Xong language


The Xong language is the northernmost Hmongic language, spoken in south-central China by around 0.9 million people. It is called in Chinese, as well as Eastern Miao. In Western sources, it has been called Meo, Red Miao, and North Hmongic. An official alphabet was adopted in 1956.

Distribution

Xong is spoken mainly in Hunan province, but also in a few areas of Guizhou and Hubei provinces, Guangxi, and Chongqing municipality in China. Xong-speaking communities, by county, are:

Classification

Xong was classified in its own branch of the Hmongic family in Strecker. Xiang divided Xong into western and eastern dialects. Matisoff considered these to be two distinct languages, but Matisoff consolidated them into one. Yang divides each of these dialects into three subdialects, as listed below. Speaker populations and locations are from Li and Li.
He Fuling describes a western Qo Xiong dialect of Gouliang Ethnic Miao Village, Ala Township, Fenghuang County.
Chen describes a western Qo Xiong dialect of Daxing Town 大兴镇, Songtao County, Guizhou.

Phonology and script

A written standard based on the Western dialect in Làyǐpíng village and Jíwèi town, Huāyuán county, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture was established in 1956.
iɛ

ToneIPALetter
high rising, 45
low falling, 21
high, 4
low, 2
high falling, 53
falling, 42