Bisoid languages


The Bisoid languages belong to the Southern Loloish branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. Most Bisoid languages are spoken in Phongsaly Province, northern Laos, with smaller numbers of speakers living in China, Vietnam, Myanmar, and northern Thailand.

Languages

The Bisoid languages are:
  • Bantang
  • Bisu
  • Cantan
  • Cauho
  • Cốông
  • Habei
  • Khongsat
  • Laomian
  • Laopan
  • Laopin
  • Laoseng
  • Phongku
  • Phongset
  • Phunoi
  • Phunyot
  • Pyen
  • Sangkong
  • Sinsali
  • Tsukong

    Classification

Bradley (2007)

David Bradley considers the following Bisoid dialects to be closely related.
Bradley lists the following Sinsali languages, which differ from each other.
  • Sinsali proper
  • '
  • '
  • '
Other Bisoid languages include:
Kitjapol Udomkool, citing data from Wright, also lists the following Bisoid languages.
Kitjapol Udomkool gives the following computational classification for the Bisoid group, using the UPGMA method.

Wright (n.d.)

Wright tentatively classifies the Singsali languages of Phongsaly Province, Laos as follows. Phongku may or may not belong as the same group as Laoseng, Phongset, Cantan, and Singsali.
  • *Bantang
  • *Cauho
  • *Laopan
  • *
  • **Phongku
  • **Laoseng
  • **Phongset
  • **Cantan, Singsali

    Hsiu (2016, 2018)

Bisoid languages were also analyzed in a 2016 computational phylogenetic lexical analysis by Hsiu.
  • Bisoid
  • *Khongsat
  • *Laoseng
  • *Sangkong
  • *Pyen
  • *
  • **Lao-Pan
  • **Bisu
  • **Phunoi
  • **Phongset
  • **Phongku
  • **Phunyot
The Bisoid classification above was subsequently revised by Hsiu as follows, with Habei added to Bisoid.
;Bisoid
  • Bisu cluster: Bisu, Laomian, Laopin, Pyen, Laopan
  • Singsali cluster: Phunoi, Singsali, Cantan, Laoseng, Phongku, Phongset, Phunyot
  • Coong cluster: Cốông, Sangkong, Tsukong
  • Cauho
  • Bantang
  • Khongsat
  • Habei
Muda is also noted as having a Bisoid substratum and Akha superstratum. Khongsat and Laoseng have Siloid loanwords.