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The Bouyei language (
autonym Autonym may refer to: * Autonym, the name used by a person to refer to themselves or their language; see Exonym and endonym * Autonym (botany), an automatically created infrageneric or infraspecific name See also * Nominotypical subspecies, in zo ...
: Haausqyaix, also spelled ''Buyi'', ''Buyei'' or ''Puyi''; ; vi, tiếng Bố Y or ) is a language spoken by the Bouyei ethnic group of Southern
Guizhou Province 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 the ...
, China. Classified as a member of the Northern Tai group in the
Tai language The Tai or Zhuang–Tai languages ( th, ภาษาไท or , transliteration: or ) are a branch of the Kra–Dai language family. The Tai languages include the most widely spoken of the Tai–Kadai languages, including Standard Thai or Sia ...
branch of the Tai–Kadai language family, the language has over 2.5 million native speakers and is also used by the Giay people ( vi, Giáy) in some parts of
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. There are native speakers living in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
or the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
as well, which emigrated from China or Vietnam. About 98% of the native speakers are in China. Bouyei's characteristics are similar to the other members of its language branch. It is generally
monosyllabic In linguistics, a monosyllable is a word or utterance of only one syllable. It is most commonly studied in the fields of phonology and morphology and it has no semantic content. The word has originated from the Greek language. "Yes", "no", "jump", ...
and
word order In linguistics, word order (also known as linear order) is the order of the syntactic constituents of a language. Word order typology studies it from a cross-linguistic perspective, and examines how different languages employ different orders. C ...
and
particles In the physical sciences, a particle (or corpuscule in older texts) is a small localized object which can be described by several physical or chemical properties, such as volume, density, or mass. They vary greatly in size or quantity, from su ...
are the main forms of
grammar In linguistics, the grammar of a natural language is its set of structure, structural constraints on speakers' or writers' composition of clause (linguistics), clauses, phrases, and words. The term can also refer to the study of such constraint ...
. Bouyei's syllable initials match up closely to the other Northern Tai languages, with relatively fast simplification and merging. Bouyei sentences can be shown to contain many different levels of phrasing. The contemporary Bouyei script was developed after the abandonment of the Bouyei-Zhuang Script Alliance Policy in 1981 and was designed from 1981 to 1985. It is focused and phonologically representative and takes the
Wangmo County Wangmo County () is a county in the southwest of Guizhou province, China, bordering Guangxi to the southeast. It is under the administration of the Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. Climate Wangmo recorded of rainfall in one hour, o ...
dialect as its foundation.


Subdivisions and distribution


China

According to a 1950s survey performed by the Chinese government, the Bouyei language as spoken in Guizhou can be divided into three general dialect groups (Snyder 2008

