The Bu–Nao or Bunu languages are a Hmongic (Miao) language branch spoken in

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

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 ...

, and

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China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. Its speakers are officially classified as ethnic Yao but speak

Hmongic languages The Hmongic languages, also known as Miao languages ( zh, s=苗语, p=Miáoyǔ), include the various languages spoken by the Miao people (such as Hmong, Hmu, and Xong). Hmongic languages also include various languages spoken by non- Mienic-spe ...

. The branch consists of three languages, which are Bunu (or Bunu proper), Baonao ( Nao Klao), and Numao. The term ''Bu–Nao'' is a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of ''Bunu'' and ''Nao Klao''.

Classification

Speakers of Bu–Nao languages are officially classified as

Yao people The Yao people () or Dao () is a classification for various ethnic minorities in China and Vietnam. Their majority branch is also known as Mien. They originated in the areas around Changsha, which today is the capital of Hunan province. They s ...

by the Chinese government, although they speak

rather than

Mienic languages The Mienic or Yao languages are spoken by the Yao people of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Some of the Yao peoples speak Hmongic languages (Miao); these are called '' Bunu''. A small population of Yao people in Jinxiu Yao Autonomous Co ...

. Strecker (1987) had classified 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) classified Bunu within Western Hmongic and moved Jiongnai to its own peripheral branch of Hmongic. Wang & Deng (2003) classify the Bu–Nao languages as a cousin branch of Western Hmongic, and Jiongnai and Younuo as independent branches.

Language varieties

Bu–Nao language varieties are spoken by a total of 390,000 speakers. They can be divided into three major clusters, namely Bunu, Baonao, and Numao. Intelligibility among these varieties is difficult, and they may also be considered separate languages. Strecker (1987) suggested they may not form a group at all, but separate languages within West Hmongic.

References

External links

Bunu basic lexicon at the Global Lexicostatistical Database
{{Languages of China West Hmongic languages Languages of Guizhou Languages of Guangxi Languages of Yunnan