Zhuang languages

Zhuang
Zhuang
Vahcuengh (za), Hauqcuengh (zyb); Kauqnuangz, Kauqnoangz (zhn); Hoedyaej (zgn), Hauƽyəiч (zqe); Hauqraeuz, Gangjdoj (zyb, zhn, zqe); Kauqraeuz, Gangjtoj (zhn, zyg, zhd)
Native to	China
Ethnicity	Zhuang people
Native speakers	16 million, all Northern Zhuang languages (2007)
Language family	Kra–Dai Kam–Tai Be–Tai ? Tai Northern Tai and Central Tai Zhuang; ; ; ; ;
Standard forms	Standard Zhuang;
Writing system	Zhuang, Old Zhuang, Sawndip, Sawgoek
Language codes
ISO 639-1	za
ISO 639-2	zha
ISO 639-3	zha – inclusive code; Individual codes:; zch – Central Hongshuihe Zhuang; zhd – Dai Zhuang (Wenma); zeh – Eastern Hongshuihe Zhuang; zgb – Guibei Zhuang; zgn – Guibian Zhuang; zln – Lianshan Zhuang; zlj – Liujiang Zhuang; zlq – Liuqian Zhuang; zgm – Minz Zhuang; zhn – Nong Zhuang (Yanguang); zqe – Qiubei Zhuang; zyg – Yang Zhuang (Dejing); zyb – Yongbei Zhuang; zyn – Yongnan Zhuang; zyj – Youjiang Zhuang; zzj – Zuojiang Zhuang
Glottolog	None; daic1237 = Daic; Zhuang is not a valid group
	Geographic distribution of Zhuang dialects in Guangxi and related languages in Northern Vietnam and Guizhou
	This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

The Zhuang languages (/ˈdʒwæŋ, ˈdʒwɒŋ/;^[2] autonym: Vahcuengh, Zhuang pronunciation: [βa˧ɕuːŋ˧], pre-1982: Vaƅcueŋƅ, Sawndip: 話僮, from vah, 'language' and Cuengh, 'Zhuang'; simplified Chinese: 壮语; traditional Chinese: 壯語; pinyin: Zhuàngyǔ) are any of more than a dozen Tai languages spoken by the Zhuang people of Southern China in the province of Guangxi and adjacent parts of Yunnan and Guangdong. The Zhuang languages do not form a monophyletic linguistic unit, as northern and southern Zhuang languages are more closely related to other Tai languages than to each other. Northern Zhuang languages form a dialect continuum with Northern Tai varieties across the provincial border in Guizhou, which are designated as Bouyei, whereas Southern Zhuang languages form another dialect continuum with Central Tai varieties such as Nung, Tay and Caolan in Vietnam.^[3] Standard Zhuang is based on the Northern Zhuang dialect of Wuming.

The Tai languages are believed to have been originally spoken in what is now southern China, with speakers of the Southwestern Tai languages (which include Thai, Lao and Shan) having emigrated in the face of Chinese expansion. Noting that both the Zhuang and Thai peoples have the same exonym for the Vietnamese, kɛɛu^A1,^[4] from the Chinese commandery of Jiaozhi in northern Vietnam, Jerold A. Edmondson posited that the split between Zhuang and the Southwestern Tai languages happened no earlier than the founding of Jiaozhi in 112 BC. He also argues that the departure of the Thai from southern China must predate the 5th century AD, when the Tai who remained in China began to take family names.^[5]

^ Mikael Parkvall, "Världens 100 största språk 2007" (The World's 100 Largest Languages in 2007), in Nationalencyklopedin
^ "Guangxi Zhuang". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021.
^ Bradley, David (2007). "East and Southeast Asia". In Moseley, Christopher (ed.). Encyclopedia of the World's Engangered Languages. Routledge. pp. 349–422. ISBN 978-1-135-79640-2. p. 370.
^ A1 designates a tone.
^ Edmondson, Jerold A. (2007). "The power of language over the past: Tai settlement and Tai linguistics in southern China and northern Vietnam" (PDF). In Jimmy G. Harris; Somsonge Burusphat; James E. Harris (eds.). Studies in Southeast Asian languages and linguistics. Bangkok, Thailand: Ek Phim Thai Co. pp. 39–63. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-06-19. (see p. 15 of preprint)

[NE100-1] Mikael Parkvall, "Världens 100 största språk 2007" (The World's 100 Largest Languages in 2007), in Nationalencyklopedin

[2] "Guangxi Zhuang". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021.

[3] Bradley, David (2007). "East and Southeast Asia". In Moseley, Christopher (ed.). Encyclopedia of the World's Engangered Languages. Routledge. pp. 349–422. ISBN 978-1-135-79640-2. p. 370.

[4] A1 designates a tone.

[5] Edmondson, Jerold A. (2007). "The power of language over the past: Tai settlement and Tai linguistics in southern China and northern Vietnam" (PDF). In Jimmy G. Harris; Somsonge Burusphat; James E. Harris (eds.). Studies in Southeast Asian languages and linguistics. Bangkok, Thailand: Ek Phim Thai Co. pp. 39–63. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-06-19. (see p. 15 of preprint)

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Zhuang
Vahcuengh (za), Hauqcuengh (zyb) Kauqnuangz, Kauqnoangz (zhn) Hoedyaej (zgn), Hauƽyəiч (zqe) Hauqraeuz, Gangjdoj (zyb, zhn, zqe) Kauqraeuz, Gangjtoj (zhn, zyg, zhd)
Native to	China
Ethnicity	Zhuang people
Native speakers	16 million, all Northern Zhuang languages (2007)^[1]
Language family	Kra–Dai Kam–Tai Be–Tai ? Tai Northern Tai and Central Tai Zhuang
Standard forms	Standard Zhuang
Writing system	Zhuang, Old Zhuang, Sawndip, Sawgoek
Language codes
ISO 639-1	`za`
ISO 639-2	`zha`
ISO 639-3	`zha` – inclusive code Individual codes: `zch` – Central Hongshuihe Zhuang `zhd` – Dai Zhuang (Wenma) `zeh` – Eastern Hongshuihe Zhuang `zgb` – Guibei Zhuang `zgn` – Guibian Zhuang `zln` – Lianshan Zhuang `zlj` – Liujiang Zhuang `zlq` – Liuqian Zhuang `zgm` – Minz Zhuang `zhn` – Nong Zhuang (Yanguang) `zqe` – Qiubei Zhuang `zyg` – Yang Zhuang (Dejing) `zyb` – Yongbei Zhuang `zyn` – Yongnan Zhuang `zyj` – Youjiang Zhuang `zzj` – Zuojiang Zhuang
Glottolog	None `daic1237` = Daic; Zhuang is not a valid group
Geographic distribution of Zhuang dialects in Guangxi and related languages in Northern Vietnam and Guizhou
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.