Qiangic languages

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Qiangic Kiangic
Geographic distribution:	China
Genetic classification:	Sino-Tibetan  (Tibeto-Burman)   Qiangic
Subdivisions:	Qiang Prinmi Muya ? Tangut etc.

Qiangic or Kiangic, formerly known as Dzorgai, is a language group of the northeastern Tibeto-Burman of Sino-Tibetan language famlily, spoken mainly in Southwestern China, including Sichuan, Tibet, and Yunnan.

Thurgood and La Polla (2003) state that the inclusion of Qiang, Prinmi, and Muya is well supported, but that they do not follow Sun's argument for the inclusion of Tangut.

Sun proposes two branches, northern and southern. The northern branch includes Northern Qiang (Máwō), Pumi (Prinmi), and the extinct Tangut. The southern branch is Southern Qiang (Táopíng).

Sun groups other, poorly described Qiangic languages as,

• Ersu (Tosu), Shixing, Namuzi
• Guixiong (2-3 varieties with low intelligibility)
• Zhaba, Queyu.

[edit] See also

• Jiarongic languages

[edit] External links

• Ethnologue: Tangut-Qiang
• Site on Qiangic languages (French and Chinese)

[edit] Bibliography

• Bradley, David. (1997). Tibeto-Burman languages and classification. In D. Bradley (Ed.), Papers in South East Asian linguistics: Tibeto-Burman languages of the Himalayas (No. 14, pp. 1-71). Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
• Sun, Hongkai. (1983). The nationality languages in the six valleys and their language branches. Yunnan Minzuxuebao, 3, 99-273. (Written in Chinese).