Nuosu is a member of the Loloish branch of the Lolo-Burman languages family. It is spoken by about 2 million people in the southwest of China, mainly in Liangshan Nuosu Nationality Autonomous Region (凉山彝族自治州) in southern Sichuan Province, and also in northern Yunnan Province.
Nuosu is also known as Nosu, Northern Yi, Liangshan Yi or Sichuan Yi. It is considered the standard Yi language by the Chinese governement and is the only one taught in schools.
Nuosu has its own script, known as the Yi script. It was possibly was invented during the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD), however the earliest known writing in it dates from 1485. It was standarised in 1974, and became the official script of the Liangshan dialect of Nuosu in 1980.
A way to write the Liangshang dialect of Nuosu with the Latin alphabet was developed by the Chinese government in 1958. It was based on an orthography for Yi languages developed by Gladstone Porteous, an Australia missionary, in the early 20th century.
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Nbo ma mu viex jjux jjo, nzy ddu i qix jjy yyx mu jjo sat. Nbo wox ngop mge si nip bbop hxie nyi jjo, ddix ap bbop hmap zyt hnip mop mu jjo tat xi.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
Information about Nuosu | Details of the Yi script | Numbers
Information about Nuosu
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuosu_language
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-05-20/china-liangshan-nuoso-yi-minority-poverty-change
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-international-phonetic-association/article/nuosu-yi/504430E0F3832D0350DED25FFBC56ADD
Learn Nuosu
https://www.masteranylanguage.com/c/p/o/Nuosu
Akha, Burmese/Myanmar, Lahu, Lipo, Marma, Nisu, Nuosu, Sani
Page created: 05.06.23. Last modified: 28.09.23
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