A sociolinguistic survey of Kua-nsi and related Yi varieties in Heqing county, Yunnan province, China

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Alternative Titles: 
云南省大理白族自治州鹤庆县彝族夸恩斯支系及相关支系社会语言学方言调查
Statement of Responsibility: 
Crook, Brian, Royce Flaming and Andy Castro
Series Issue: 
2010-001
Issue Date: 
2010
Is Part Of Series: 
SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2010-001
Extent: 
Eng. 96; Chi. 73 pages
Abstract: 

The purpose of this survey was to make an initial sociolinguistic documentation of Kua-nsi (夸恩斯话) and related Yi (Ngwi) varieties of northern Heqing county (鹤庆县), Yunnan province, and to make a preliminary evaluation of levels of inter-comprehension and lexical similarity. Five different language varieties were documented: Kua-nsi (夸恩斯话), Kuamasi (夸玛斯话), Laizisi (莱兹斯话), Zibusi (子逋斯话) and Sonaga (锁内嘎话). Based on an initial evaluation, the authors believe that none of these varieties are mutually intelligible to a high degree. Based on both lexical similarity scores and Levenshtein distance analysis, the closest known Yi variety to Kua-nsi is Talu (他留话), spoken in Yongsheng county (永胜县). All of the varieties examined exhibit typical features of other Central Ngwi languages, such as Lalo (拉罗话) and Lolo (倮倮话). They are all threatened speech varieties. Kua-nsi, with over 5,000 speakers, and Sonaga, with over 2,000 speakers, can be said to have the highest linguistic and cultural vitality.

本调查就云南省鹤庆县北部地区彝族使用的跨恩斯话和其他相关彝语支言语变体进行社会语言 学方面的初步整理,并对该地区各彝语支变体之间相互通解度和词汇相似度进行初步评估。本次调 查共搜集整理出五种不同的言语变体: 跨恩斯话(Kua-nsi)、跨玛斯话(Kuamasi)、莱兹斯话 (Laizisi)、子逋斯话(Zibusi) ,以及锁内嘎话(Sonaga)。根据初步评估,笔者认为,这五种方言之 间的相互通解度都极为有限。而根据词汇相似度评分和来文史特编辑距离(Levenshtein distance)分 析,与跨恩斯方言最接近的彝语方言,是云南永胜县彝族使用的他留话(Talu)。调查发现,所有这 些彝语方言都体现着其他彝语次支中部方言典型特征,如拉罗话(Lalo)和倮倮话(Lolo),而这些方 言都是濒危语言,其中,跨恩斯话的使用者有5000 多人,锁内嘎话2000 多人,这两种方言可以 算作这一地区语言、文化生命力最强的彝语方言了。

Publication Status: 
Published
Country: 
China
Subject Languages: 
Work Type: 
Nature of Work: 
Entry Number: 
9202