Tày or Thổ (a name shared with the unrelated
Thổ and
Cuoi languages) is the major
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 Si ...
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 it ...
, spoken by more than a million
Tày people
The Tày people, also known as the Thô, T'o, Tai Tho, Ngan, Phen, Thu Lao, or Pa Di, are a Central Tai-speaking ethnic group who live in northern Vietnam. According to a 2009 census, there are 1.7 million Tày people living in Vietnam. This mak ...
in Northeastern Vietnam.
Varieties
Tày linguistic varieties include the following:
*Tày Bảo Lạc – spoken in Bảo Lạc District, western Cao Bang province.
*Tày Trùng Khánh – spoken in Trùng Khánh District, northeastern Cao Bang province.
*Thu Lao or
Dai Zhuang
Dai Zhuang or Thu Lao is a Tai language spoken in Yunnan, China and northern Vietnam. In China is it spoken in Yanshan, Wenshan, Maguan, Malipo, Guangnan counties of Wenshan Prefecture. It is also spoken in Honghe Prefecture. The largest concentr ...
varieties are considered to be a different language.
Phonology
Consonants
* The Cao Bẳng Tày dialect is the only variety to have the sounds .
Vowels
* There are also three semivowels that mainly occur in syllable-coda position in combination with other vowel sounds. are typically realized as consonant sounds . follows front vowels and central vowels . follows back vowels as well as central vowels . However, only follows .
Tones
Six tones are present in Cao Bẳng Tày:
Vocabulary
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tay Language
Languages of Vietnam
Tai languages