Nasu (Naisu, Eastern Yi), or Nasu proper, is a

Loloish language The Loloish languages, also known as Yi in China and occasionally Ngwi or Nisoic, are a family of fifty to a hundred Sino-Tibetan languages spoken primarily in the Yunnan province of China. They are most closely related to Burmese and its relat ...

spoken by a quarter million

Yi people The Yi or Nuosu people,; zh, c=彝族, p=Yízú, l=Yi ethnicity historically known as the Lolo,; vi, Lô Lô; th, โล-โล, Lo-Lo are an ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with eac ...

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 ...

. Nasu proper and Wusa Nasu are two of six

Yi languages The Yi or Nuosu people,; zh, c=彝族, p=Yízú, l=Yi ethnicity historically known as the Lolo,; vi, Lô Lô; th, โล-โล, Lo-Lo are an ethnic group in China, Vietnam, and Thailand. Numbering nine million people, they are the s ...

recognized by the government of China. Unlike most written Yi languages, Nasu proper uses the Pollard (Miao) script. A distinct form of the

Yi script The Yi script (Yi: ; ) is an umbrella term for two scripts used to write the Yi languages; Classical Yi (an ideogram script), and the later Yi Syllabary. The script is historically known in Chinese as ''Cuan Wen'' () or ''Wei Shu'' () and vari ...

was traditionally used for Wusa, though few can still read it.

Names

According to the ''Guizhou Ethnic Gazetteer'' (2002),Guizhou Province Gazetteer: Ethnic Gazetteer ��州省志. 民族志(2002). Guiyang: Guizhou Ethnic Publishing House ��州民族出版社 Yi autonyms include Nasu 哪苏, Tusu 兔苏, Lagou 腊勾, Guo 果, and so forth. Most of Yi people of the Luquan area do not have the autonym Luoluo and Nasu (transliterated into Chinese as 纳苏) means "black", hence the Black Yi (黑彝 Hei Yi), though Black Yi is an aristocratic

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

distinction among the Yi People, and Black Yi Script (Heiyiwen) was a Latin script for Yi introduced by missionaries.

Classification

Chen (1985)

Chen, et al. (1985:108) recognizes 3 major

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

of ''Eastern Yi'' (i.e., Nasu) that are spoken in

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 ...

provinces, namely ''Dianqian'' 滇黔 (Yunnan-Guizhou), ''Pan'' 盘县 (

Pan County Panzhou () is a county-level city in southwestern Guizhou province, China, on the border with Yunnan province to the west. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Liupanshui. Administrative divisions As of 2017, Panzhou is ...

), and ''Diandongbei'' 滇东北 (Northeastern Yunnan). Autonyms include ' (alternatively '), ' (including ', ', and '), ', and '. *Dianqian 滇黔次方言: 4 dialects **Shuixi 水西土语: spoken in

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 ...

, Qianxi,

Dafang Dafang (), called Dading () until 1958, is a county 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 p ...

Zhijin Zhijin County is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Bijie in west-central Guizhou province, China. History Zhijin has been inhabited since the Qin, populated mainly by the Gelao. After the Jin, the Yi moved i ...

, Nayong, Qingzhen, and

Zhenxiong Zhenxiong County () is a county in the northeast of Yunnan province, China, under the administration of Zhaotong prefecture and bordering Guizhou and Sichuan. Geography Zhengxiong County is located in the northeastern part of Yunnan province. It h ...

counties **Wusa 乌撒土语 (): spoken in Weining,

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 ...

Hezhang Hezhang () is a county in the northwest of Guizhou province, China, bordering Yunnan to the north. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Bijie. Ethnic groups The ''Hezhang County Gazetteer'' (2001:105-108) lists the follow ...

, Nayong, Yiliang,

Huize Huize County (, old name: ''Dongchuan 東川'') is a county-level city, under the jurisdiction of Qujing City, Yunnan province, People's Republic of China. Demography The city has grown considerably over the past 20 years. It has 871,200 inhabi ...

, and

Xuanwei Xuanwei () is a county-level city in the northeast of Yunnan Province, China, bordering Guizhou province to the east. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Qujing. Administrative divisions Xuanwei City has 9 subdistrict ...

counties **Mangbu 芒部土语: spoken in

and

counties **Wumeng 乌蒙土语 (): spoken in

Zhaotong Zhaotong () is a prefecture-level city located in the northeast corner of Yunnan province, China, bordering the provinces of Guizhou to the south and southeast and Sichuan to the northeast, north, and west. History Zhaotong has historic and ...

and Yongshan *Pan 盘县次方言: spoken in

Xingren Xingren () is a county-level city of southwestern Guizhou province, China. It is under the administration of the Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. Geography and climate Due to its low latitude and elevation above , Xingren has a mons ...

