Xong language

The Xong language (Dut Xonb [tu53 ɕõ35]),[2] is the northernmost Hmongic language, spoken in south-central China by ca 0.9 million people. It's called Xiangxi Miaoyu (湘西苗语), Western Hunan Miao, in Chinese. In Western sources, it's been called Eastern Miao, Meo, Red Miao and North Hmongic. The official alphabet was adopted in 1956.

For the Western Pearic language of Cambodia and Thailand, see Chong language. For the Limbu of Nepal, who are also called Xong, see Limbu people.
Xong
Xiangxi Miao
Xonb, Meo
Pronunciation[ɕõ˧˥]
Native toChina
RegionHunan, Guizhou, Hubei, Guangxi and Chongqing
EthnicityQo Xiong
Native speakers
~900,000 (2005)[1]
Hmong–Mien
Dialects
  • Western (Xong proper)
  • Eastern (Suang)
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
mmr – Western Xiangxi Miao
muq – Eastern Xiangxi Miao
Glottolognort2748

Distribution

Xong is spoken mainly in Hunan province, but also in a few areas of Guizhou, Hubei, Guangxi provinces and Chongqing municipality in China. Xong-speaking communities, by county, are,[3]

Classification

Xong was classified in its own branch of the Hmongic family in Strecker (1987). Xiang (1999)[3] divided Xong into western and eastern dialects. Matisoff (2001) considered these to be two distinct languages, but Matisoff (2006) consolidated them into one. Yang Zaibiao (2004)[5] divides each of these dialects into three subdialects, as listed below. Speaker populations and locations are from Li & Li (2012).[6]

  • Western (includes standardized Xong)
    • Lect 1 (autonym: qo35 ɕoŋ35): Jiwei 吉卫, Huayuan County; 769,000 speakers in the counties of Fenghuang (except Baren 叭仁乡), most of Huayuan, southern Jishou, Xinhuang, Mayang, Songtao, parts of Rongjiang, parts of Ziyun, Xiushan, parts of Nandan, parts of Hechi, and parts of Du'an.
    • Lect 2 (autonym: qo54 ɕoŋ54): Yangmeng 阳孟, Jishou; 120,000 speakers in the counties of eastern Huayuan, western and northern Jishou, eastern Baojing, southwestern Guzhang, Fenghuang (in Baren 叭仁乡), and Xuan'en.
    • Lect 3 (autonym: o55 ɕaŋ55): Zhongxin 中心, Baojing County; 30,000 speakers in southeastern Baojing County.
  • Eastern
    • Lect 4 (autonym: te53 suɑŋ53): Xiaozhang 小章, Luxi County; 6,000 speakers in and around Xiaozhang, Luxi County
    • Lect 5 (autonym: ɡɔ35 sɤ53): Danqing 丹青, Jishou; 48,000 speakers in the counties of northwestern Luxi, eastern Jishou, and southeastern Guzhang.
    • Lect 6 (autonym: bja22 sã44 nɤ44): Dengshang 蹬上, Longshan County; 300 speakers in southern Longshan County and Yongshun County (in Shouche 首车乡).

He Fuling (2009) describes a western Qo Xiong dialect of Gouliang Ethnic Miao Village, Ala Township, Fenghuang County (凤凰县阿拉镇勾良苗寨).

Chen (2009)[7] describes a western Qo Xiong dialect of Daxing Town 大兴镇, Songtao County, Guizhou.

Phonology and script

A written standard based on the Western dialect in Làyǐpíng village and Jíwèi town, Huāyuán county, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture was established in 1956.

