Bumang language

Bumang
Bumang
Native to	China
Region	Yunnan
Ethnicity	Manzhang Dai
Native speakers	200-300 (2007)
Language family	Austroasiatic Khmuic? Bumang; ;
Language codes
ISO 639-3	bvp
ELP	Bumang

Bumang (Chinese: 布芒语) is a tonal Austro-Asiatic language of Yunnan, China. It is spoken by about 200 people in Manzhang 曼仗, Mengla District 勐拉地区, Jinping County, Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan, China. Bumang was only recently discovered by Chinese linguist Dao Jie in the mid-2000's.

Classification

Jerold A. Edmondson (2010) considers Bumang and the closely related Kháng language to be Khmuic languages based on lexical evidence, while Dao Jie 刀洁 (2007) proposes that Bumang may be a Palaungic language.

Although Bumang and Mang have similar names and are both spoken in Honghe Prefecture of Yunnan Province in China, they are not closely related and do not appear to be in the same branch together (Edmondson 2010). Whereas Bumang is likely a Khmuic language, Mang is not one, and is tentatively classified as a Mangic language.

Population

The Bumang speakers' autonym is bu24 maŋ24 (Dao Jie 2007). In China, the speakers are classified as part of the Dai nationality. Bumang speakers are surrounded by speakers of White Tai (Tai Don), Black Tai (Tai Dam), and Pu'er Dai. The Bumang women's clothing is identical to that of the Kháng, Ksingmul, White Tai, and Black Tai (Edmondson 2010).

The Bumang are descended from Kháng people who had immigrated from Vietnam in the 1800's (Edmondson 2010:139).

Phonology

Like Kháng, Bumang is a tonal language.

References

Dao Jie 刀洁. 2007. Bumang yu yanjiu 布芒语研究 [A study of Bumang]. Beijing: 民族出版社 [Nationalities Publishing House].
Edmondson, Jerold A. 2010. "The Kháng language of Vietnam in comparison to Ksingmul (Xinh-mun)." In Kenneth A. McElhanon and Ger Reesink, A Mosaic of languages and cultures: studies celebrating the career of Karl J. Franklin, 138-154. SIL e-Books, 19. [Dallas]: SIL International. http://www.sil.org/silepubs/abstract.asp?id=52526

External links

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