Cao Miao language

Cao Miao
Native to	China
Region	Guizhou, Hunan, Guangxi
Native speakers	64,000 (2000)[1]
Language family	Tai–Kadai Kam–Sui Kam Cao Miao
Language codes
ISO 639-3	cov
Glottolog	caom1238[2]

Cao Miao (Chinese: 草苗; autonym: mjiu˥nʲaŋ˧^[3]) is a variety of Dong (Kam) according to Shi Lin (2012).^[4] Dialects include Liushi ("Sixty") Miao 六十苗, Sishi ("Forty") Miao 四十苗, and Ershi ("Twenty") Miao 二十苗 (also known as Flowery Miao 花苗). The Flowery Miao 花苗 do not consider themselves to be Cao Miao 草苗, although their language is similar to Sixty Miao and Forty Miao (Shi 2012).

Subdivisions

There are various ethnic subgroups within Cao Miao (Shi 2015:7).

• Inner Miao 内部苗 (or 内岗苗 / 内堺苗) (kaŋ˦˨kau˧˩): 2 subgroups
  • Sixty (60) Miao 六十苗 (mjiu˥si˥˧ɕəp˨^[5])
  • Forty Miao (40) 四十苗 (mjiu˥ljok˨ɕəp˨^[5]), also called Diao 刁族 (tjau13)^[6]
• Middle Miao 中部苗 (or 中岗苗 / 中堺苗) (kaŋ˦˨ta˥˧), also called Twenty (20) Miao 二十苗 (mjiu˥nʲi˧ɕəp˨^[5]) or Flowery Miao 花苗 (mjiu˥ken˥˧^[5]).
• Outer Miao 外部苗 (or 外岗苗 / 外堺苗) (kaŋ˦˨pak˧), also called Old Miao 老苗 or Black Miao 黑苗.

Other ethnolinguistic groups living near the Cao Miao include the Han 汉族, Dong 侗族, Yao 瑶族, Suantang 酸汤人, Sanqiao 三撬人,^[7] Bendi 本地人, Kejia 客家人, Chuanmin 船民 (a Guibei 桂北 Yue Chinese lect^[8]), Naxi 那溪人, Liujia 六甲人,^[9] and Liuse 六色人.^[10]

Population

There is a total of 58,900 Cao Miao people (Shi 2015:9). The following population statistics are from Shi (2015:9).

By ethnic subgroup:

• 60 Miao: 49,300 people (in 126 villages^[11])
• 20 Miao (Flowery Miao): 5,930 people
• 40 Miao (also called Diao 刁族): 3,620 people (in 18 villages of Liping and Tongdao counties^[12])

By county:

• Liping County, Guizhou: 19,000 people (consisting of 60 Miao, 40 Miao, and 20 Miao)
• Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, Guangxi: 31,600 people (consisting of only 60 Miao)
• Tongdao Dong Autonomous County, Hunan: 6,800 people (consisting of 60 Miao and 20 Miao, but no 40 Miao)
• Congjiang County, Guizhou: 1,020 people (consisting of only 40 Miao)
• Jingzhou, Hunan: 500+ people (consisting of 20 Miao and Outer Miao)

Distribution

Below are languages and their respective locations studied by Shi Lin (2012).^[4]

• Liushi (60) Miao 六十苗: Qifan 起凡 (in Liping), Dagaoping 大高坪 (in Tongdao), Gaoyu 高宇 (in Sanjiang)
• Sishi (40) Miao 四十苗: Tanghua 堂华 (in Tongdao)
• Ershi (20) Miao 二十苗: Kenxi 肯溪 (in Tongdao)
• Southern Dong: Longcheng 陇城 (in Tongdao), Chengyang 程阳 (in Sanjiang)
• Northern Dong: Xiudong 秀洞 (in Jinping), Sanmentang 三门塘 (in Tianzhu)

Ethnic Cao Miao also live in the following townships.^[13]

• Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, Guangxi
  • Tongle 同乐乡
  • Bajiang 八江乡
  • Liangkou 良口乡
  • Yangxi 洋溪乡
  • Dudong 独峒乡
  • Linxi 林溪乡
• Liping County, Guizhou
  • Shuikou 水口镇
  • Zhaoxing 肇兴乡
  • Hongzhou 洪洲镇
  • Long'e 龙额乡
  • Deshun 德顺乡
  • Shunhua 顺化乡
  • Diping 地坪乡
  • Leidong 雷洞乡
• Tongdao Dong Autonomous County, Hunan
  • Dagaoping 大高坪
  • Yatunbao 牙屯堡
  • Dupo 独坡乡

Sishi Miao 四十苗 is spoken in these townships:^[4]

• Liping County: Shuikou 水口镇 (including Qifan 起凡村), Zhaoxing 肇兴乡, Yongcong 永从乡
• Rongjiang County: Luoxiang 洛香镇

The Flowery Miao live in Luoxiang 洛香镇, Congjiang County; Guochong 锅冲乡 and Dagaoping 大高坪, Tongdao County; Deshun 德顺乡, Liping County. In Liping County, they are also known as the "Flowery-Clothed Miao" (花衣苗) (Liping County Almanac 1989:153). According to Shi Lin (2012), Flowery Miao 花苗 (Ershi Miao 二十苗) is spoken in these townships:^[4]

• Liping County: Deshun 德顺乡
• Tongdao County: Guochong 锅冲乡 (including Kenxi 肯溪村), Dagaoping 大高坪乡, Boyang 播阳乡, Xianxi 县溪镇
• Jingzhou County: Xinchang 新厂镇

References

1. Cao Miao at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
2. Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Cao Miao". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
3. Shi (2015:1)
4. Shi Lin [石林] (2012). The Cao Miao language of three provinces and its relationship to Dong [三省坡草苗的语言及其与侗语的关系]. In Minzu Yuwen [民族语文] 2012, no. 4. Beijing: China Social Sciences Academy [中国社会科学院].
5. Shi (2015:42)
6. Shi (2015:43)
7. "三锹人与清水江中下游的山地开发——以黔东南锦屏县岑梧村为中心的考察 - 豆丁网". Docin.com (in Chinese). 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
8. "桂南置家话的归属 ‘" (PDF). Cllc.gxnu.edu.cn. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
9. Hou Jingrong [侯井榕] (2009). "Phonological System and Linguistic Typology of Liujia Chinese Dialect in Sanjiang of Guangxi Autonomous Region [广西三江县六甲话的语言特点]" (PDF). Comonca.org. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
10. "三省坡草苗的语言及其系属调查研究-《贵州民族大学学报(哲学社会科学版)》2013年01期". Cnki.com.cn. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
11. Shi (2015:8)
12. Shi (2015:44)
13. "草苗/草苗之窗/草苗论坛". Caomiao.net. Retrieved 2016-02-11.

Bibliography

• Shi Lin [石林]. 2015. Three language varieties of the Hunan-Guizhou-Guangxi border region [湘黔桂边区的三个族群方言岛]. Beijing: China Social Sciences Academy Press [中国社会科学出版社]. ISBN 9787516164945