Waic languages

The Waic languages are spoken in Shan State, Burma, in Northern Thailand, and in Yunnan province, China.

Waic
EthnicityWa people
Geographic
distribution		Burma, China
Linguistic classificationAustroasiatic
Glottologwaic1245

Classification

Gérard Diffloth reconstructed Proto-Waic in a 1980 paper. His classification is as follows (Sidwell 2009). (Note: Individual languages are highlighted in italics.)

  • Waic
    • Samtau (later renamed "Blang" by Diffloth)
      • Samtau
    • Wa–Lawa–La
      • Wa proper
      • Lawa
        • Bo Luang
        • Umphal

The recently discovered Meung Yum and Savaiq languages[1][2] of Shan State, Burma also belong to the Wa language cluster.

Other Waic languages in Shan State, eastern Myanmar are En and Siam (Hsem),[3][4] which are referred to by Scott (1900)[5] as En and Son. Hsiu (2015)[6] classifies En, Son, and Tai Loi in Scott (1900) as Waic languages, citing the Waic phonological innovation from Proto-Palaungic *s- > h- instead of the Angkuic phonological innovation from Proto-Palaungic *s- > s-.

References
  1. http://ic.payap.ac.th/graduate/linguistics/theses/Myint_Myint_Phyu_Thesis.pdf
  2. http://ic.payap.ac.th/graduate/linguistics/theses/Wendy_Phung_Thesis.pdf
  3. Shintani Tadahiko. 2016. The Siam (Hsem) language. Linguistic survey of Tay cultural area (LSTCA), 107. Tokyo: ILCAA.
  4. Shintani Tadahiko. 2016. The Va (En) language. Linguistic survey of Tay cultural area (LSTCA), 108. Tokyo: ILCAA.
  5. Scott, J. G. 1900. Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan States. Superintendent, Government Printing, Rangoon.
  6. Hsiu, Andrew. 2015. The Angkuic languages: a preliminary survey. Paper presented ICAAL 6 (6th International Conference on Austroasiatic Linguistics), Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Further reading
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