Note that () is an abbreviation for
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 ...
. #The Southern Qian group – the largest of the three – from the
Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (; Buyei: ''Qianfxiynanf Buxqyaix Buxyeeuz Ziqziqzouy''; Hmu: ''Qeef Xib Naif Dol Yat Dol Hmub Zid Zid Zeb''), is an autonomous prefecture of Guizhou province, People's Republic of China, bordering G ...
, which is mostly intelligible with the Guibian and Guibei Zhuang dialects. This vernacular is spoken in the counties of Wangmo, Ceheng, Luodian, Dushan, Libo, Duyun, Pingtang, Zhenfeng, Anlong, Xingren, and Xinyi. #The Central Qian group – next most spoken of the three – which is spread throughout
Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (; Buyei: ''Qianfnanf Buxqyaix Buxyeeuz ziqziqzouy''; Hmu: ''Qeef Naif Dol Yat Dol Hmub Zid Zid Zeb'') is an autonomous prefecture of Guizhou province, People's Republic of China, bordering Guangxi to ...
and the suburbs of
Guiyang Guiyang (; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), historically rendered as Kweiyang, is the capital of Guizhou province of the People's Republic of China. It is located in the center of the province, situated on the east of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, ...
, and is partially intelligible with the Southern Qian dialects (it is very similar to the Zhuang dialects of 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 ...
). This vernacular is spoken in the counties of Longli, Guiding, Qingzhen, Pingba, Kaiyang, Guiyang, and Anshun. #The Western Qian dialects – the least spoken of the three – which is spoken in the counties of
Zhenning Zhenning Buyei and Miao Autonomous County (; usually referred to as "Zhenning County", commonly abbreviated as Zhenning (); Buyei: Zenqninf Buxqyaix Buxyeeuz Ziqziqxianq) is an autonomous county under the administration of the prefecture-level cit ...
,
Guanling Guanling Buyei and Miao Autonomous County (; Bouyei: ) is an autonomous county in Anshun City, in the southwest of Guizhou Province, China. Area: Population: 334,900 in 2008. Postal Code: 561300. Telephone Area Code: 0853 The county governme ...
,
Ziyun Ziyun Miao and Buyei Autonomous County (; Bouyei: ) is a county in the southwest of Guizhou province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Anshun Anshun () is a prefecture-level city located in southwestern Gu ...
, Qinglong, Pu'an,
Liuzhi Liuzhi Special District () is a district of Guizhou, China. It was known as Langdai Country before 1960. The county is under the administration of Liupanshui city, located in the western part of Guizhou Province. It is bounded by Zhijing and Nayong ...
, Panxian,
Shuicheng Shuicheng () is a district in the west of Guizhou province, China, bordering Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 mi ...
,
Bijie Bijie () is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Guizhou Province, China, bordering Sichuan to the north and Yunnan to the west. The Daotianhe Reservoir, located to the north of the town was commissioned in 1965 with a rated annual capacity o ...
, and Weining. The western dialects show more unique features than the other two groups. Some western dialects have aspirated stops, which is an uncommon feature in
northern Tai languages The Northern Tai languages are an established branch of the Tai languages of Southeast Asia. They include the northern Zhuang languages and Bouyei of China, Tai Mène of Laos and Yoy of Thailand. Languages Ethnologue ''Ethnologue'' distingui ...
(Snyder 2008). Wu, Snyder, & Liang (2007) is the most comprehensive Bouyei survey to date, and covers the following data points. ; Qiannan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture *Guyang,
Changshun County Changshun County () is a county of Guizhou, China. It is under the administration of the Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (; Buyei: ''Qianfnanf Buxqyaix Buxyeeuz ziqziqzouy''; Hmu: ''Qeef ...
() *Nanzhai,
Dushan County Dushan County () is a County (People's Republic of China), county of 346,000 people (2007) in Guizhou province, China. It is under the administration of Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in the south of the province, bordering Guangxi t ...
() *Jichang, Dushan County () *Fuxi, Duyun County () *Gonggu Township,
Guiding County Guiding County () is a county of south-central Guizhou, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of the Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. The county seat is located in the town of Chengguan. The town of Changmingzhen ...
(), now merged *Danggu,
