Bu-Nao, or Bunu proper ( ''Bùnǔyǔ''), is a
Hmongic (Miao)
dialect cluster
A dialect continuum or dialect chain is a series of language varieties spoken across some geographical area such that neighboring varieties are mutually intelligible, but the differences accumulate over distance so that widely separated varie ...
spoken in
Guangxi
Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...
,
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...
, and
Guizhou
Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...
in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. Its speakers are among the ''Bunu'' (): ethnic
Yao (Mien) speakers of
Miao languages Miao may refer to:
* Miao people, linguistically and culturally related group of people, recognized as such by the government of the People's Republic of China
* Miao script or Pollard script, writing system used for Miao languages
* Miao (Unicode ...
.
Classification
The Bunu people are the
Yao people
The Yao people (its majority branch is also known as Mien; ; vi, người Dao) is a government classification for various minorities in China and Vietnam. They are one of the 55 officially recognised ethnic minorities in China and reside in ...
who speak
Hmongic languages. That is, ''Bunu'' in the broad sense is a cultural rather than linguistic group. Strecker (1987) had classified Bu-Nao (Bunu proper) as a
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
(Chuanqiandian) Hmongic language, and the other Bunu languages—
Younuo (Yuno),
Wunai (Hm Nai), and
Jiongnai (Kiong Nai)—as distinct branches of Hmongic. Matisoff (2001) grouped all of these together in a ''Bunu'' branch of Hmongic (that is, outside Western Hmongic). Ratliff (2010) returned Bu-Nao to Western Hmongic, and moved Jiongnai to its own peripheral branch of Hmongic, but did not address Younuo or Wunai.
Chinese sources generally do not treat the languages as Hmongic because the speakers are not ethnic Miao, but Wang & Deng (2003) classify Bunao as a cousin of Western Hmongic, and Jiongnai and Younuo as independent branches.
Varieties
Bu-Nao dialects include:
*Bunu 布努 (Pu Nu) - 359,474 speakers; representative dialect: Nongjing, Qibainong
Township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
,
Dahua County 大化七百弄乡弄京
**Dongnu 东努 (Tung Nu,
autonyms: ) - 293,489 speakers in
Funing County Funing may refer to the following locations in China:
*Ningde, Fujian, formerly named Funing
* Funing County, Hebei (抚宁县)
*Funing County, Jiangsu (阜宁县)
*Funing County, Yunnan
Funing County (; Zhuang language: ) is located in Wenshan Z ...
,
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...
(in Longshao 龙绍, etc.) and northern
Guangxi
Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...
:
Du'an
Du'an Yao Autonomous County ( zhuang: ,) is an autonomous county under the administration of Hechi City, in the northwest of Guangxi, China. It has an area of and a population of 625,100, including 596,100 that are of minority ethnic groups.
Ad ...
(in Meizhu 梅珠, etc.),
Dahua,
Bama
Bama or BAMA may refer to:
Places
* Bama, shortened form of Alabama, a state of the United States of America
** The University of Alabama, the public university serving the state, often known as simply ''Bama''
* Bama, one of the colloquial Burm ...
,
Pingguo
Pingguo (; za, Bingzgoj Si) is a city of west-central Guangxi, China. It is the easternmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city of Baise. Two thirds of the population are Zhuang.
The Pingguo Industry Park hosts an important part ...
,
Tiandong
Tiandong County(, za, Denzdungh Yen) is a county of Guangxi, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Baise.
Demographics
Tiandong's population was 411,500(2010). 85.22% of the people belong to the Zhuang ethnic gro ...
,
Mashan,
Debao,
Long'an,
Baise
Baise (; local pronunciation: ), or Bose, is the westernmost prefecture-level city of Guangxi, China bordering Vietnam as well as the provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan. The city has a population of 4.3 million, of which 1.4 million live in the urba ...
,
Tianyang
Tianyang District (; Standard Zhuang: ; Youjiang Zhuang: ) is a district in western Guangxi, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Baise.
