Laghuu (Vietnamese: Xá Phó, Phù Lá Lão) is a Loloish language spoken in northwestern Vietnam.[2] In Nậm Sài, Sa Pa Town, the speakers' autonym is la21 ɣɯ44, while in Sơn La Province it is la21 ɔ44.[3] The people are also called the Phù Lá Lão by the Vietnamese.

Laghuu
Native toVietnam
Native speakers
300 (2002)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3lgh
Glottologlagh1245
ELPLaghuu
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Edmondson considers Laghuu to be related to but not part of the Yi language complex of China. Jamin Pelkey (2011) considers Laghuu to be a Southeastern Loloish language.

Distribution

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Laghuu is spoken in the following locations by a total of about 1,000 people (Edmondson 1999 & 2002).

The Vietnam, Laghuu speakers are officially classified as part of the Phù Lá ethnic group. Some Laghuu are known as "Black Phu La," and others as "Flowery Phu La."

Phonology

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Phonotactics

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Words in Laghuu are typically disyllabic compounds, consisting of two single-syllable morphemes, as in other Yi languages. A syllable may be divided into an initial, a rhyme, and a tone. The initial is not obligatory, and it usually consists of a single consonant, though it may also be a cluster consisting of a velar stop followed by a lateral. The rhyme consists of a nuclear vowel followed by a glide /-i, -u/ or a nasal coda /-m, -n, -ŋ/, with /ŋ/ being the most common coda nasal.[3]

Consonants

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Laghuu has the following consonants. In addition to these single consonants, Laghuu also allows syllables to begin with velar stop + alveolar lateral sequences: /kl, khɬ, gl, ŋkhɬ/.[3]

Labial Alveolar Post-
alveolar
Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ŋ
Plosive and
Affricate
prenasalized ᵐb ⁿd ᵑɡ
aspirated tʃʰ
tenuis p t k ʔ
voiced b d ɡ
Fricative voiceless f s ʃ x h
voiced v z ʒ ɣ
Approximant l

Vowels

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Laghuu has the following vowels. Also, the diphthongs /ai/, /au/, /ɯi/ occur.[3]

front central back
unrounded rounded
High i ɿ ɯ u
Hi-mid ə o
Lo-mid ɛ ɔ
Low a

Tones

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Laghuu has five tones:[3]

  • high /˥/ (/55/)
  • high-mid /˦/ (/44/)
  • low-mid /˧/ (/33/)
  • low-rising /˨˦/ (/24/)
  • low-falling /˨˩/ (/21/)

Notes

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  1. ^ Laghuu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Raymond G. Gordon Jr., ed. 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 15th edition. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
  3. ^ a b c d e Edmondson, Jerold A.; Lama, Ziwo (1999). "Laghuu or Xá Phó, A New Language of the Yi Group" (PDF). Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. 22 (1): 1–10. Retrieved 20 January 2024.

References

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