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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > China > Tai Ya

Tai Ya

A language of China

ISO 639-3: cuu

Population	50,000 in China (2000 census). Population total all countries: 50,400.
Region	Central and South Yunnan Province, Yuxi Prefecture, Xinping Yi-Dai Autonomous County, Mosha District; Yuanjiang Hani, Yi, Dai autonomous counties; Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yuanyang and Honghe counties. Also in Thailand.
Language map	Southwestern China
Alternate names	Cung, Daiya, Huayao Dai, Multi-colored, Tai Cung, Tai-Chung, Tai-Cung, Waistband Tai, Ya, Yuanxin Hongjin Dai
Dialects	Tai Ya, Tai Sai (Dai Sai), Tai Kha (Dai Ka), Tai Chung (Dai Zhong, Cung). Dialects mutually intelligible, though speakers of the latter three may understand Tai Ya dialect (the largest) more easily than speakers of Tai Ya understand the other three dialects. Some linguists have analyzed Tai Ya as most similar to Tai Nüa [tdd], others have grouped Tai Ya with other non-Buddhist Southwestern Tai groups. Tai Ya is probably not easily intelligible with other varieties of Tai.
Classification	Tai-Kadai, Kam-Tai, Be-Tai, Tai-Sek, Tai, Southwestern
Language use	Most domains. All ages. Positive attitude.
Language development	Dictionary. Grammar. Bible portions: 1922.
Comments	Classified as Dai nationality. Called Daiya or Huayao Dai (Multi-colored Waistband Dai) in China. SVO; tonal, 6 tone categories in unchecked syllables, 2 (split into 4 according to vowel length) in checked syllables; nasal and stop finals. Traditional religion, Christian.

Also spoken in:

Thailand

Language name	Tai Ya
Population	400 in Thailand (2007 E. Dawkins), decreasing. Ethnic population: 1,000 in Thailand.
Region	Chiang Rai Province.
Alternate names	Huayaodai, Ya
Language use	Weak. Home; mostly with older people; occasionally with spouses and children. All ages. Neutral attitude. Also use Northern Thai [nod] or Central Thai [tha].
Language development	Literacy rate in L2: High in Central Thai.
Comments	Some have a desire to preserve Tai Ya language. Christian.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

DAWKINS, Erin; KIRKLAND, Cortney, authors. 2008. "A sociolinguistic survey of Tai Ya in Thailand."  

TEHAN, Thomas M., author. 2010. Tai Ya in Thailand Present and Future: Reversing Language Shift.