Bugan language explained

Bugan
Also Known As:	Pakan
States:	China
Region:	Yunnan
Speakers:	2,700
Date:	2005
Ref:	e18
Familycolor:	Austroasiatic
Fam2:	Pakanic
Iso3:	bbh
Glotto:	buga1247
Glottorefname:	Bugan

Bugan, Bogan, Pakan, or Bugeng (布甘语, 布干语, or 布赓语) is an Austroasiatic language.^[1] The existence of the Bugan language was not known by the rest of world until recently. There are about 3000 speakers, mostly in some villages in southern Guangnan (广南) and northern Xichou (西畴), Yunnan Province, China. Bugan is an analytic language, and word order and auxiliary words have important functions in the grammar.^[2]

Distribution

Li Jinfang (1996)

According to Li Jinfang (1996), the Bugan-speaking population is distributed in seven villages across southern Guangnan (广南) and northern Xichou (西畴), Yunnan Province, China. As the language is highly uniform, it is not divided into any dialects.

Laowalong 老挖龙 (Bugan-only population); Bugan language: pronounced as /pə55 luŋ13/
Xinwalong 新挖龙 (Bugan-only population); Bugan language: pronounced as /pə55 tsuŋ13/
Jiuping 九平 (Bugan and Han Chinese population); Bugan language: pronounced as /pə55 tsiaŋ31/
Shibeipo 石北坡 (Bugan-only population); Bugan language: pronounced as /pə55 ɕe13/
Xinzhai 新寨 (Bugan and Han Chinese population); Bugan language: pronounced as /li̠31 laŋ13/
Malong 马龙 (Bugan-only population); Bugan language: pronounced as /pə55 ɣu31/
Nala 那拉 (Bugan and Han Chinese population)

Li Yunbing (2005)

According to a more recent survey by Li Yunbing (2005), the Bugan people, comprising a total of 500+ households and 2,700+ individuals, live in the following locations.

Laowalong 老挖龙, Nasa Township 那洒镇;^[3] Bugan language: pronounced as /pə31 loŋ55/
Xinwalong 新挖龙;^[4] Bugan language: pronounced as /pə31 tɕoŋ55/
Xiaoping 小坪寨 ; Bugan language: pronounced as /pə31 tɕaŋ55/
Nala 那腊;^[5] Bugan language: pronounced as /pə31 pʰja44/
Jiuping 九坪, Zhuanjiao Township 篆角乡 (Chongtian Township 冲天乡);^[6] Bugan language: pronounced as /pə31 tɕa̠ŋ31/
Shibeipo 石碑坡;^[7] Bugan language: pronounced as /pə55 ɕe24/
Manlong 曼龙;^[8] Bugan language: pronounced as /pu31ɣu31/

Li Yunbing also uses the term Bùgēng (布赓) in place of Bùgān (布甘).

People

The Bugan people's autonym is pronounced as /pə55 ka̠n33/, while the surrounding Han Chinese call them Huazu (; literally "flower people") or Hualo due to their colorful clothing. Other autonyms are pronounced as /pu55 qe̠ŋ44/ (in Manlong, Xichou County) and pronounced as /pə55 qe̠ŋ44/ (in Nala and Xinwalong in Guangnan County). They are an unrecognized ethnic minority, and are currently classified as Yi. The Bugan are endogamous, and thus do not usually marry people from other ethnic groups

The Bugan people also hold their own New Year's Day celebration in April of the Chinese lunar calendar, which is separate from that of the Han Chinese New Year.

Common Bugan surnames include Li 李, Wang 王, Guo 郭, Luo 罗, Yan 严, Lu 卢, Pu 普, and Yi.

Phonology

Bugan is a tonal SVO language. Unlike the Bolyu language, Bugan distinguishes between tense and lax voice qualities. In current linguistic publications on Bugan, tense voice is indicated by underlining vowels. Bugan has a total of 49 onsets (including various consonant clusters) and 67 possible rimes.

Consonants

		Labial		Dental/Alveolar		(Alveolo-) palatal	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
		plain	pal.	central	sibilant	(Alveolo-) palatal	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
Nasal		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Stop/ Affricate	voiceless	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	(pronounced as /link/)	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
	aspirated	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	(pronounced as /link/)	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
	voiced	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/			pronounced as /link/
	prenasal	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	(pronounced as /link/)	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Fricative	voiceless	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
Fricative	voiced	pronounced as /link/			pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Lateral				pronounced as /link/
Approximant		pronounced as /link/

Sounds in asterisks (*): /q^h/ and /v/, are only heard in different dialects.
Prenasal consonant cluster sounds include /ᵐd, ᵐd͡z, ᵐt͡s, ᵐt͡sʰ/.
Sounds /t͡s, t͡sʰ, ⁿd͡z/ are heard as alveolo-palatal [t͡ɕ, t͡ɕʰ, ᶮd͡ʑ] when preceding /i/.

