Mulam language explained
| Mulam |
| States: | China |
| Region: | Luocheng County, Hechi, Northern Guangxi |
| Ethnicity: | 210,000 (2000 census) |
| Speakers: | 86,000 |
| Speakers2: | < 10,000 monolinguals |
| Date: | 2005 |
| Ref: | e18 |
| Familycolor: | Kradai |
| Fam2: | Kam–Sui |
| Iso3: | mlm |
| Glotto: | mula1253 |
| Glottorefname: | Mulam |
| Map2: | Lang Status 80-VU.svg |
The Mulam language is a Kam–Sui language spoken mainly in Luocheng County, Hechi, Northern Guangxi by the Mulao people. The greatest concentrations are in Dongmen and Siba communes. Their autonym is mu6 lam1.[1] The Mulam also call themselves kjam1, which is probably cognate with lam1 and the Dong people's autonym "Kam" (Wang & Zheng 1980).
Phonology
The Mulam language, like Dong, does not have voiced stop, but does have a phonemic distinction between unvoiced and voiced nasals and laterals. It has a system of eleven distinct vowels. It is a tonal language with ten tones, and 65% of its vocabulary is shared with the Zhuang and Dong languages.
Dialects
The following Mulam dialects are listed in Wang & Zheng (1980) (all of which are spoken in Luocheng Mulao Autonomous County).
- Dongmen 东门镇 (in Dayin 大银, Dafu 大福村, Le'e 勒俄村 etc.); documented in detail by Wang & Zheng (1980)
- Long'an 龙岸镇 (in Liangsi 良泗, etc.)
- Huangjin 黄金镇 (in Zhongjian 中间寨, etc.); documented in Qiu (2004)[2]
- Qiaotou 桥头镇 (in Dongnong 洞弄屯, etc.)
- Siba 四把镇 (in Dawu 大梧, Miao'er 苗儿屯, Shuangzhai 双寨村, etc.); documented in Guangxi (2008)[3]
- Xiali 下里乡 (in Xiecun 谢村, etc.)
The following comparison of Mulam dialects is from Ni Dabai (2010:221-222).[1] [4]
| English gloss | Chinese gloss | Qiaotou 桥头 | Huangjin 黄金 | Siba 四把 | Dongmen 东门 | Long'an 龙岸 |
|---|
| die | 死 | tai1 | tai1 | pɣai1 | tai1 | tai1 |
| medicine | 药 | ta2 | ta2 | kɣa2 | - | tsa2 |
| intestines | 肠子 | taːi3 | taːi3 | kɣaːi3 | khɣaːi3 | tsaːi3 |
| cloud | 云 | ma3 | ma3 | kwa3 | kwa3 | fa3 |
| bran | 细糠 | pwa6 | pwa6 | kwa6 | kwa6 | fa6 |
| dog | 狗 | m̥a1 | m̥a1 | ŋwa1 | ŋ̥wa1 | m̥a1 |
| hair, fur | 毛发 | pəm1 | pəm1 | pɣam1 | pɣam1 | kjam1 | |
Further reading
- Edmondson, Jerold A. and David B. Solnit, eds. Comparative Kadai: Linguistic studies beyond Tai. Summer Institute of Linguistics Publications in Linguistics, 86. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics and the University of Texas at Arlington, 1988.
- 王均, 郑国乔 / Wang Jun, Zheng Guoqiao. 仫佬语简志 / Mulao yu jian zhi (A Sketch of Mulao [Mulao]). Beijing: 民族出版社: 新華書店发行 / Min zu chu ban she: Xin hua shu dian fa xing, 1980.
- Zheng, G. 1988. The influences of Han on the Mulam language. In Edmondson, Jerold, A (ed). Comparative Kadai: Linguistic Studies Beyond Tai. SIL International Publications in Linguistics.
- Thurgood, G. Tai-Kadai and Austronesian: The Nature of the Historical Relationship University of Hawaiʼi Press. Oceanic Linguistics. 1962–2012.
- "The Mulam Ethnic Group." MSD China. Web. 1 May 2016.
External links
Notes and References
- See Proto-Tai language#Tones for an explanation of the tone codes.
- Qiu Jing [岳静]. 2004. Huangjinzhen Mulaoyu gaikuang [黄金镇仫佬语概况]. Minzu Yuwen 民族语文 2004(4).
- Guangxi Minority Languages Orthography Committee. 2008. Vocabularies of Guangxi ethnic languages [广西民族语言方音词汇]. Beijing: Nationalities Publishing House [民族出版社].
- Ni Dabai [倪大白]. 2010. 侗台语概论 [An introduction to Kam-Tai languages]. Beijing: Ethnic Publishing House [民族出版社].