History
Tianyang County was formed in 1935 by combining Fengyi County () a ...
,
Donglan
Donglan County (, Zhuang: ) is a county of northwest Guangxi, China. It is under the administration of Hechi City.
Donglan County has given its name to the Donglan golden-line barbel (''Sinocyclocheilus donglanensis''), a small fish that is only ...
,
Hechi
Hechi () is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China, bordering Guizhou to the north. In June 2002 it gained city status.
Geography and climate
Hechi is located in northwestern ...
,
Shanglin,
Xincheng,
Yishan,
Laibin
Laibin (, Zhuang: Laizbinh) is a prefecture-level city in the central part of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.
History
Laibin is an ancient town with more than 2000 years of history. The area was settled in prehistoric times, more tha ...
. In
Funing County Funing may refer to the following locations in China:
*Ningde, Fujian, formerly named Funing
* Funing County, Hebei (抚宁县)
*Funing County, Jiangsu (阜宁县)
*Funing County, Yunnan
Funing County (; Zhuang language: ) is located in Wenshan Z ...
, they are known as Buzha 布咋 (their autonym) or the Mountain Yao 山瑶.
**Nunu 努努 (Nu Nu, autonyms: ) - 53,870 speakers in northwestern
Guangxi
Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...
:
Lingyun (in Taohua 陶化, etc.),
Fengshan,
Donglan
Donglan County (, Zhuang: ) is a county of northwest Guangxi, China. It is under the administration of Hechi City.
Donglan County has given its name to the Donglan golden-line barbel (''Sinocyclocheilus donglanensis''), a small fish that is only ...
,
Bama
Bama or BAMA may refer to:
Places
* Bama, shortened form of Alabama, a state of the United States of America
** The University of Alabama, the public university serving the state, often known as simply ''Bama''
* Bama, one of the colloquial Burm ...
(in Xishan 西山, etc.),
Tianlin,
Leye
**Bunuo 布诺 (Pu No, autonym: ) - 12,115 speakers in
Du'an
Du'an Yao Autonomous County ( zhuang: ,) is an autonomous county under the administration of Hechi City, in the northwest of Guangxi, China. It has an area of and a population of 625,100, including 596,100 that are of minority ethnic groups.
Ad ...
(in Sanzhiyang 三只羊; Longma 龙麻 of Xia'ao 下坳乡, etc.),
Guangxi
Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...
*Baonao 包瑙 (Nao Klao, Naogelao 瑙格劳,
autonyms: ) - 28,952 speakers in
Nandan,
Hechi
Hechi () is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China, bordering Guizhou to the north. In June 2002 it gained city status.
Geography and climate
Hechi is located in northwestern ...
, and
Tian'e in
Guangxi
Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...
as well as
Libo County
Libo County () is a county of southern Guizhou province, China, bordering Guangxi to the south. It is under the administration of the Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.
Geography
The county is located in the remote southeastern corner o ...
,
Guizhou
Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...
; representative dialect: Lihu
Township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
,
Nandan County
Nandan (, za, Nanzdanh) is a county of Hechi City, in the northwest of Guangxi, China. It has an area of and a population of (2010).
Administrative divisions
There are 7 towns, 3 townships and 1 ethnic township in the county.
Towns:
* Chenggu ...
南丹里湖瑶族乡
*Numao 努茂 (Nu Mhou, autonym: ) - 1,715 speakers in
Libo County
Libo County () is a county of southern Guizhou province, China, bordering Guangxi to the south. It is under the administration of the Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.
Geography
The county is located in the remote southeastern corner o ...
,
Guizhou
Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...
; representative dialect: Yaolu
Township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
, Libo County 荔波瑶麓瑶族乡
**Numao 努茂 (Nu Mhou, White-Trouser Yao 白裤瑶,
autonym: ) - about 1,200 speakers in the
townships
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
of Yaolu 瑶麓 and Jiarong 佳荣
**Dongmeng 冬孟 (Long-Shirt Yao 长衫瑶,
autonym: ) - about 400 speakers in the
townships
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
of Maolan 茂兰, Dongtang, 洞塘, and Weng'ang 翁昂
These add up to a total number of 390,000 speakers.
