The Bolyu language ( autonym: '; ; also known as Paliu, Palyu, or Lai 俫语, 徕语) is an

Austroasiatic The Austroasiatic languages ( ) are a large language family spoken throughout Mainland Southeast Asia, South Asia and East Asia. These languages are natively spoken by the majority of the population in Vietnam and Cambodia, and by minority popu ...

language of the Pakanic branch.

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 Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. 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 Paul James Sidwell is an Australian linguist based in Canberra, Australia, who has held research and lecturing positions at the Australian National University. Sidwell, who is also an expert and consultant in forensic linguistics, is most nota ...

, 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.

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.

Distribution

Bolyu speakers are found in the following locations in

southern China Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions that display certain differences in terms of their geography, demographics, economy, and culture. Extent The Qinling–Daba Mountains serve as the transition zone between ...

. *Douhong 斗烘屯, Xinhe 新合村, Changfa township 长发, Longlin County,

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

(often living with Gelao neighbors). Also spoken in the nearby townships of Kechang 克长, De'e 德峨, and Changme 长么. **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,

. Also spoken in Naya 那牙, Badahe Township 八大河乡. 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,

. 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. There are also some Bolyu in

Guangnan County Guangnan County (; Zhuang languages, Zhuang: ) is located in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China. The seat of Guangnan, known today as Liancheng (), was the heart of the Gouding Kingdom () that lasted approximat ...

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

Phonology

Bolyu is a monosyllabic tonal language like the surrounding Tai–Kadai, Hmong-Mien and even

Vietic languages The Vietic languages are a branch of the Austroasiatic language family, spoken by the Vietic peoples in Laos and Vietnam. The branch was once referred to by the terms ''Việt–Mường'', ''Annamese–Muong'', and ''Vietnamuong''; the term ' ...

. 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: -p, -t, -k, -m, -n, -ŋ, -w, -j.

Vowels

There are seven vowels in Bolyu: .

Tones

Bolyu has a total of six tones.

References

* * * * * * 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. *

External links

Bolyu vocabulary from SEAlang
{{authority control Mangic languages Pakanic languages Endangered Austroasiatic languages Languages of Guangxi