Nuosu language

Nuosu
Northern Yi, Liangshan Yi, Sichuan Yi
ꆈꌠꉙ Nuosuhxop
Native to	China
Region	Southern Sichuan, northern Yunnan
Ethnicity	Yi
Native speakers	2 million (2000 census)[1]
Language family	Sino-Tibetan Tibeto-Burman Lolo–Burmese Loloish Nisoish Nisoid Nuosu
Standard forms	Liangshan (Cool Mountain) dialect
Writing system	Yi syllabary, formerly Yi logograms
Official status
Recognised minority language in	China (Yunnan province)
Language codes
ISO 639-1	ii Sichuan Yi, Nuosu
ISO 639-2	iii Sichuan Yi, Nuosu
ISO 639-3	iii Nuosu, Sichuan Yi
Glottolog	sich1238  Sichuan Yi
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Nuosu or Nosu (ꆈꌠꉙ, transcribed as Nuo su hxop), also known as Northern Yi, Liangshan Yi, and Sichuan Yi, is the prestige language of the Yi people; it has been chosen by the Chinese government as the standard Yi language (Chinese: 彝语) and, as such, is the only one taught in schools, both in its oral and written forms. It was spoken by two million people and was increasing (as of PRC census); 60% were monolingual (1994 estimate). Nuosu is the native Nuosu name for their own language and is not used in Mandarin Chinese, though it may sometimes be translated as Nuòsūyǔ (simplified Chinese: 诺苏语; traditional Chinese: 諾蘇語).^[2]

The occasional terms "Black Yi" (黑彝; hēi Yí) and 'White Yi' (白彝; bái Yí) are castes of the Nuosu people, not dialects.^{[citation needed]}

Nuosu is one of several often mutually unintelligible varieties known as Yi, Lolo, Moso, or Noso; the six Yi languages recognized by the Chinese government hold only 25% to 50% of their vocabulary in common. They share a common traditional writing system, though this is used for shamanism rather than daily accounting.^{[citation needed]}