The ''Guizhou Province Gazetteer'' (2002) lists the following
autonyms for these villages in
Libo County
Libo County () is a county of southern Guizhou province, China, bordering Guangxi to the south. It is under the administration of the Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.
Geography
The county is located in the remote southeastern corner o ...
, Guizhou.
*': Yaolu 瑶麓
*': Yaoshan 瑶山
*': Yao'ai 瑶埃
The ''Yunnan Province Gazetteer'' (1989) reports that a Bunu dialect known as ' (布咋) is spoken by about 7,000 people in Guichao 归朝乡 and Dongbo 洞波瑶族乡 (including in Dadongzhai 大洞寨, Saxiangdong Village 三湘洞村) townships of
Funing County Funing may refer to the following locations in China:
*Ningde, Fujian, formerly named Funing
* Funing County, Hebei (抚宁县)
*Funing County, Jiangsu (阜宁县)
*Funing County, Yunnan
Funing County (; Zhuang language: ) is located in Wenshan Z ...
,
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...
.
The ''Shaoyang Prefecture Gazetteer'' (1997:533) reports that the
Miao Miao may refer to:
* Miao people, linguistically and culturally related group of people, recognized as such by the government of the People's Republic of China
* Miao script or Pollard script, writing system used for Miao languages
* Miao (Unicode ...
of
Xinning County
Xinning County () is a Counties of the People's Republic of China, county in the Provinces of China, Province of Hunan, China, it is under the administration of Shaoyang, Shaoyang City. Located on the south western margin of Hunan, the county is ...
,
Hunan
Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...
, speak a Bunu-branch language.
Intelligibility among these varieties is difficult, and they may be separate languages. Strecker (1987) went so far as to suggest they may not form a group at all, but separate languages within West Hmongic.
Others
The following peoples may also speak Bunu languages.
*Beidalao 北大老: 15,000 (1990) in
Rong'an County
Rong'an County (; Standard Zhuang: ) is under the administration of Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. It borders the prefecture-level city of Guilin
Guilin (Standard Zhuang: ''Gveilinz''; alternatively romanized as Kweilin) i ...
and
Rongshui County
Rongshui Miao people, Miao Autonomous County (; Standard Zhuang: ) is under the administration of Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. The seat of Rongshui County is Rongshui Town. It borders the prefecture-level divisions of Qiandongn ...
,
Guangxi
Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...
; probably Bunu, though divergent
*Beidongnuo 被动诺: 244 (1984) in
Libo County
Libo County () is a county of southern Guizhou province, China, bordering Guangxi to the south. It is under the administration of the Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.
Geography
The county is located in the remote southeastern corner o ...
,
Guizhou
Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...
; likely a variety of Nagelao (Nao Klao). Identified as Dongmeng by Bradley (2007).
*Changpao 长袍: 5,000 (1999) in southern
Guizhou
Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...
; undetermined linguistic affiliation, but could possibly be Bunu. Identified as Dongmeng by Bradley (2007).
*Youmai 优迈: 2,000 (1999) in southwestern
Guizhou
Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...
; possibly a Bunu variety; classified as
Pingtang Miao
Pingtang Miao, named after Pingtang County (平塘 ''píngtáng'') in which it is spoken, is a group of Miao language varieties of China.
Classification
The four varieties of Pingtang were listed as unclassified branches of Chuanqiandian Miao ( ...
by Li Yunbing (2000)
See also
*
Bunu languages
The Bunu (Punu) are the Yao people who speak Hmongic languages. That is, ''Bunu'' in the broad sense is a cultural rather than linguistic group. Strecker (1987) had classified Bu-Nao language, Bunu proper (Bu-Nao) as a Western (Chuanqiandian) Hmo ...
References
External links
Bunu basic lexicon at the Global Lexicostatistical Database
{{Languages of China
West Hmongic languages
Languages of China