Yang Zhuang is a central Tai language spoken in southern China, mainly in Napo (那坡县), Jingxi (靖西市) and Debao (德保县) counties in southernwestern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (广西壮族自治区). Yang Zhuang speakers call also be found in Funning county (富宁县) of Yunnan province (云南省). In 2004 there were about 765,000 speakers of Yang Zhuang in China. There are also some speakers of Yang Zhuang in Hà Quảng district of Cao Bằng province in northern Vietam.
In each of the areas where the language is spoken, there are numerous dialects. These include Yang, Tianbao, Fouh, Sengh and Caj coux. The Yang dialect, with 371,892 speakers in Jingxi County, is the most spoken.
There is no standard way of writing Yang Zhuang, however Yang Zhuang stories have been written traditionally with a version of the Chinese script known as Sloey Ndep since the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). The Nüshu (𛆁𛈬) script is also used to some extent, although only by women.
Ways to write Yang Zhuang with the Latin alphabet has been developed by Lyáawh Háanh-Poh (廖漢波), a Yang Zhuang scholar, and Sampson Lee, a student of Yang Zhuang from Hong Kong, and are shown below.
Acute (á) and grave (à) accents are used to indicate tones. The tones in each dialect of Yang Zhuang differ significantly. More details.
Download an alphabet chart for Yang Zhuang (Excel)
Long joong kin kháw ngyang lum thòw
Cengh-sênh kwey qyòw moy lhaay-lhaay
Nhin lèe hat yaay hóy slak gòw
Són kháw tháw ròw nhin kwà daay
Source: https://abcsampson.github.io/YangZhuang/
Gyook mó geon sleeng ma leer mey slíh-yôwh, qyòw cenh-yêenh wá khoênh-líh mbéeng nhoí raw kor ndáy phyênh-ténh dong lhúm. Geon raw mey lìh-sléng wá lyâangh-slenh, tòoy gyook mó geon ndáy lhúm bèy nóong tò kyan.
Translation by 怀书 GoDaeuh
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 the Yang Zhuang language
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Zhuang_language
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/zyg
https://abcsampson.github.io/YangZhuang/documentation
Ahom, Aiton, Bouyei, Isan, Kam, Khamti, (Tai) Khün, Lao, Lue, Northern Thai (Kam Mueang), Nùng, Shan, Sui, Tai Dam, Tai Dón, Tai Hongjin, Tai Laing, Tai Nuea, Tai Phake, Tai Ya, Thai, Thai Song, Yang Zhuang, Zhuang
Languages written with the Latin alphabet
Page last modified: 10.07.24
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