Bisu () is a
Loloish language
The Loloish languages, also known as Yi (like the Yi people) and occasionally Ngwi or Nisoic, are a family of 50–100 Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily in the Yunnan province of Southwestern China. They are most closely related to Bur ...
of
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, with a couple thousand speakers in China. Varieties are Bisu proper (Mbisu) and
Laomian (Guba), considered by Pelkey to be distinct languages.
The Laomian are classified within the
Lahu ethnic group; the Lahu proper call them the "Lawmeh".
Distribution
According to ''Bisuyu Yanjiu'' 毕苏语研究 (2002), there are over 5,000 Bisu speakers in
Yunnan
Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...
, China, and a total of nearly 10,000 Bisu speakers in all countries combined. Within Yunnan, it is spoken mostly in
Pu'er Prefecture, as well as neighboring parts of
Xishuangbanna
Xishuangbanna, sometimes shortened to Banna, is one of the eight autonomous prefectures of Yunnan Province. The autonomous prefecture for Dai people is in the extreme south of Yunnan province, China, bordering both Myanmar and Laos. Xishuangbanna ...
.
*
Lancang County
Lancang Lahu Autonomous County (; Lahu: ) is an autonomous county under the jurisdiction of Pu'er City, in southwestern Yunnan province, China. Lancang is the same as Lan Xang, and refers to the Mekong River (known in Chinese as the Lancang) o ...
澜沧县
**Zhutang 竹塘乡
***Dazhai 大寨, Laomian 老面 (''see
Laomian language'')
**Laba 拉巴乡
**Donglang 东朗乡
**Fubang 富邦乡
*
Menghai County 勐海县
**Mengzhe 勐遮乡
***Laopinzhai 老品寨 (''see
Laopin language'')
*
Ximeng County 西盟县
**Lisuo 力锁乡
*
Menglian County 孟连县
**Nanya 南雅乡
In Thailand, two dialects of Bisu are spoken in the following villages of
Phan District,
Chiang Rai Province
Chiang Rai (, ; , ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six Provinces of Thailand, provinces that lies in Northern Thailand#Regional classification of northern Thailand, upper northern Thailand and is Thailand's northernmost province. It is bordered ...
(''Bisuyu Yanjiu'' 2002:152).
*''Dialect 1'': Huai Chomphu village (also called Ban Huaisan) and Doi Pui village
*''Dialect 2'': Phadaeng village
Another variety of Bisu differing from the Phayao variety is spoken in Takɔ (Ban Thako),
Mae Suai District,
Chiang Rai Province
Chiang Rai (, ; , ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six Provinces of Thailand, provinces that lies in Northern Thailand#Regional classification of northern Thailand, upper northern Thailand and is Thailand's northernmost province. It is bordered ...
.
In
Laos
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
, Bisu ('; also called Lao-Phai) is spoken in Phudokcham village,
Phongxaly District.
In
Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
, Bisu is spoken in three or two villages of
Shan State
Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...
, and Bisu speakers live alongside
Pyen speakers
Orthography
In Thailand, the Bisu language is written with the
Thai script
The Thai script (, , ) is the abugida used to write Thai language, Thai, Southern Thai language, Southern Thai and many other languages spoken in Thailand. The Thai script itself (as used to write Thai) has 44 consonant symbols (, ), 16 vowel s ...
.
Consonants
Vowels
There is no different meaning between long and short vowels. However, check syllables may sound shorter than non-checked ones when speaking. Thai standard uses only long vowels.
* -า – a –
* -ี – i –
* -ือ/-ื – ɨ –
�~ʉ* -ู – u –
* เ- – e –
* แ- – ɛ –
�~æ* โ- – o –
* -อ – ɔ –
�* เ-อ/เ-ิ – ə –
�* เ-ีย – ia –
aref name="Bisu" />
Tones
* – – no mark – mid
* -่ – grave accent – low
* -้ – acute accent – high
References
*
External links
The New Testament in Bisu on Bible.com
{{authority control
Southern Loloish languages
Languages of Thailand
Languages of Laos
Languages of Yunnan