Lewu language
{{Short description|Extinct Loloish language of Yunnan, China}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Lewu
| altname =
| pronunciation =
| states = China
| region = Yunnan
| ethnicity = Yao
| extinct = 1985
| ref =
| familycolor = Sino-Tibetan
| fam2 = (Tibeto-Burman)
| fam3 = Lolo–Burmese
| fam4 = Loloish
| fam5 = Central Loloish?
| fam6 = Lawoish?
| iso3 = none
| glotto = none
}}
Lewu 乐舞 is an unclassified extinct Loloish language of Jingdong Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan, China. The Lewu are officially classified by the Chinese government as ethnic Yao people.
Demographics
According to the Jingdong County Gazetteer (1994:519), ethnic Yao numbered 3,889 individuals in 1990, and lived mainly in Chaqing 岔箐{{cite web|url=http://www.ynszxc.gov.cn/villagePage/vIndex.aspx?departmentid=217095|website=ynszxc.gov.cn|title=景东彝族自治县太忠乡岔箐村委会|access-date=2017-12-30}} and Dasongshu 大松树{{cite web|url=http://www.ynszxc.gov.cn/villagePage/vIndex.aspx?departmentid=217070|website=ynszxc.gov.cn|title=景东彝族自治县太忠乡大松树村委会|access-date=2017-12-30}} Villages of Taizhong Township 太忠乡. Yao language speakers, known as the Lewu Yao 乐舞瑶族, are found in Puya Village 普牙村, Chaqing Township 岔箐乡 (Jingdong County Ethnic Gazetteer 2012:144).{{cite web|url=http://www.ynszxc.gov.cn/villagePage/vIndex.aspx?departmentid=217633|website=ynszxc.gov.cn|title=景东彝族自治县太忠乡岔箐村委会上普牙|access-date=2017-12-30}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ynszxc.gov.cn/villagePage/vIndex.aspx?departmentid=217632|website=ynszxc.gov.cn|title=景东彝族自治县太忠乡岔箐村委会中普牙|access-date=2017-12-30}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ynszxc.gov.cn/villagePage/vIndex.aspx?departmentid=217630|website=ynszxc.gov.cn|title=景东彝族自治县太忠乡岔箐村委会下普牙|access-date=2017-12-30}}
Classification
Lewu may have been related to the Lawu language of Xinping County, Yunnan, but classification remains uncertain due to the paucity of data.Hsiu, Andrew. 2017. [https://zenodo.org/record/1249178/files/Lawu_languages.pdf The Lawu languages: footprints along the Red River valley corridor].
Vocabulary
A word list of the Lewu Yao language is transcribed using pinyin in the Jingdong County Ethnic Gazetteer (2012:144-145). The language is already extinct, and was recorded in 1985 from 85-year-old Zhu Zhaojin 祝兆金 of Puya Village 普牙村, who could remember only some words.
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Chinese gloss !! English gloss !! Lewu !! Page | |||
| {{zh|labels=no|s=吃饭}} | eat rice | zuǒ zuó liē | 144 |
| {{zh|labels=no|s=猪心肺}} | pig heart and lungs | cī ber | 144 |
| {{zh|labels=no|s=这里来}} | come (from) here | wū lài lai | 144 |
| {{zh|labels=no|s=什么东西}} | What thing? | māi yuō | 144 |
| {{zh|labels=no|s=蚕豆}} | broad bean (Vicia faba) | nuó suō | 144 |
| {{zh|labels=no|c=豌豆}} | pea (Pisum sativum) | nuó sǎi | 144 |
| {{zh|labels=no|s=回来，回来你回来}} | come back, come back, you come back | gǔ lāi gǔ lai gǔ lāi | 144 |
| {{zh|labels=no|c=白酒}} | liquor | zhī zhí | 144 |
| {{zh|labels=no|c=清酒}} | rice wine | a zhì | 144 |
| {{zh|labels=no|c=筷子}} | chopsticks | a zhu | 144 |
| {{zh|labels=no|c=刀}} | knife | biě tuo | 145 |
| {{zh|labels=no|c=斧子}} | axe | shì cuo | 145 |
| {{zh|labels=no|s=碗}} | bowl | lin hua | 145 |
| {{zh|labels=no|c=勺}} | spoon | yì geu | 145 |
| {{zh|labels=no|c=打}} | to hit | ch wō | 145 |
| {{zh|labels=no|s=没有了}} | There is no more. | mā ia lāi | 145 |
References
{{reflist}}
Sources
- Hsiu, Andrew. 2017. [https://zenodo.org/record/1249178/files/Lawu_languages.pdf The Lawu languages: footprints along the Red River valley corridor].
{{Sino-Tibetan languages}}
{{Lolo-Burmese languages}}