Kathu language

Kathu
Thou
Native toChina
RegionGuangnan County
EthnicityYi
Native speakers
5,000 (2007)[1]
Dialects
  • Kathu
  • Thou
Language codes
ISO 639-3ykt
Glottologkath1251
ELPKathu

Kathu (Chinese: 嘎苏话) is a Lolo-Burmese language of Balong (坝聋), Nanping Township (南屏镇), Guangnan County, Yunnan, China.[2] The Kathu are locally known as the White Yi (白彝). Wu Zili (2004) estimates that Kathu has a total of more than 7,000 speakers in Guangnan County (including in Dayashao 大牙少[3]), as well as in Jinping County, Yunnan. Ethnologue mentions a possible presence in Guangxi Province.

A related variety is known as Thou.

Kathu-Thou is notable for having initial consonant clusters, which within the Lolo-Burmese branch are also found in Written Burmese (Old Burmese) and Jinuo (Hsiu 2014:66).[4] Wu (2004) lists the onset clusters pl, pʰl, bl, ml, kl, kʰl, gl, ql, qʰl, ɢl, ŋl.

  1. ^ Kathu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-12-30. Retrieved 2018-12-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-09-14. Retrieved 2015-09-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hsiu2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).