Nusu language

The Nusu language is a Loloish language spoken by the Nu people of China and Myanmar. There are three dialects: Northern, Southern, and Central. The Central dialect of Miangu is the prestige dialect and is understood fairly well by speakers of other dialects.^[1]

Nusu
Native to	China, Myanmar
Ethnicity	Nu
Native speakers	13,000 (2007)[1]
Language family	Sino-Tibetan (Tibeto-Burman) Lolo–Burmese Loloish Nusoish Nusu
Language codes
ISO 639-3	nuf
Glottolog	nusu1239

Lama (2012) observes a sound change, *r- > Ø- from Proto-Loloish, as a Nusoish innovation.

Distribution

The three Nusu dialects are spoken in the following locations (Nusuzu Nusuyu Jianzhi 怒族怒苏语简志 1986).

• Southern, also known as the Guoke-Puluo (果科-普洛) dialect: northern Lushui County 泸水县, in Guoke 果科,^[2] Puluo 普洛,^[3] Tongping 同坪,^[4] Jiajia 加甲^[5] (3,000 speakers)
• Central, also known as the Zhizhiluo-Laomudeng (知之罗-老姆登) dialect: southern Fugong County 福贡县, in Pihe 匹河怒族乡,^[6] Zhizhiluo 知之罗,^[7][8] Laomudeng 老姆登,^[9] Miangu 棉古,^[10] Shawa 沙瓦,^[11] Zileng 子楞^[12] (4,000 speakers)
• Northern, also known as the Wawa-Kongtong (瓦娃-空通) dialect: Fugong County 福贡县, in Wawa 瓦娃,^[13][14] Kongtong 空通,^[15][16] Youduoluo 有夺洛^[17] (2,000 speakers)

The divergent Liangsu dialect (良苏话) is spoken in by about 3,000 people in the following locations of Fugong County, Yunnan.^[18][19]

• Zilijia Township 子里甲乡: Jianu 甲怒, Mazudi 马祖底, Jiada 甲打, Lamujia 腊母甲, Jiache 加车
• Jiakedi Township 架科底乡: Jiake 架科, La'anjia 腊安甲

Phonology

Consonants

Consonants in Nusu

		Labial	Alveolar		Retroflex	(Alveolo-) Palatal	Velar	Glottal
			plain	sibilant
Nasal	voiced	m	n			ɲ	ŋ
	unvoiced	m̥	n̥
Stop/ Affricate	voiced	b	d	dz	ɖʐ	dʑ	ɡ
	unvoiced	p	t	ts	ʈʂ	tɕ	k
	aspirated	pʰ	tʰ	tsʰ	ʈʂʰ	tɕʰ	kʰ
Fricative	unvoiced	f		s	ʂ	ɕ	x	h
	voiced	v		z	ʐ	ʑ	ɣ
Approximant	voiced		l			j	w
	unvoiced		l̥

Tones

Nusu has seven tones:

Tone	IPA
High	˥
High falling	˥˧
Creaky low	˩ˀ
Low	˩
Creaky high	˥ˀ
Rising-falling	˨˦˨
Mid	˧

References

1. Nusu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. "福贡县匹河怒族乡果科村委会". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
3. "福贡县匹河怒族乡普洛村委会". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
4. "福贡县匹河怒族乡托坪村委会". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
5. "福贡县匹河怒族乡架究村委会". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-12-30. Retrieved 2018-12-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. "福贡县匹河怒族乡知子罗村委会". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
8. "福贡县匹河怒族乡知子罗村委会知子罗 达罗". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
9. "福贡县匹河怒族乡老姆登村委会". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
10. "福贡县匹河怒族乡棉谷村委会". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
11. "福贡县匹河怒族乡沙瓦村委会沙瓦". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
12. "福贡县匹河怒族乡沙瓦村委会子楞". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
13. "福贡县匹河怒族乡瓦娃村委会瓦娃一". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
14. "福贡县匹河怒族乡瓦娃村委会瓦娃二". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
15. "福贡县匹河怒族乡瓦娃村委会空通一". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
16. "福贡县匹河怒族乡瓦娃村委会空通二". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
17. "福贡县匹河怒族乡瓦娃村委会优夺罗". Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
18. Chen, Haihong [陈海宏]; Tan, Liya [谭丽亚]. 2022. Yunnan binwei Nuyu Liangsuhua ynajiu [云南濒危怒语良苏话研究]. Beijing: Minzu chubanshe [民族出版社].
19. Ye, Shifu [叶世富]. 2007. Jianu Liangsu Nuyu [甲怒良苏怒语]. Unpublished manuscript.

External links

• Nusu language site