Mulam language

For Mulao, a Kra language of Guizhou, see Mulao language (Kra).
Mulam
Native toChina
RegionLuocheng County, Hechi, Northern Guangxi
Ethnicity210,000 (2000 census)[1]
Native speakers
86,000 (2005)[1]
< 10,000 monolinguals
Language codes
ISO 639-3mlm
Glottologmula1253
ELPMulam
Mulam is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

The Mulam language (Chinese: 仫佬; pinyin: Mùlǎo) is a Kam–Sui language spoken mainly in Luocheng County, Hechi, Northern Guangxi by the Mulao people. The greatest concentrations are in Dongmen and Siba communes. Their autonym is mu6 lam1.[2] The Mulam also call themselves kjam1, which is probably cognate with lam1 and the Dong people's autonym "Kam" (Wang & Zheng 1980).

Phonology

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The Mulam language, like Dong, does not have voiced stop, but does have a phonemic distinction between unvoiced and voiced nasals and laterals. It has a system of eleven distinct vowels. It is a tonal language with ten tones, and 65% of its vocabulary is shared with the Zhuang and Dong languages.[citation needed]

Dialects

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The following Mulam dialects are listed in Wang & Zheng (1980) (all of which are spoken in Luocheng Mulao Autonomous County).

  • Dongmen 东门镇 (in Dayin 大银, Dafu 大福村, Le'e 勒俄村 etc.); documented in detail by Wang & Zheng (1980)
  • Long'an 龙岸镇 (in Liangsi 良泗, etc.)
  • Huangjin 黄金镇 (in Zhongjian 中间寨, etc.); documented in Qiu (2004)[3]
  • Qiaotou 桥头镇 (in Dongnong 洞弄屯, etc.)
  • Siba 四把镇 (in Dawu 大梧, Miao'er 苗儿屯, Shuangzhai 双寨村, etc.); documented in Guangxi (2008)[4]
  • Xiali 下里乡 (in Xiecun 谢村, etc.)

The following comparison of Mulam dialects is from Ni Dabai (2010:221-222).[2][5]

English gloss Chinese gloss Qiaotou 桥头 Huangjin 黄金 Siba 四把 Dongmen 东门 Long'an 龙岸
die 死 tai1 tai1 pɣai1 tai1 tai1
medicine 药 ta2 ta2 kɣa2 - tsa2
intestines 肠子 taːi3 taːi3 kɣaːi3 khɣaːi3 tsaːi3
cloud 云 ma3 ma3 kwa3 kwa3 fa3
bran 细糠 pwa6 pwa6 kwa6 kwa6 fa6
dog 狗 m̥a1 m̥a1 ŋwa1 ŋ̥wa1 m̥a1
hair, fur 毛发 pəm1 pəm1 pɣam1 pɣam1 kjam1

References

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  1. ^ a b Mulam at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b See Proto-Tai language#Tones for an explanation of the tone codes.
  3. ^ Qiu Jing [岳静]. 2004. Huangjinzhen Mulaoyu gaikuang [黄金镇仫佬语概况]. Minzu Yuwen 民族语文 2004(4).
  4. ^ Guangxi Minority Languages Orthography Committee. 2008. Vocabularies of Guangxi ethnic languages [广西民族语言方音词汇]. Beijing: Nationalities Publishing House [民族出版社].
  5. ^ Ni Dabai [倪大白]. 2010. 侗台语概论 [An introduction to Kam-Tai languages]. Beijing: Ethnic Publishing House [民族出版社]. ISBN 978-7-105-10582-3

Further reading

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  • Edmondson, Jerold A. and David B. Solnit, eds. Comparative Kadai: Linguistic studies beyond Tai. Summer Institute of Linguistics Publications in Linguistics, 86. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics and the University of Texas at Arlington, 1988.
  • 王均, 郑国乔 / Wang Jun, Zheng Guoqiao. 仫佬语简志 / Mulao yu jian zhi (A Sketch of Mulao [Mulao]). Beijing: 民族出版社: 新華書店发行 / Min zu chu ban she: Xin hua shu dian fa xing, 1980.
  • Zheng, G. 1988. The influences of Han on the Mulam language. In Edmondson, Jerold, A (ed). Comparative Kadai: Linguistic Studies Beyond Tai. SIL International Publications in Linguistics.
  • Thurgood, G. Tai-Kadai and Austronesian: The Nature of the Historical Relationship University of Hawaiʼi Press. Oceanic Linguistics. 1962–2012.
  • "The Mulam Ethnic Group." MSD China. Web. 1 May 2016.
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