Huishui County Huishui () is a county of south-central Guizhou province, China. It is under the administration of the Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. 61% of its 476,900 population are minorities, including Bouyei, Miao, Hui, Zhuang, Sui, Bai, an ...
() *Fucun,
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 ...
() *Yangchang,
Longli County Longli County () is a county of the Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in central Guizhou Province, China. Area: . Population: 205,400 in 2003, including 78,300 population of minority ethnic groups Postal Code: 551200. Telephone Area ...
() *Luokun,
Luodian County Luodian County () is a county under the administration of Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in the south of Guizhou province, China, bordering Guangxi to the south. The climate in the area is humid subtropical, with strong monsoon inf ...
() *Poqiu, Luodian County () *Xiliang Township,
Pingtang County Pingtang County () is a county in the Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou province, China, bordering Guangxi to the south. It is a high mountain valley and is inhabited mainly by members of the Buyei and Miao ethnic minorities, ...
(), now merged *Zhangbu Township, Pingtang County () ;
Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (; Buyei: ''Qianfxiynanf Buxqyaix Buxyeeuz Ziqziqzouy''; Hmu: ''Qeef Xib Naif Dol Yat Dol Hmub Zid Zid Zeb''), is an autonomous prefecture of Guizhou province, People's Republic of China, bordering G ...
*Pingle Township,
Anlong County Anlong County () is a county in the southwest of Guizhou province, China, bordering Guangxi to the south. It is under the administration of the Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. Wildlife Lungtou frog or Anlung odorous frog, ''Odorra ...
(), now merged *Huarong,
Ceheng County Ceheng County () is a county in the southwest of Guizhou province, China, bordering Guangxi to the south. It is under the administration of the Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (; Buyei ...
() *Zitang, Qinglong County () *Fuxing,
Wangmo County Wangmo County () is a county in the southwest of Guizhou province, China, bordering Guangxi to the southeast. It is under the administration of the Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. Climate Wangmo recorded of rainfall in one hour, o ...
() *Bajie, Xingyi County () *Mingu,
Zhenfeng County Zhenfeng County () is a county in the southwest of Guizhou province, China. It is under the administration of the Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (; Buyei: ''Qianfxiynanf Buxqyaix Buxy ...
() ;
Anshun City Anshun () is a prefecture-level city located in southwestern Guizhou province, southwest China, near the Huangguoshu Waterfall, the tallest in China. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 2,297,339. The city proper had a population of ...
*Huangla Buyei and Miao Ethnic Township, Anshun () *Banle,
Zhenning County Zhenning Buyei and Miao Autonomous County (; usually referred to as "Zhenning County", commonly abbreviated as Zhenning (); Buyei: Zenqninf Buxqyaix Buxyeeuz Ziqziqxianq) is an autonomous county under the administration of the prefecture-level cit ...
() *Shitouzhai, Zhenning County () *Huohua Township,
Ziyun County Ziyun Miao and Buyei Autonomous County (; Bouyei: ) is a county in the southwest of Guizhou province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Anshun Anshun () is a prefecture-level city located in southwestern Gu ...
() *Nonghe, Ziyun County () ;
Liuzhi Special District Liuzhi Special District () is a district of 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. G ...
*Fa'er Buyei, Miao, and Yi Ethnic Township,
Shuicheng County Shuicheng () is a district in the west of Guizhou province, China, bordering Yunnan province to the west. It is under the administration of Liupanshui city. Biodiversity Shuicheng is home to two amphibian species that are not known from anywhere ...
() The
Yei Zhuang Yei Zhuang is a Northern Tai language complex spoken in Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan, China. Its speakers are also known as the Sha (沙族). Distribution In Yunnan, Yei Zhuang dialects are spoken in Funing and Guangnan counties (also in Guangxi ...
varieties of
Wenshan Prefecture Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in southeastern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China and the easternmost prefecture-level division of the province. It borders Baise, Guangxi to the east, Vietnam's ...
,
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 ...
are closely related to the Bouyei varieties of
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 ...
. Many other languages outside China with the names "Yei", "Yay", "Yoy", are also closely related.