Labial Alveolar Retroflex (Alveolo-)
palatal		 Velar Uvular Glottal
plain pal. app. plain pal. plain lab. plain lab. plain lab.
Stop voiceless p pʲ pɹ t ʈ c k kʷ q qʷ
aspirated pʰ pʲʰ pɹʰ tʰ ʈʰ cʰ kʰ kʷʰ qʰ qʷʰ
prenasal mp nt ɳʈ ɲc ŋk ŋkʷ ɴq ɴqʷ
prenasal asp. mpʰ mpɹʰ ntʰ ɳʈʰ ɲcʰ ŋkʰ ŋkʷʰ ɴqʰ ɴqʷʰ
Affricate voiceless ts tɕ
aspirated tsʰ tɕʰ
prenasal nts ȵtɕ
prenasal asp. ntsʰ ȵtɕʰ
Fricative voiceless f s ʂ ɕ h hʷ
voiced ʐ ʑ
Nasal voiced m mʲ mɹ n ɳ ȵ ŋ ŋʷ
aspirated m̥ʰ n̥ʰ
Lateral voiced l lʲ
aspirated l̥ʰ l̥ʲʰ
Approximant w
Consonants
p⟨b⟩pʰ⟨p⟩mp⟨nb⟩mpʰ⟨np⟩m⟨m⟩m̥ʰ⟨hm⟩
pɹ⟨bl⟩pɹʰ⟨pl⟩mpɹʰ⟨npl⟩mɹ⟨ml⟩
t⟨d⟩tʰ⟨t⟩nt⟨nd⟩ntʰ⟨nt⟩l̥ʰ⟨hl⟩n⟨n⟩n̥ʰ⟨hn⟩
ts⟨z⟩tsʰ⟨c⟩nts⟨nz⟩ntsʰ⟨nc⟩s⟨s⟩ f ⟨f⟩
tɕ ⟨j⟩tɕʰ⟨q⟩ntɕ⟨nj⟩ntɕʰ⟨nq⟩ɕ⟨x⟩ʑ⟨y⟩
ʈ⟨zh⟩ʈʰ⟨ch⟩ɳʈ⟨nzh⟩ɳʈʰ⟨nch⟩ʂ⟨sh⟩ʐ⟨r⟩ɳ⟨nh⟩
k⟨g⟩kʰ⟨k⟩ŋk⟨ngg⟩ŋkʰ⟨nk⟩
q⟨gh⟩qʰ⟨kh⟩ɴq⟨ngh⟩ɴqʰ⟨nkh⟩
w⟨w⟩h⟨h⟩

Vowels
i⟨i⟩u ⟨u⟩
iu⟨iu⟩
ɑ⟨a⟩iɑ⟨ia⟩uɑ⟨ua⟩
o⟨o⟩io⟨io⟩
e⟨e⟩ie⟨ie⟩ue⟨ue⟩
ei⟨ei⟩uei⟨ui⟩
a⟨ea⟩ia⟨iea⟩ua⟨uea⟩
ɔ⟨ao⟩iɔ⟨iao⟩
ɤ⟨eu⟩iɤ⟨ieu⟩uɤ⟨ueu⟩
ɯ⟨ou⟩iɯ⟨iou⟩uɯ⟨uou⟩
ɛ⟨an⟩iɛ⟨ian⟩uɛ⟨uan⟩
en⟨en⟩ien⟨in⟩uen⟨un⟩
ɑŋ⟨ang⟩iɑŋ⟨iang⟩uɑŋ⟨uang⟩
oŋ⟨ong⟩ioŋ⟨iong⟩
Tones
ToneIPALetter
high rising, 45˦˥⟨b⟩
low falling, 21˨˩⟨x⟩
high, 4˦⟨d⟩
low, 2˨⟨l⟩
high falling, 53˥˧⟨t⟩
falling, 42˦˨⟨s⟩

References
  1. Western Xiangxi Miao at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    Eastern Xiangxi Miao at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. Sposato, Adam (2015). A grammar of Xong (PhD thesis). University at Buffalo.
  3. Xiang Rizheng [向日征]. 1999. A Study of Jiwei Miao [吉卫苗语硏究]. Chengdu: Sichuan Nationalities Publishing House.
  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. 杨再彪，《苗语东部方言土语比较》，民族出版社，2004年。
  6. Li Jinping, Li Tianyi [李锦平, 李天翼]. 2012. A comparative study of Miao dialects [苗语方言比较研究]. Chengdu: Southwest Jiaotong University Press.
  7. Chen, Hong [陈宏]. 2009. Guizhou Songtao Daxingzhen Miaoyu yanjiu [贵州松桃大兴镇苗语研究]. Ph.D. dissertation. Guangzhou: Nankai University [南开大学].

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