Vowels

There is a distinction between tense-throat vowels and lax-throat (plain) vowels.

	Front			Central		Back
	plain		tense	plain	tense	plain		tense
Close	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/			pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Close-mid	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
Open-mid	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
Open				pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/

! rowspan="2"
plain	tense	plain	tense
Front	Central		Back
Close				pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Mid	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
Open		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/

References

Li . Jinfang . 1996 . Bugan – A New Mon–Khmer Language of Yunnan Province, China . Mon–Khmer Studies . en . 26 . 135–160.
Book: Li, Jinfang 李锦芳 . Xīnán dìqū bīnwēi yǔyán diàochá yánjiū . 2006 . Zhongyang minzu daxue chubanshe . Beijing shi . zh . zh:西南地区濒危语言调查研究 . Studies on Endangered Languages in the Southwest China.
Book: Li, Yunbing 李云兵 . Bùgēngyǔ yánjiū . 2005 . Minzu chubanshe . Beijing . zh . zh:布赓语研究 . A Study of Bugeng [Bugan].
Book: Li, Jinfang . Bugan . Luo . Yongxian . Leiden: Brill . 2015 . In Paul Sidwell and Mathias Jenny (eds.), The Handbook of Austroasiatic Languages . 1033–1064.

Notes and References

Book: Ethnologue: Languages of the World . 2005 . Summer Institute of Linguistics . Gordon . Raymond G. Jr. . 15th . Dallas . en.
Web site: [Buganyu] ]. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120322055053/http://www.ethnic-languages.org.cn/buganyu.htm . 2012-03-22 . Zhōngguó mínzú yǔyán yánjiū wǎng . zh . zh:中国民族语言研究网.
Web site: Guǎngnán Xiàn Nàsǎ Zhèn Lóngwāngdòng Cūnwěihuì Lǎowālóng Zìráncūn . zh:广南县那洒镇龙汪洞村委会老挖聋自然村 . Laowalong Natural Village, Longwangdong Village Committee, Nasa Town, Guangnan County . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180815200612/http://www.ynszxc.gov.cn/villagePage/vIndex.aspx?departmentid=194035 . 2018-08-15 . 2012-09-23 . ynszxc.gov.cn . zh.
Web site: Guǎngnán Xiàn Nàsǎ Zhèn Lóngwāngdòng Cūnwěihuì Xīnwālóng Zìráncūn . zh:广南县那洒镇龙汪洞村委会新挖聋自然村 . Xinwalong Natural Village, Longwangdong Village Committee, Nasa Town, Guangnan County . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180815200713/http://www.ynszxc.gov.cn/villagePage/vIndex.aspx?departmentid=194034 . 2018-08-15 . 2012-09-23 . ynszxc.gov.cn . zh.
Web site: Guǎngnán Xiàn Nàsǎ Zhèn Lóngwāngdòng Cūnwěihuì Nàlà Zìráncūn . zh:广南县那洒镇龙汪洞村委会那腊自然村 . Nala Natural Village, Longwangdong Village Committee, Nasa Town, Guangnan County . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305054611/http://www.ynszxc.gov.cn/villagePage/vIndex.aspx?departmentid=194033 . 2016-03-05 . 2012-09-23 . ynszxc.gov.cn . zh.
Web site: Guǎngnán Xiàn Zhuànjiǎo Xiāng Dàpíng Cūnmín Wěiyuánhuì Jiǔpíng Zìráncūn . zh:广南县篆角乡大坪村民委员会九坪自然村 . Jiuping Natural Village, Daping Village Committee, Zhuanjiao Township, Guangnan County . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220185049/http://www.ynszxc.gov.cn/villagePage/vIndex.aspx?departmentid=213268 . 2016-12-20 . 2012-09-23 . ynszxc.gov.cn . zh.
Web site: Guǎngnán Xiàn Zhuànjiǎo Xiāng Dàpíng Cūnmín Wěiyuánhuì Shíbēipō Zìráncūn . zh:广南县篆角乡大坪村民委员会石碑坡自然村 . Shibeipo Natural Village, Daping Village Committee, Zhuanjiao Township, Guangnan County . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305033843/http://www.ynszxc.gov.cn/villagePage/vIndex.aspx?departmentid=213271 . 2016-03-05 . 2012-09-23 . ynszxc.gov.cn . zh.
Web site: Xīchóu Xiàn Jījiē Xiāng Hǎizi Cūnwěihuì Mànlóng Zìráncūn . zh:西畴县鸡街乡海子村委会曼龙自然村 . Manlong Natural Village, Haizi Village Committee, Jijie Township, Xichou County . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150419021932/http://www.ynszxc.gov.cn/villagePage/vIndex.aspx?departmentid=211520 . 2015-04-19 . 2012-09-23 . ynszxc.gov.cn . zh.