Lipo

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A language of China

ISO 639-3
lpo
Alternate Names
Central Lisu, Dayao, Eastern Lisu, Lolongo
Population

250,000 (Bradley 2007). Few monolinguals.

Location

North central Yunnan Province, Luquan, Wuding, Lufeng, Yuanmo, Yongsheng, Dayao, Binchuan, Yuanmo, Yongren, and Yao’an counties; south Sichuan Province, Renhe county.

Language Maps
Language Status

6b (Threatened).

Classification
Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Ngwi-Burmese, Ngwi, Central
Dialects

Eastern Lipo, Western Lipo. Both dialects are similar to Lisu [lis], but neither is intelligible with Lisu.

Language Use

Home, village. All ages. Neutral attitudes. Chinese [cmn] widely used, even between speakers of different dialects of Lipo.

Language Development
Literacy rate in L1: Very low. Literacy rate in L2: High in Chinese. NT: 1951.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Lipo
Writing
Lisu (Fraser) script, no longer in use. Miao (Pollard) script, used from about 1910, primary usage among Christians.
Other Comments

100,000 officially classified within Lisu nationality, and 150,000 within Yi nationality. Ethnonym: Lolopo or Lolongo prefered, especially in Yongren County. Christian, traditional religion.