Bolyu language
The Bolyu language (autonym: pɔ33 lju13; Chinese: 巴琉语, 布流语; also known as Paliu, Palyu, or Lai 俫语, 徕语) is an Austroasiatic language of the Pakanic branch.[2]
| Bolyu | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | pɔ33 lju13 |
| Native to | China |
| Region | Longlin County, Guangxi |
| Ethnicity | Bolyu 1,800 (2007)[1] |
Native speakers | 500 (2007)[1] |
Austroasiatic
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | ply |
| Glottolog | boly1239 |
| ELP | Bolyu |
Classification
Bolyu is related to the Bugan language, forming the Pakanic branch along with it. In 1984, Bolyu was first studied by Liang Min of the Nationalities Research Institute in Beijing. Liang was the first to suggest a Mon–Khmer affiliation of Bolyu, which was later confirmed by Western linguists such as Paul K. Benedict, Paul Sidwell, and Jerold A. Edmondson. However, the place of the Pakanic branch within the Mon–Khmer family is uncertain. Sidwell (1995) suggests that the Pakanic branch may be an Eastern Mon–Khmer branch, thus making it most closely related to the Vietic branch. However, Gérard Diffloth classifies Pakanic as Northern Mon–Khmer, making it most closely related to the Palaungic branch.[3] Paul Sidwell later classified Bolyu and Bugan together as forming a separate Pakanic branch within Austroasiatic, while Mang is excluded as yet another separate branch of Austroasiatic.[4]
Distribution
Bolyu speakers are found in the following locations in southern China.[5][6][7]
- Douhong 斗烘屯, Xinhe 新合村, Changfa township 长发, Longlin County, Guangxi (often living with Gelao neighbors). Also spoken in the nearby townships of Kechang 克长, De'e 德峨, and Changme 长么.[8]
- Xinhe 新合村 - Datiezhai 打铁寨, Changfajie 长发街: 50 speakers
- Xinhua 新华村 - Luowan 罗湾: 300; Kabao 卡保, Renshang 仁上: 160 speakers
- Villages with only Bolyu people: Muzi 亩子, Dazhai 大寨, Xiaozhai 小寨
- Guosha/Hengsha 过沙/亨沙, Wenya 文雅村, Puhe Miao Autonomous Township 普合苗族自治乡, Xilin County, Guangxi. Also spoken in Naya 那牙, Badahe Township 八大河乡.[8] 230 speakers total.
Li (1999) documents the Bolyu variety of Muzitun 亩子屯, Xinhe Village 新合村, Changfa Township 长发乡, Longlin County, Guangxi.
In the following villages, only elderly speakers of Bolyu remain.
- Zhelang township 者浪乡: Zhezhai 者寨, Langrong 郎荣, Linghao 岭好
- Kechang township 克场乡: Haichang 海长
- Shechang township 蛇场乡: Daguo 达果
1,400 Bolyu reside in Guangxi, and over 1,000 in Yunnan.[8]
Phonology
Bolyu is a monosyllabic tonal language like the surrounding Tai–Kadai, Hmong-Mien and even Vietic languages. Unlike Bugan, Bolyu does not have a tense–lax voice quality distinction.
Initial consonants
Bolyu allows for a large variety of consonant clusters, and has eight possible consonantal finals:[9] -p, -t, -k, -m, -n, -ŋ, -w, -j.Labial Alveolar Alveolo-
palatalVelar Uvular Glottal plain pal. vel. plain pal. sib. plain pal. lab. plain pal. Nasal m mʲ n ŋ Plosive/ voiceless p pʲ t tʲ t͡s tɕ k kʲ kʷ q ʔ aspirated pʰ pʰʲ tʰ tʰʲ t͡sʰ tɕʰ kʰ qʰ prenasalized ᵐb ᵐbʲ ⁿd Fricative v vʲ vˠ ɬ ɬʲ s ɕ ɣ ɣʲ h hʲ Approximant l lʲ j w
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Close-mid | e | ə | o |
| Open-mid | ɛ | ɔ | |
| Open | a |
There are seven vowels in Bolyu:[10] /a, e, ə, i, o, ɔ, u/.
Tones
Bolyu has a total of six tones.[11]
| Tone number | Tone letter | Pitch value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ˥ | 55 |
| 2 | ˧ | 33 |
| 3 | ˩ | 11 |
| 4 | ˥˧ | 53 |
| 5 | ˧˩ | 31 |
| 6 | ˩˧ | 13 |
References
- Bolyu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- Sidwell (1995)
- Van Driem, George (2007). "Austroasiatic Phylogeny and the Austroasiatic Homeland in Light of Recent Population Genetic Studies" (PDF). Mon-Khmer Studies. 37: 1–14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-09. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
- Sidwell, Paul. 2015. "Austroasiatic classification." In Jenny, Mathias and Paul Sidwell, eds (2015). The Handbook of Austroasiatic Languages. Leiden: Brill.
- Edmondson (1995)
- 俫语使用人口稳定增长原因探究
- Li (1999)
- Guangxi Minority Languages Orthography Committee (2008). Guǎngxī mínzú yǔyán fāng yīn cíhuì 广西民族语言方音词汇 [Vocabularies of Guangxi Ethnic Languages] (in Chinese). Beijing: Minzu chubanshe.
- Sidwell (1995)
- Edmondson (1995)
- Edmondson (1995)
- Li, Xulian 李旭练 (1999). Láiyǔ yánjiū 倈语硏究 [A Study of Lai (Bolyu)] (in Chinese). Beijing: Zhongyang minzu daxue chubanshe.
- Benedict, Paul K. (1990). "How to Tell Lai: An Exercise in Classification" (PDF). Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. 13 (2): 1–26.
- Edmondson, Jerold A. (1995). "English-Bolyu Glossary" (PDF). Mon–Khmer Studies. 24: 133–159.
- Edmondson, Jerold A.; Gregerson, Kenneth J. (1996). "Bolyu Tone in Vietic Perspective" (PDF). Mon–Khmer Studies. 26: 117–133.
- Sidwell, Paul (1995). "Bolyu is a Mon–khmer Language: Even if Benedict Says So!". La Trobe Working Papers in Linguistics. 8. hdl:1959.9/538289.
- Jiang, Jun 蒋俊 (2005). Cūnluò shìyě zhōng de zúqún yǔ mínzú: Guānyú lái rén de tiányě yánjiū 村落视野中的族群与民族：关于俫人的田野研究 [Ethnic Group and Nation in the Village Vision: Field Research About Lai People] (M.A. thesis) (in Chinese). Guangxi shifan daxue. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-10-10. http://www.docin.com/p-380721709.html
- 俫语使用人口稳定增长原因探究. In 中国少数民族语言使用现状及其演变研究.
- Qin, Xiaohang; Li, Fanglan (2011). "The Status Quo and Trend of Language Use by Lai People" (PDF). Mon-Khmer Studies. 40: 107–115. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-06-26.