Vietnam

Bouyei is also spoken in
northern Vietnam Northern Vietnam ( vi, Bắc Bộ) is one of three geographical regions within Vietnam. It consists of three administrative regions: the Northwest (Vùng Tây Bắc), the Northeast (Vùng Đông Bắc), and the Red River Delta (Đồng Bằng S ...
by several groups, the Bố Y people (Bouyei) of
Bát Xát Bát Xát is a township () of Bát Xát District, Lào Cai Province, Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of main ...
, Lào Cai province and the Giáy. Edmondson and Gregerson (2001) has determined their language to be most similar to the Bouyei dialects of southwest Guizhou. The Giáy are an officially recognized group in Vietnam who now number nearly 50,000. Some household registries of the Giáy of Vietnam indicate that their ancestors had left
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 ...
160 years ago during the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
, and traveled overland to southern
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 then Vietnam (Edmondson & Gregerson 2001). This coincides with the
Miao Rebellion (1854–73) There have been several Miao rebellions in Chinese history: *Miao rebellions in the Ming dynasty (14th–15th centuries) *Bozhou rebellion (1589–1600) *Miao Rebellion (1735–36) *Miao Rebellion (1795–1806) *Miao Rebellion (1854–73) There hav ...
of Guizhou. The Giáy are found in the following locations of Vietnam. *
Lào Cai Lào Cai () is a city in the Northwest region of Vietnam. It is the capital of Lào Cai Province. The city borders Bảo Thắng District, Bát Xát District, Sa Pa and the city of Hekou Yao Autonomous County, in Yunnan province of southwes ...
province **Tả Van village near
Sa Pa Sa Pa (, also written as Sapa) is a district-level town of Lào Cai Province in the Northwest region of Vietnam. As of 2018, the town had a population of 61,498. The town covers an area of 677 km2. The town capital lies at Sa Pa. It is one ...
**
Bát Xát Bát Xát is a township () of Bát Xát District, Lào Cai Province, Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of main ...
District ** Mường Khương District ** Bảo Yên District *
Hà Giang Hà Giang () is a city located on the banks of the Lô River in the Northeast region of Vietnam. It is the capital of Hà Giang Province. The city has an area of 135.33 km2 and a population of 55 559 inhabitants. The population is compose ...
Province ** Yên Minh District ** Đồng Văn District *
Lai Châu Lai Châu () is a city in the Northwest region of Vietnam. It is the capital city of Lai Châu Province. The city borders Phong Thổ District, Sìn Hồ District và Tam Đường District. History Lai Châu, or Muang Lay (Vietnamese: Mư ...
Province **
Mường Tè Muong may refer to: *Muong people, third largest of Vietnam's 53 minority groups **Muong language, spoken by the Mường people of Vietnam *No Muong, king of the southern Laotian Kingdom of Champasak in 1811 * Mueang Mueang ( th, เมือง ...
District ** Phong Thổ District *
Cao Bằng Cao Bằng () is a city in northern Vietnam. It is the capital and largest settlement of Cao Bằng Province. It is located on the bank of the Bằng Giang river, and is around away from the border with China's Guangxi region. According to the 2 ...
Province ** Bảo Lạc District The Giáy of
Mường Khương District Mường Khương is a rural district of Lào Cai province in the Northeast region of Vietnam. ''Mường'' is as variation of ''Mueang''. As of 2003, the district had a population of 48,242. The district covers an area of 552 km². The dis ...
of Lào Cai who call themselves Tu Dí 'thu zi''can only speak a form of Chinese, and no Giáy. Their autonym comes from their ancestral place of origin, which is
Duyun Duyun () is the capital of Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou province in the People's Republic of China. The area surrounding the city was affected by the Miao rebellion of 1735–36. The city participated in the uprising ...
of
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 ...
province, China. According to their household records, they had arrived in
Maguan County Maguan County (, vi, Mã Quan) is located in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China, bordering Vietnam's Lào Cai and Ha Giang provinces to the south. Administrative divisions In the present, Maguan County has 9 t ...
and in Honghe Prefecture about 200 years ago. Similarly, some Giáy of Vietnam report that they have relatives still living in Hekou,
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 ...
province, China (Edmondson & Gregerson 2001). The Pu Nả people of Tam Đường District, Lai Châu Province, Vietnam call themselves the ''Vần Nả'' (with ''vần'' meaning 'people'), and number about 5,000 individuals (Lò 2012:11–20). They are also called ''Quý Châu'' (''
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 ...
'' ), ''Sa Quý Châu'', ''Củi Chu'', ''Pu Y'', or ''Pâu Thìn''. The Pu Nả live in the following villages of Tam Đường District (Lò 2012:18). *Bản Giang commune **bản Coc Pa **bản Giang **bản Nà Bỏ **bản Nà Sài **bản Nà Cơ **bản Tẩn Phủ Nhiêu *Thèn Xin commune **bản Lở Thàng **Thèn Xin *San Thàng commune **bản Tả Xin Chải **Xéo Xin Chải **Phan Lỉn The Yay language described by
William J. Gedney William J. Gedney (April 4, 1915November 14, 1999) was an American linguist notable for his work on Thai and related Tai languages. Life Gedney was born in Orchards, Washington, and spent his childhood there. He was the son of John Marshall G ...
is in fact the Giáy dialect of Mường Hum,
Bát Xát Bát Xát is a township () of Bát Xát District, Lào Cai Province, Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of main ...
District,
Lào Cai Lào Cai () is a city in the Northwest region of Vietnam. It is the capital of Lào Cai Province. The city borders Bảo Thắng District, Bát Xát District, Sa Pa and the city of Hekou Yao Autonomous County, in Yunnan province of southwes ...
(Edmondson & Gregerson 2001). There are also other related
Northern Tai languages The Northern Tai languages are an established branch of the Tai languages of Southeast Asia. They include the northern Zhuang languages and Bouyei of China, Tai Mène of Laos and Yoy of Thailand. Languages Ethnologue ''Ethnologue'' distingui ...
spoken in Vietnam as well, such Bố Y, Nhang, and Quy Châu (possibly closely related to Tai Mène of
Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
). The Bố Y had originally came from around
Wangmo County Wangmo County () is a county in the southwest of Guizhou province, China, bordering Guangxi to the southeast. It is under the administration of the Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. Climate Wangmo recorded of rainfall in one hour, o ...
in southwestern Guizhou. Some subgroups of Bố Y call themselves the ''Pu Na'' or ''Pu Thin'', meaning 'people of the paddy field'.


