| Lisoish | |
| Also Known As: | Central Loloish |
| Region: | Southern China, Vietnam |
| Familycolor: | Sino-Tibetan |
| Fam2: | Tibeto-Burman |
| Fam3: | Lolo–Burmese |
| Fam4: | Loloish |
| Glotto: | liso1234 |
| Glottorefname: | Lisoid |
The Lisoish languages are a branch of the Loloish languages proposed by Ziwo Lama (2012) that includes Lisu and several of the Yi languages. David Bradley (1997)[1] considers Lisoish languages to be part of the Central Loloish branch.
David Bradley (2007)[2] considers Lisu, Lipo, and Lamu to form a Lisoid subgroup.
Other Lisoish languages are:
Talu, Lavu, Lang'e, Tagu, Popei, Naruo, Kua-nsi, Kuamasi, Laizisi, Zibusi, Sonaga, Gomotage
The following two of the six Yi languages (fangyan 方言) officially recognized by the Chinese government belong to Lama's Lisoish clade. (The remaining four are Nisoish.)
Names for Lolopo varieties include Enipu 厄尼蒲, Qiangyi 羌夷, Tuzu 土族, and Xiangtang 香堂.[3]
Chen (2010) lists the following dialects for "Lolo" (倮倮) languages, which corresponds to Lama's (2012) Lisoish clade. The position of Lisu is not addressed. Also listed are the counties where each respective dialect is spoken.
Below is a classification of the Lisoish languages by Hsiu (2016) based on a phylogenetic analysis of selected lexical isoglosses.[4]
The Chuxiong Prefecture Ethnic Gazetteer (2013:364)[5] lists the following cognate percentages between Lolopo 罗罗濮 and other Yi languages in Chuxiong Prefecture.
Yang, et al. (2017)[6] lists the following languages as part of the Taloid branch, whose speakers are descendants of soldiers sent by the Nanzhao Kingdom from the Dali region to be stationed in northwestern Yunnan. Taloid languages are most closely related to Lalo, Lolopo, and Lipo, all of which share the lexical innovation a¹toL for 'fire'. They are spoken primarily in Yongsheng County and Heqing County. Popei 泼佩 is spoken in Huaping County, while Gomotage is spoken in Eryuan County.
Tazhi of Puwei Township 普威镇, northern Miyi County 米易县, Sichuan may also be a Taloid language.
Cathryn Yang (2010:7) also suggests that Wotizo (wɔ21 ti33 zɔ21) of Midu County may probably be related to Lolo (Lolopo).
Cathryn Yang (2010)[7] lists the following 4 languages as peripheral Lalo languages. Hsiu (2017)[8] suggests that Alu is also likely a peripheral Lalo language.
Bradley (2007) reports the moribund language Samatu as a Laloid language.
Tulao (Chinese: 土老) of Jinping County (spoken in the 2 villages of Yugadi 鱼嘎底,[9] Xinzhai Village 新寨村, Mengqiao Township Chinese: 勐桥乡; and Laowangzhai 老王寨,[10] Qingjiao Village 箐脚村, Dazhai Township Chinese: 大寨乡) may fit in the Lisoish branch, although this is uncertain due to lack of data.[8]
Other languages that may be Lisoish include (see also List of lesser-known Loloish languages):
Lolopo varieties:
Below are autonyms of Central Yi (彝语中部方言) speakers as listed in the Yunnan Province Ethnic Minority Languages Gazetteer (1997) (云南省志：少数民族语言文字志; p. 57):
Lama (2012) lists the following sound changes from Proto-Loloish as Lisoish innovations.