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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > China > Sani

Sani

A language of China

ISO 639-3: ysn

Population  100,000 (2007).
Region  Southeast Yunnan, Shilin, Yilang, Mile, Luxi, Qiubei counties.
Language map  Southwestern China
Dialects  Northern Sani, Southern Sani.
Classification  Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Burmic, Ngwi, Central
Language use  Also use Mandarin Chinese [cmn].
Language development  There is a traditional orthography for Sani, related to, but distinct from, traditional orthographies used by some other Yi languages. Dictionary.
Writing system  Yi script.
Comments  Classified as Yi nationality (population 7,762,272; 2000 census). The Samei, an Eastern Yi group east of Kunming in the Guandu region call themselves Sani, but are not part of the Sani in Shilin. Tones differ on the 2 names, [sa21 ni53] versus [sa21 ni21]. An Eastern Yi group with a similar name call themselves Sanie, immediately west of Kunming in Xishan region and in Anning and Fumin counties. For the Samei, Sani is their autonym. For the Sani in Shilin, Sani is an exonym. The Sani of Shilin call themselves [ni21], but outsiders know them by the Chinese name Sani. SOV. Agriculturalists; animal husbandry: goats, cattle. Polytheist, traditional Yi religion, Christian.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

CHAN, Ken, author. 2008. "A bilingualism and language vitality survey of the Gan Yi in the Yi Mei Duo village of the Shilin County of the Yunnan Provice of China."  Available online