, Pu'an, Qinglong,

, Fuyuan, and Luoping counties *Diandongbei 滇东北次方言: 5 dialects **Luquan 武禄土语: spoken in

Wuding Wuding County (; Chuxiong Yi script: , IPA: ) is under the administration of the Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, in the north-central part of Yunnan province, China, bordering Sichuan province to the north. Wuding's county seat is located on ...

, Luquan,

Yuanmou Yuanmou County (; Chuxiong Yi script: , IPA: ) is under the administration of the Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, in the north of Yunnan province, China, bordering Sichuan province to the north. The famous Yuanmou Man was found in Yuanmou Cou ...

, Xundian, Lufeng, and

counties **Qiaowu 巧武土语 (''Qiaojia-Wuding''): spoken in Qiaojia,

, Luquan,

, and

counties **Wuding 武定土语: spoken in

, Yongren, and Lufeng counties **Xundian 寻甸土语: spoken in Xundian, Luquan,

Songming Songming County () is a county under the jurisdiction of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, China. It is famous for the Yanglin Fat Liquor and the Dian Opera. Administrative divisions Songming County is divided into two subdistricts and th ...

, Luxi, Shizong, Luoping, and

Mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...

counties **Kun'an 昆安土语 (''Kunming-Anning''): spoken in

Anning Anning may refer to: Places *Anning, Yunnan (安宁市) city, China *Anning District Anning District () is one of 5 districts of the prefecture-level city of Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, Northwest China. It forms part of the urban core ...

and Lufeng counties

Huang (1993)

In his description of the

(not the spoken language), Huáng Jiànmíng (1993) holds that the Nasu variety of the Yi script is used by the groups speaking languages of the Nasu language cluster of

Northern Yi Nuosu or Nosu (, transcribed as ), also known as Northern Yi, Liangshan Yi, and Sichuan Yi, is the prestige language of the Yi people; it has been chosen by the Chinese government as the standard Yi language () and, as such, is the only one taug ...

in south-eastern

Sìchuān Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

, eastern Yúnnán, Gùizhōu, as well as in Guǎngxī. He distinguishes two sub-groups. Nasu proper used in

, Luquan, and the suburbs of

Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...

, and Wusa used in Guizhou and the bordering areas of Eastern Yunnan.

Bradley (1997)

David Bradley (1997) distinguishes three main dialects of Nasu: *Southeastern (Panxian): 150,000 speakers in southwestern Guizhou *Northeastern (Nesu): 300,000 speakers, comprising most of the other Nasu speakers of Guizhou, and some in extreme northeastern Yunnan and southeastern Sichuan **Shuixi subdialect 水西土语 **Wusa subdialect 乌撒土语 **Mangbu subdialect 芒部土语 **Wumeng subdialect 乌蒙土语 *Western (Nasu proper): 250,000 speakers all in north-central Yunnan; Black (more numerous) and Red subdialects

Lama (2012)

Lama (2012) determined that Nasu (Western) is more closely related to Gepo than it is to the others: *Nesu **Panxian (Nasepho, '): North and South dialects **Shuixi Nesu (Dafang Nesu) **Nesu proper ***Wumeng ***Mangbu ***Wusa (Wusa Nasu) *Nasu **Nasu proper ** Gepo ('): 100,000 speakers

Chen (2010)

Phonology

Consonants

* The phonetic sound of // is mainly heard as .

Vowels

* Sounds are heard as syllabic consonants when following alveolar sounds , and as syllabic retroflex when following retroflex sounds . *The phonetic sounds of the rhoticized vowels are mainly heard as more back .

Tones

3 tones occur as follows:

References

Bibliography

*Bradley, David (1997).
Tibeto-Burman languages and classification
. In ''Tibeto-Burman languages of the Himalayas, Papers in South East Asian linguistics''. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. *Chen Kang ��康 2010. ''A study of Yi dialects'' ��语方言研究 Beijing: China Minzu University Press. *Lama, Ziwo Qiu-Fuyuan (2012), ''Subgrouping of Nisoic (Yi) Languages'', thesis, University of Texas at Arlington. *Lu Lin 卢琳. 2017. Yiyu Shuicheng Zhichanghua yanjiu 彝语水城纸厂话研究. In ''Guizhou Minzu Yanjiu'' 贵州民族研究.

External links

283-word wordlist in Wuding Maojie Naisu dialect
available from

Kaipuleohone Kaipuleohone is a digital ethnographic archive that houses audio and visual files, photographs, as well as hundreds of textual material such as notes, dictionaries, and transcriptions relating to small and endangered languages. The archive is stored ...

as well a
word lists from other Nasu speakers
{{Lolo-Burmese languages Loloish languages Languages of China