Bisu language

Bisu (Chinese: 毕苏语) is a Loloish language of Thailand, with a couple thousand speakers in China. Varieties are Bisu proper (Mbisu) and Laomian (Guba), considered by Pelkey to be distinct languages.

Bisu
Native toThailand, China
Ethnicity700 in Thailand (2007)[1]
Native speakers
240 in China (2005)[1]
Sino-Tibetan
Thai script, Latin script
Language codes
ISO 639-3bzi
Glottologbisu1244[2]

The Laomian are classified within the Lahu ethnic group; the Lahu proper call them the "Lawmeh" (Bradley 2007).

Distribution

According to Bisuyu Yanjiu 毕苏语研究 (2002), there are over 5,000 Bisu speakers in Yunnan, China, and a total of nearly 10,000 Bisu speakers in all countries combined. Within Yunnan, it is spoken mostly in Pu'er Prefecture, as well as neighboring parts of Xishuangbanna.

  • Lancang County 澜沧县
    • Zhutang 竹塘乡
    • Laba 拉巴乡
    • Donglang 东朗乡
    • Fubang 富邦乡
  • Menghai County 勐海县
  • Ximeng County 西盟县
    • Lisuo 力锁乡
  • Menglian County 孟连县
    • Nanya 南雅乡

In Thailand, two dialects of Bisu are spoken in the following villages of Phan District, Chiang Rai Province (Bisuyu Yanjiu 2002:152).

  • Dialect 1: Huai Chomphu village (also called Ban Huaisan) and Doi Pui village
  • Dialect 2: Phadaeng village

Another variety of Bisu differing from the Phayao variety is spoken in Takɔ (Ban Thako), Mae Suai District, Chiang Rai Province.

In Laos, Bisu (pi˧su˦; also called Lao-Phai) is spoken in Phudokcham village, Phongxaly District.[5]

Orthography

In Thailand, the Bisu language is written with the Thai script.

Consonants
  • ก - k - [k]
  • ข - kh - [kʰ]
  • ค - g - [g]
  • ง - ŋ - [ŋ]
  • จ - č - [t͡ʃ]
  • ช - čh - [t͡ʃʰ]
  • ซ - s - [s]
  • ฌ - š - [ʃ]
  • ญ - ñ - [ɲ]
  • ฑ - th - [tʰ]
  • ฒ - c - [ts]
  • ด - d - [d]
  • ต - t - [t]
  • ธ - th - [tsʰ]
  • น - n - [n]
  • บ - b - [b]
  • ป - p - [p]
  • พ - ph - [pʰ]
  • ม - m - [m]
  • ย - y - [j]
  • ล - l - [l]
  • ว - w - [w]
  • อ - (none) - [-]
  • ฮ - h - [h]
  • ฮม - hm - [hm]
  • ฮน - hn - [hn]
  • ฮญ - hñ - [hɲ]
  • ฮง - hŋ - [hŋ]
  • ฮล - hl - [hl]
  • ฮย - hy - [hj][6]

Vowels
  • -ั - a - [a]
  • -า - aa - [aː]
  • -ิ - i - [i]
  • -ี - ii - [iː]
  • -ึ - ʉ - [ʉ]
  • -ื - ʉʉ - [ʉː]
  • -ุ - u - [u]
  • -ู - uu - [u
  • เ-็ - e - [e]
  • เ- - ee - [eː]
  • แ-็ - æ - [æ]
  • แ- - ææ - [æː]
  • โ-ะ - o - [o]
  • โ- - oo - [oː]
  • -็อ - ɔ - [ɔ]
  • -อ - ɔɔ - [ɔː]
  • เ-อะ - ə - [ə]
  • เ-ิ - əə - [əː]
  • เ-า - aw - [aw]
  • ไ- - ay - [aj][6]

Tones
  • -่ - low
  • - - mid
  • -้ - high

References
  1. Bisu at Ethnologue (17th ed., 2013)
  2. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Bisu". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  3. http://www.ynszxc.gov.cn/villagePage/vindex.aspx?departmentid=111581
  4. http://www.ynszxc.gov.cn/villagePage/vindex.aspx?departmentid=144437
  5. Kingsadā, Thō̜ngphet, and Tadahiko Shintani. 1999. Basic Vocabularies of the Languages Spoken in Phongxaly, Lao P.D.R. Tokyo: Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA).
  6. Bisu, Omniglot.
  • Bradley, David (2007). "Language Endangerment in China and Mainland Southeast Asia". In Matthias Brenzinger, ed. Language diversity endangered. New York: Mouton de Gruyter.

Further reading

Link to the New Testament in Bisu: https://www.bible.com/bible/1705/JHN.1.bzint

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