Lolopo (Chinese: 倮倮颇; pinyin: Luǒluǒpō; autonyms: lɔ21lo33pʰɔ21, lo31lo31pʰo31; Chinese: 彝语中部方言; Central Yi) is a Loloish language spoken by half a million Yi people of China. Chinese speakers call it Central Yi, as the name Lolopo does not exist in Chinese. It is one of the six Yi languages recognized by the government of China.

Distribution

The Lolo language is mainly spoken in central Yunnan. It is also spoken in Laos.

In Laos, Lolo is spoken in three villages of Phongsaly Province. An alternative spelling of Lolopo is Lolopho.

Names

Lolo speakers are referred to by a variety of exonyms. Below is a list of exonyms followed by their respective autonyms and demographics.

  • Mili: lo21lo33pʰo21 (spoken by about 12,000 people in Jingdong County). Also called Alie.
  • Enipu 厄尼蒲 (ɣɯ55ni21pa̠21 'water buffalo people', an offensive exonym used by Lalo speakers): lo21lo33pʰo21 (spoken in Nanjian County). Spoken by nearly 20,000 people in Weishan County (Qinghua Township) and Nanjian County (in Wuliang, Xiaowandong, and Langcang townships)
  • Tu 土 (Tuzu 土族): lo21lo33pʰo21 (spoken by nearly 10,000 people in southern Xiangyun County)
  • Qiangyi 羌夷: lɔ̠21lɔ33sɨ55 (spoken by nearly 15,000 people in northern and central Xiangyun County)
  • Eastern Lalu: lo̠21lo̠33 (spoken by nearly 20,000 people in Xinping County and Zhenyuan County). The Xinping dialect is documented in Wang (2020). In Xinping County, there are about 3,000 ethnic "Lalu" (腊鲁; i.e., Lolopo) in Malutang 马鹿塘 and Mowei 磨味 villages, located in Jianxing Township 建兴乡.
  • Lolo (of northeastern Binchuan County): lo̠21lo33pʰo21
  • Xiangtang 香堂 (spoken in Zhenkang County). Widespread distribution in Jinggu, Zhenyuan, Pu'er, Jiangcheng, Mengla, Jinghong, and Zhenkang counties, with perhaps under 80,000 speakers.
  • Lolo (of Nanhua County): lo̠21lo̠33pʰo21
  • Lolo (of Yao'an County): lo21la33pʰo21
  • Wotizo: wɔ21ti33zɔ21 (Yang 2010:7)

Classification

Yang (2011) proposes this tentative internal classification of Lolo.

  • Southern Lolo (?) Western Lolo (Southern Lolopo in Ethnologue) Xiangtang Jingdong Lolo (Mili)
  • Southern Dali Lolo (Enipu)
  • Nanhua Lolo Eastern Lalu Tu
  • Binchuan Lolo (?)
  • Yao'an Lolo (Qiangyi) (?)

The Chuxiong Prefecture Ethnic Gazetteer (2013:364) lists the following cognacy percentages between Lolopo 罗罗濮 and other Yi languages in Chuxiong Prefecture.

  • Ache 阿车: 74.86% (211/282)
  • Chesu 车苏: 55% (155/282)
  • Luowu 罗武: 75.89% (214/282)
  • Shansu 山苏: 78.4% (221/282)
  • Lipo 里濮: 93.36% (253/271)

Phonology

Consonants

LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Plosive/ Affricatevoicelesspttstʃkʔ
aspiratedpʰtʰtsʰtʃʰkʰ
voicedbddzdʒɡ
Fricativevoicelessfsʃx
voicedvzʝɣ
Nasalmnŋ
Laterall~ɮ
Semivowelw
  • /m,n,ŋ/ before stops and fricatives are heard as syllabic sounds [m̩,ɱ̍], [n̩], and [ŋ̍].
  • /l/ is also heard in free variation as a voiced lateral fricative [ɮ].

Vowels

There is distinction between tight-throat vowels and lax-throat (plain) vowels.

FrontBack
laxtightlaxtight
Closeii̱ɯɯ̱
Near-closeʊʊ̱
Midee̱oo̱
Near-openææ̱
Openaa̱
Diphthongs
FrontBack
Midʲo, ʲo̱
Openʲɛ, ʲæ̱ʲa, ʲa̱
  • Sounds /ʊ,ʊ̱/ are pronounced as syllabic consonants [z̩ʷ,ẕ̩ʷ] when following alveolar sibilants, and as [v̩,v̱̩] when following /d/ in a low [˨] tone syllable.
  • Sounds /i,i̱/ are heard as syllabic consonants [z̩,ẕ̩] when following alveolar sibilants.
  • Sounds /ɯ,ɯ̱/ are heard as central sounds [ə,ə̱] when following alveolar consonants.
  • /æ/ is heard as open-mid [ɛ] following alveolar plosives /t,d,ts,dz/, a palatal fricative /ʝ/, and within palatalized diphthongs /ʲ/.

Tones

NamePitchSymbol
Low21˨
Mid33˧
High55˦

External links

  • An audio recording of a word list in Lolopo is archived with Kaipuleohone