe 白河乡	Yanzitou 岩子头[40]	YZT
Phupa	Mengzi County	Shuitian 水田乡	Gamadi 嘎马底[41][42]	GMD
Phupha	Gejiu	Jiasha 贾沙乡	Fengkou 风口[43]	FKC
Phuza	Mengzi County	Lengquan 冷泉镇	Bujibai 补鸡白[44]	BJB
Thopho	Guangnan County	Zhetu 者兔乡	Xinzhaicun 新寨村[45][46]	XZC
Zokhuo	Wenshan County	Zhuiligai 追栗街镇	Daxingzhai 大兴寨[47]	DXZ
Moji	Xichou County	Lianhuatang 莲花塘乡	Luchaichong 芦差冲[48][49]	LCC

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