Pyang Zhuang language

Pyang Zhuang, or Fuping Zhuang (Chinese: 扶平语), is an underdescribed Central Tai language spoken in southwestern Guangxi, China. It appears to be most closely related to Nong Zhuang.^[1]

The Pyang refer to themselves as pjaːŋ^B2 or tʰoː^C1-A,^[2] but are referred to as ˀjuj^C1 by the surrounding Yang Zhuang people (Liao 2016:315).

Distribution

Pyang Zhuang is spoken in the following locations of Guangxi, China (Liao 2016:315-316).

• Fuping Village 扶平村, Jingde Town 敬德镇, Debao County, Guangxi
  • Tuoxin 驮信村 (ˀbaːn55 teː31 θin21 in Pyang Zhuang)
• Ronghua Township 荣华乡, Debao County, Guangxi
• Kuixu Township 魁圩乡, Jingxi County, Guangxi

Classification

Pyang Zhuang may be closely related to the Nong Zhuang language of Yunnan. Innovations shared between Pyang Zhuang and Nong Zhuang include the following (Liao 2016:316).

• Proto-Tai *kr-^[3] > tɕʰ- (as opposed to *kr- > kʰj- in Yang Zhuang, and *kr- > h- in Southwestern Tai). Examples include tɕʰaː^A1-A 'to seek' and tɕʰɔk^DS1-A 'six'.
• hɔk^DS1-A 'to do' is only found in Pyang Zhuang and Nong Zhuang (as opposed to hat^DS1-A 'to do' in Yang Zhuang, and het^DS1-A 'to do' in Zuojiang Zhuang and Isan).

References

• Liao Hanbo. 2016. Tonal development of Tai languages. M.A. dissertation. Chiang Mai: Payap University.