Phonology


Consonants

The Bouyei script recognizes 32 consonants, with names formed by the consonant in an initial position followed by a long "a" vowel. Pink: p, t, k, q, z, and c are used only to write
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
loanwords A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because the ...
. Beige: sl and hr are used for sounds that occur only in certain dialects. V is pronounced as a before a "u". An absent consonant may produce a glottal sound . is also heard as a final sound.


Vowels and diphthongs

Bouyei has 77 vowels and diphthongs. The endings er , ao , ou , ia , io , iao , ua , uai , and ui are used in writing Chinese loanwords. Vowels may also have allophones of . Another vowel sound may occur phonemically in the dialects of Anshun, Qinglong, Shuicheng, Zhenning, and Ziyun.


Tones

Bouyei has six tones, corresponding to the eight ''sheng'' of Middle Chinese: all six in open syllables or with a final or , reduced to two "entering" tones with a final stop. Marking letters are placed at the end of syllables to indicate tone. Loanword marking letters y, f, j, and q match with
Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
tones 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively.


Language shift

Bouyei shows de-voicing of Proto-Tai–Kadai's voiced consonants ( → , → , → ), and loss of aspiration. Proto-Tai–Kadai's tones experienced a splitting into modern Bouyei, shown in the following table.


Scripts


Ancient Bouyei script

Ancient Bouyei writing was created by borrowing elements from
Chinese characters Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji' ...
or by mimicking their forms, and is similar to
Sawndip Zhuang characters or ''Sawndip'' (Sawndip: ; ) are logograms derived from Chinese characters and used by the Zhuang people of Guangxi and Yunnan provinces in China to write the Zhuang languages for more than one thousand years. The script is used ...
. Items collected were mostly
Shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...
's books of the Buyi ancestors, which were used to select auspicious days, lucky numbers and directions, and divination. The scriptures also produced Nuo books and literary works. The Nuo scripts have been widely circulated among the
Buyi people The Bouyei (also spelled ''Puyi'', ''Buyei'' and ''Buyi''; self called: Buxqyaix, or "Puzhong", "Burao", "Puman"; ; vi, người Bố Y), otherwise known as the Zhongjia, are an ethnic group living in Southern Mainland China. Numbering 2.5 mil ...
in Libo region for more than a thousand years to praise goodness, condemn evil, advocate filialiation, and to promote truth, kindness and beauty; and these have become the code of conduct among the local Buyei people. The epic poem ''Wang Yulian'' was a literary work that is believed to be the retelling of a Chinese story in Buyei language. Its manual copies are popular in Zhexiang Township, Wangmo County in Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Southwest Guizhou.


