Hmong–Mien languages

The Hmong - Mien or Miao - Yao languages ​​form a small group of genetically related languages ​​, spoken mainly in South China, but also in North Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. This includes about 20 languages ​​with about 6 million speakers. Hmong ( Miao ) and Mien ( Yao ) are the two main branches of this language family. Another language - the She or Ho Nte - could represent a third branch.

Designations

Miao is the official Chinese name of this ethno-linguistic minority. The Vietnamese use Meo Meo or Man, but their self-designation is Hmong, which increasingly is also used in linguistics. Analog is the situation at the Yao Yao is the official Chinese name, man the Vietnamese, Mien, the self-designation.

Ethnic Groups

Among the ethnic groups, see the article Miao and Yao. However, ethnic and linguistic assignment do not match. So there are ethnic Yao, the Miao languages ​​are spoken (eg Bunu and Baheng ), or ethnic Miao who have gone over to Tai - Kadai or Chinese languages. In China, one rarely provide information on numbers of speakers in assignments to certain minorities in general, the ethnos, not the language, so that appropriate minority numbers.

Sino Tibetan and Austric hypothesis

Especially Chinese - - Formerly the Hmong - Mien languages ​​by some researchers were expected because of their Tonsprachencharakters and the large number of Chinese loanwords to the Sino-Tibetan languages. This opinion is no longer represented today.

In contrast, the Hmong - Mien languages ​​by some researchers (eg, Paul K. Benedict ) are combined with the Austro-Asiatic, Austronesian and Tai - Kadai languages ​​to a macro family " Austrisch ". However, this hypothesis does not find strong support at the time.

Classification of the Hmong - Mien languages

Classification of Kausen

Hmong - Mien languages ​​( Miao - Yao ) (21 languages ​​, 6.3 million speakers)

  • Hmong ( Miao, Meo ) ( 15 languages ​​, 4.6 million; South China, also Thailand, Vietnam, Laos) Xiangxi (Western Hunan ) Hmong Xiangxi ( North Hmong, Red Miao ) (800 thousand)
  • Njua Hmong ( Miao ChuanQianDian, Western Hmong ) ( 1.3 million)
  • Hmong Daw ( White Miao, Meo Kao) (170 thousand)
  • Hmong Huishui (140 thousand)
  • Hmong Mashan (90 thousand)
  • Luopohe Hmong ( Miao Xijia ) (40 thousand)
  • Hmong Dian (Ta Hua Miao, Flowery Miao ) ( 200k )
  • Hmong Guiyang ( 80 thousand)
  • Hmong Chonganjiang (70 thousand)
  • Hmong Qiandong (East Hmong, Black Miao ) ( 1.4 million )
  • Bunu ( Punu, Bunao ) (250 thousand, ethnic YAO 450 thousand)
  • Baheng (Pa Heng, Pa Then) (30 thousand, ethnic YAO )
  • Wunai (20 thousand)
  • Younuo (10 thousand)
  • Jiongnai ( Kiang Nai ) (1 thousand)
  • Mien ( Yao ) ( 5 languages, 1.7 million speakers; southern China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos) Mian -Jin Yao (Iu Mien, Mien ) ( 1.3 million)
  • Kim Mun ( Mun, Lantin, Hainan ' Miao ') ( 280 thousand)
  • Biao Mien ( Biao Mon, Biaoman ) (20 thousand)
  • Biao Jiao Mien ( Chao Biao ) (40 thousand)
  • Ba Pai ( Yao Min, Zaomin ) (60 thousand)
  • She She ( Huo Nth, Ho Nte ) (1 thousand, ethnic 630 thousand).

The language name in brackets ( ... ) are alternative names. The dialectal structure of the larger languages ​​can be found with the link below.

Alternative classification

A more detailed classification is given in Lewis ( 2009): In parentheses is the number of corresponding languages ​​, given in square of the language code.

Hmong - Mien (38 )

  • Hmongic (32) Bunu ( 4) Bunu, Bu - Nao [ bwx ] (China)
  • Bunu, Jiongnai [ pnu ] (China)
  • Bunu, Wunai [ bwn ] (China)
  • Bunu, Younuo [ buh ] (China)
  • Ge [ hmj ] (China)
  • Hmong Dô [ hmv ] (Vietnam)
  • Hmong Don [ hmf ] (Vietnam)
  • Hmong Njua [ h nj ] (Laos )
  • Miao, Central Huishui [ hmc ] (China)
  • Miao, Central Mashan [ hmm ] (China)
  • Miao, ChuanQianDian cluster [ CQD ] (China)
  • Miao, Eastern Huishui [ hme ] (China)
  • Miao, Horned [ hrm ] (China)
  • Miao, Large Flowery [ hmd ] (China)
  • Miao, Luopohe [ hml ] (China)
  • Miao, Northern Guiyang [ huj ] (China)
  • Miao, Northern Huishui [ hmi ] (China)
  • Miao, Northern Mashan [ hmp ] (China)
  • Miao, Small Flowery [ sfm ] (China)
  • Miao, Southern Guiyang [ hmy ] (China)
  • Miao, Southern Mashan [ hma ] (China)
  • Miao, Southwestern Guiyang [ hmg ] (China)
  • Miao, Southwest Huishui [ huh ] (China)
  • Miao, Western Mashan [ hmw ] (China)
  • Miao, White [ mww ] (China)
  • Sinisiertes Miao [ hmz ] (China)
  • Pa - Hng [ alpha ] (China)
  • Miao, Eastern Qiandong [ HMQ ] (China)
  • Miao, Northern Qiandong [ hea ] (China)
  • Miao, Southern Qiandong [ hms ] (China)
  • Miao, Eastern Xiangxi [ MUQ ] (China)
  • Miao, Western Xiangxi [ mmr ] (China)
  • She [ shx ] (China) ( unclear)
  • Biao - Jiao ( 1) Biao - Jiao Mien [ BJE ] (China)
  • Biao Mon [ bmt ] (China)
  • Iu Mien [ ium ] (China)
  • Kim Mun [ mji ] (China)

Linguistic Features

The Hmong - Mien languages ​​such as Chinese, have mainly monosyllabic lexemes ( monosyllabic word stems ), it formed a transparent compound words ( compound words ) and very few morphological affixes ( prefixes or suffixes to the formation of nominal and verbal forms). Grammatical functions are expressed mainly by free particles. The large phoneme inventory consists of up to 50 consonants ( including retro flexes and uvular, pränasalisierte, glottalized and aspirated plosives ) and six vowels. All Hmong - Mien languages ​​are tonal, they have between seven and twelve relevant phonemic tones. In large scale words were borrowed from Chinese.

Hmongic languages Mien (disambiguation) Miao people Macrofamily Monosyllabic language Retroflex consonant Uvular consonant Glottal consonant Aspirated consonant
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