Iu Mien

Facts

  • Language: Iu Mien
  • Alternate names: Ban Yao, Highland Yao, Mian, Mien, Myen, Pan Yao, Yao, Yiu Mien, Youmian
  • Language code: ium
  • Language family: Hmong-Mien, Mienic, Mien-Mun
  • Number of speakers: 383000
  • Script:

More information:

    Introduction

    Iu Mien is a language of China. It is spoken in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Dayao mountains, Guangdong in Ruyuan county, Yunnan and Hunan provinces; Guizhou Province, Rongjiang, Congjiang, and Libo counties. Also in Belgium, Denmark, France, Laos, New Zealand, Switzerland, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam.

    Dialects

    Guoshan Yao. Dialects may not be intelligible. Biao Mon (See: Biao Mon) may be a dialect of Iu Mien. Differences from other Mienic languages are in the tone system, consonants, vowel quality, vowel length. Chinese linguists consider the Iu Mien spoken in Changdong, Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi to be the standard. May be most similar to Mandarin Chinese (See: Chinese, Mandarin). Lexical similarity: 78% with Kim Mun (See: Kim Mun), 70% with Biao-Jiao Mien (See: Biao-Jiao Mien?), 61% with Dzao Min (See: Dzao Min).

    The Iu Mien Verb

    Verblist