Honi language (original) (raw)

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Sino-Tibetan language spoken in China and Southeast Asia

Honi
Native to Southern China, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar
Ethnicity Hani
Native speakers 140,000 (2007)[1]
Language family Sino-Tibetan Tibeto-BurmanLolo–BurmeseLoloishSouthernHanoidHoni
Dialects Baihong Haoni
Language codes
ISO 639-3 how
Glottolog honi1244

The Honi language (豪尼語), also known as Haoni, Baihong, Hao-Bai, or Ho, is a language of the Loloish (Yi) branch of the Tibeto-Burman linguistic group spoken in Yunnan, China. The Chinese government groups speakers of this language into the Hani nationality, one of China's 56 recognized nationalities and considers the language to be a dialect of the wider Hani languages. Honi itself is divided into two distinct dialects, Baihong and Haoni, which may be separate languages.

Consonants of the Mojiang dialect

| | Labial | Alveolar | Post- alveolar | Palatal | Velar | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | plain | sibilant | | | | | | | | Nasal | m | n | | | ȵ | ŋ | | | Plosive/Affricate | unaspirated | p | t | ts | tʃ | tɕ | k | | aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | tsʰ | tʃʰ | tɕʰ | kʰ | | | Continuant | voiceless | f | l̥ | s | ʃ | ɕ | x | | voiced | v | l | z | ʒ | | ɣ | | | Semivowel | w | | | | j | | |

A voiceless /l̥/ may also be realized as a lateral fricative [ɬ].

Vowels of the Mojiang dialect

| | Front | Central | Back | | | | --------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | High | i | | ɯ | u | | High-mid | | | ɤ | o | | Low-mid | ɛ | | ɔ | | | Low | æ | a | | | | Syllabic | v̩ | ɹ̩ | | |

In the Mojiang dialect, vowel length is distinctive among vowels /iː ɛː/ and syllabic vowels /v̩ː ɹ̩ː/.[2]

| | Front | Back | | | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | --- | -- | --- | | Diphthong | Close | iu | ui | | | Mid | io | iɔ | uɛ | | | Open | ia | ua | | | | Nasal | Close | ĩ | | | | Mid | ɛ̃ | õ | | | | Open | ã | | | | | NasalDiphthong | Mid | ĩɛ̃ | ĩõ | ũɛ̃ | | Open | ĩã | ũã | | |

  1. ^ Honi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Yongsui, Li; Ersong, Wang (1986). 哈尼语简志 / Ha ni yu jian zhi. Beijing: Minzu Chubanshe. pp. 3–16.