Bai, Southern

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A language of China

ISO 639-3
bfs
Population

400,000 (2003).

Location

Northwest Yunnan, Dali Bai autonomous prefecture, Xiangyun.

Language Maps
Language Status

6a (Vigorous).

Classification
Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Northeastern Tibeto-Burman, Bai
Dialects

Dali, Xiangyun.

Typology

SVO; attributives precede noun heads; number classifier constructions follow noun heads; tense-lax vowel distinction; tonal, 5 to 8 tones

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Bai, Southern
Writing
Han (Hanzi, Kanji, Hanja) script, dating from 9th century, limited use in folk songs and ritual texts, favoured by older people. Latin script, Pinyin-based, used since 1993, experimental, small-scale use in education, administration, and literature.
Other Comments

Officially classified within Bai nationality. Classification difficult due to heavy borrowing (60% to– 70%) from Chinese. Considered genetically related to Chinese, or a mixed language with Chinese, or related to Yi, or an independent branch of Tibeto-Burman. Traditional religion, Buddhist, Daoist.