Old Modern Bouyei

In November 1956, a scientific conference was held in
Guiyang Guiyang (; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), historically rendered as Kweiyang, is the capital of Guizhou province of the People's Republic of China. It is located in the center of the province, situated on the east of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, ...
to discuss the creation and implementation of a Latin-based alphabet for Bouyei. The result was a script similar some Zhuang romanizations that used the
Longli Longli County () is a county of the Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in central Guizhou Province, China. Area: . Population: 205,400 in 2003, including 78,300 population of minority ethnic groups Postal Code: 551200. Telephone Area ...
County dialect as its base. The script was approved by the Chinese government and was put into use in 1957, though its use ceased in 1960.


Current Bouyei script

In 1981 a conference on Bouyei history revised the script developed in 1956 in an attempt to make it more practical and phonologically representative of Wangmo County speech. It also was approved by the Chinese government, and was adopted on an experimental basis in 1982. Feedback was largely positive, and the script was officially brought into use in March 1985 and continues to be used to the present. Old and current Bouyei Romanization comparisons {, border="1" ! bgcolor="lightblue" , Old !! Current , IPA ! bgcolor="lightblue" , Old !! Current , IPA ! bgcolor="lightblue" , Old !! Current , IPA ! bgcolor="lightblue" , Old !! Current , IPA ! bgcolor="lightblue" , Old !! Current{ , IPA , ----- , bgcolor="lightblue" , b , , b , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , , , mb , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , m , , m , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , f , , f , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , v , , v, qv , , , - , bgcolor="lightblue" , c , , z , , , colspan=3 , , colspan=3, , bgcolor="lightblue" , s , , s , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , r , , r , , , ----- , bgcolor="lightblue" , d , , d , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , , , nd , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , n , , n , , , colspan=3 , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , l , , l , , , ----- , bgcolor="lightblue" , g , , g , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , gv , , gv , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , ŋ , , ng , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , ŋv , , ngv , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , h , , h , , , ----- , bgcolor="lightblue" , gy , , j , , , colspan=3, , bgcolor="lightblue" , ny , , ny , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , x , , x , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , y , , y, qy , , , ----- , bgcolor="lightblue" , by , , by , , , colspan=3, , bgcolor="lightblue" , my , , my , ,
{, border=1 ! bgcolor="lightblue" , Old !! Zhuang !! Bouyei , IPA ! bgcolor="lightblue" , Old !! Zhuang !! Bouyei , IPA ! bgcolor="lightblue" , Old !! Zhuang !! Bouyei , IPA ! bgcolor="lightblue" , Old !! Zhuang !! Bouyei , IPA , ----- , bgcolor="lightblue" , a , , a , , aa , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , ə , , ae, , a , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , e , , e, , ee , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , i , , i, , i , , , ----- , bgcolor="lightblue" , o , , o, , oo , , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , ө , , oe, , o, , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , u , , u, , u, , , , bgcolor="lightblue" , , , w, , e , ,
Tone Marking Letters {, border=1 ! # !! bgcolor="lightblue" , Old !! Zhuang !! Bouyei , Yangchang Dialect , , Fuxing Dialect , ----- ! 1 , bgcolor="lightblue" , none , , none , , l, q , , 35 , , 24 , ----- ! 2 , bgcolor="lightblue" , , , z , , z , , 11 , , 11 , ----- ! 3 , bgcolor="lightblue" , з , , j , , c, j , , 13 , , 53 , ----- ! 4 , bgcolor="lightblue" , ч , , x , , x, f , , 31 , , 11 , ----- ! 5 , bgcolor="lightblue" , , , q , , s , , 33 , , 35 , ----- ! 6 , bgcolor="lightblue" , , , h , , h, y , , 53 , , 33 , ----- ! 7 , bgcolor="lightblue" , (p, t, k) , , (p, t, k) , , (b, d, g)t , , 33 (long), 35 (short), , 35 , ----- ! 8 , bgcolor="lightblue" , (b, d, g) , , (b, d, g) , , (b, d, g) , , 53 (long), 11 (short) , , 33


References

* * * *
Bouyei Culture Website


External links


ABVD: Bouyei (Wangmo) word list
{{Authority control Tai languages Languages of China Bouyei people