Bisu () is a
Loloish language
The Loloish languages, also known as Yi in China and occasionally Ngwi or Nisoic, are a family of fifty to a hundred Sino-Tibetan languages spoken primarily in the Yunnan province of China. They are most closely related to Burmese and its relat ...
of
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, with a couple thousand speakers in China. Varieties are Bisu proper (Mbisu) and Laomian (Guba), considered by Pelkey to be distinct languages.
The Laomian are classified within the
Lahu ethnic group; the Lahu proper call them the "Lawmeh".
Distribution
According to ''Bisuyu Yanjiu'' 毕苏语研究 (2002), there are over 5,000 Bisu speakers in
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...
, 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
Xishuangbanna, Sibsongbanna or Sipsong Panna ( Tham: , New Tai Lü script: ; ; th, สิบสองปันนา; lo, ສິບສອງພັນນາ; shn, သိပ်းသွင်ပၼ်းၼႃး; my, စစ်ဆောင်� ...
.
*
Lancang County
Lancang Lahu Autonomous County (; Lahu: ) is an autonomous county under the jurisdiction of Pu'er City, in southwestern Yunnan province, China. Lancang is the same as Lan Xang, and refers to the Mekong River (known in Chinese as the Lancang) on i ...
澜沧县
**Zhutang 竹塘乡
***Dazhai 大寨, Laomian 老面 (''see
Laomian language
Laomian (, also known as Bisu, Guba or Lawmeh) is a Sino-Tibetan language and is a Chinese derivation of the Lahu name Lawmeh. Laomian is closely related to the Bisu language, is spoken in Laomian Dazhai (老缅大寨), Zhutang Township (竹塘乡 ...
'')
**Laba 拉巴乡
**Donglang 东朗乡
**Fubang 富邦乡
*
Menghai County
Menghai County (; Tai Lu: ᨾᩮᩨ᩠ᨦᩁᩣ᩠ᨿ ''Meng Haai'' lo, ເມືອງຮາຍ) is a county under the jurisdiction of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, in the far south of Yunnan, China, bordering Burma's Shan State to th ...
勐海县
**Mengzhe 勐遮乡
***Laopinzhai 老品寨 (''see
Laopin language
Laopin () is a Loloish language of Menghai County, Yunnan, China. Laopin is spoken in Manpin (曼品村; or Laopin, 老品), Manhong Village (曼洪村委会), Mengzhe Town (勐遮镇), Menghai County.
There fewer than 1,000 speakers out of 1,30 ...
'')
*
Ximeng County
Ximeng Va Autonomous County (; Va: or ) is an autonomous county under the jurisdiction of Pu'er City, in the southwest of Yunnan Province, China, bordering Myanmar's Shan State to the west. Wa/Va people, who speak the Wa language, are the main ...
西盟县
**Lisuo 力锁乡
*
Menglian County
Menglian Dai, Lahu and Va Autonomous County () is an autonomous county in the southwest of Yunnan Province, China, bordering Ximeng County to the north, Lancang County to the north, northeast, and east, and Burma's Shan State to the south and wes ...
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
Mae Suai ( th, แม่สรวย; ) is a district (''amphoe'') in the western part of Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand.
Geography
Neighboring districts are (from the northeast clockwise): Mueang Chiang Rai district, Mueang Chiang Ra ...
,
Chiang Rai Province.
In Laos, Bisu ('; also called Lao-Phai) is spoken in Phudokcham village,
Phongxaly District.
Orthography
In Thailand, the Bisu language is written with the
Thai script
The Thai script ( th, อักษรไทย, ) is the abugida used to write Thai, Southern Thai and many other languages spoken in Thailand. The Thai alphabet itself (as used to write Thai) has 44 consonant symbols ( th, พยัญชนะ ...
.
Consonants
Vowels
* -ั – a –
* -า – aa –
ː* -ิ – i –
* -ี – ii –
ː* -ึ – ʉ –
�* -ื – ʉʉ –
�ː* -ุ – u –
* -ู – uu –
* เ-็ – e – [e* เ- – ee – [eː">.html" ;"title="
* เ-็ – e – [e">
* 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 –
w* ไ- – ay –
jref name="Bisu" />
Tones
* -่ – low
* – - mid
* -้ – high
References
*
External links
The New Testament in Bisu on Bible.com
{{authority control
Southern Loloish languages
Languages of Thailand
Languages of Laos
Languages of China