Zuojiang Zhuang (Chinese: 左江壮语; pinyin: Zuǒjiāng Zhuàngyǔ) is a dialect-bund in Zhuang languages spoken along the Zuo River, including the counties of Tiandeng, Daxin, Chongzuo, Ningming, Longzhou, and Pingxiang in Guangxi,[2] some villages in Funing in Yunnan, and Vietnam, and is a putative branch of Tai languages of China and Vietnam. Also known as Tho (a name shared with Tày and Cuoi of Vietnam).
| Zuojiang Zhuang | |
|---|---|
| Tho | |
| Native to | China, Vietnam |
| Region | Guangxi, Yunnan, Lạng Sơn |
Native speakers | 1.8 million (2000 censuses)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | zzj |
| Glottolog | zuoj1238 |
Classification
In the 1950s as part of the classification of Zhuang languages, Zuojiang Zhuang was recognised as a dialect, or language, in Guangxi, China. In 2007, ISO 639-3 also included speakers Vietnam as the Zuojiang river goes into there. The classification of Phittiyaporn (2009) suggests Zuojiang is not a single branch, but part of two main branches of the Tai language family (clades B, F, and H). See Tai languages for details.
References
- Pittayaporn, Pittayawat. 2009. The Phonology of Proto-Tai. Ph.D. dissertation. Department of Linguistics, Cornell University.