Bai language

Spoken in

• Sino Tibetan languages Tibeto-Burman languages bay

Bai (proper name: Bairt ‧ ‧ ngvr zix ) is the native language of Bai approximately 1.25 million, an ethnic group in the south of the People's Republic of China. Bai is now expected by most researchers as a single language for the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages ​​, an assignment to Sinitic is also still being discussed. A final classification within the Sino Tibetan has not been successful, as were 60 to 70 percent of its vocabulary borrowed from Chinese, or inherited from a common ancestor language.

SIL International distinguishes three Bai dialects as separate languages ​​with the codes bca ( central dialect, 800,000 speakers), bfc (northern dialect, 40,000 speakers) and bfs (southern dialect, 400,000 speakers).

Phonology and orthography

Bai has a relatively simple syllable structure and is a tonal language.

In the 1950s, a font ( Bairt ‧ ‧ ngvrt zix ‧ horx ) was created on the basis of the Latin alphabet for the Bai. In 1993, a new orthography was proposed at a symposium to Bai language and spelling that differs mainly in the reproduction of the tones of the original spelling.

Initial sounds

The initial sounds [ tʂ - ], [ tʂ ʰ - ], [ ʂ - ] and [ ʐ - ] occur only in loan words from Chinese, [ ɳ - ] only in Bai dialects, not in the default language.

End of a word

For the spelling of syllables there are rules analogous to the Pinyin spelling: In syllables without initial sound are [i ] and [u ] wu yi and written; at Auslauten, beginning with i or [ u ], i and u by y or w replaced. The final sound [ z ] occurs only after [ ts ], [ ts ʰ -] and [ s ] before and i wrote. The pronunciation of ui is always clear: for [ tɕ - ], [ tɕ ʰ -] and [ ɕ - ] ui [- y] is read, else [- ui].

Tones

The eight tones of the Bai are reproduced with letters that are adjusted each syllable. After the orthography of 1984, the deep falling tone (21 ) remains unmarked, after 1993 the medium-high tense tone (44 ˀ ).

The words marl and mart loanwords from Chinese ( mà骂" scold " and má麻" cannabis "). In Dali dialect comes next to the tone 42 ˀ also a tone 32, which is reproduced below with the consonant -z. Words with this sound are written in Jianchuan dialect with -p, since the two sounds are not distinguished there.