Lewu language
Extinct Loloish language of Yunnan, China
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Demographics
According to the Jingdong County Gazetteer (1994:519), ethnic Yao numbered 3,889 individuals in 1990, and lived mainly in Chaqing 岔箐[1] and Dasongshu 大松树[2] 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).[3][4][5]
Classification
Lewu may have been related to the Lawu language of Xinping County, Yunnan, but classification remains uncertain due to the paucity of data.[6]
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.
| Chinese gloss | English gloss | Lewu | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 吃饭 | eat rice | zuǒ zuó liē | 144 |
| 猪心肺 | pig heart and lungs | cī ber | 144 |
| 这里来 | come (from) here | wū lài lai | 144 |
| 什么东西 | What thing? | māi yuō | 144 |
| 蚕豆 | broad bean (Vicia faba) | nuó suō | 144 |
| 豌豆 | pea (Pisum sativum) | nuó sǎi | 144 |
| 回来，回来你回来 | come back, come back, you come back | gǔ lāi gǔ lai gǔ lāi | 144 |
| 白酒 | liquor | zhī zhí | 144 |
| 清酒 | rice wine | a zhì | 144 |
| 筷子 | chopsticks | a zhu | 144 |
| 刀 | knife | biě tuo | 145 |
| 斧子 | axe | shì cuo | 145 |
| 碗 | bowl | lin hua | 145 |
| 勺 | spoon | yì geu | 145 |
| 打 | to hit | ch wō | 145 |
| 没有了 | There is no more. | mā ia lāi | 145 |