| Laha | |
|---|---|
| Region | Vietnam |
| Ethnicity | 8,200 Laha (2009 census)[1] |
Native speakers | (5,700 cited 1999 census)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | lha |
| Glottolog | laha1250 |
| ELP | Laha (Vietnam) |
Laha (Chinese: 拉哈; Vietnamese: La Ha) is a Kra language spoken by approximately 1,400 people out of a total population of 5,686 Laha. It is spoken in Lào Cai and Sơn La provinces, Vietnam. Laha dialects had been documented in 1986 by Russian linguists and in 1996 by American linguist Jerold A. Edmondson. Many Laha can also converse in the Khmu language, and Laha-speaking areas also have significant Black Thai (Tai Dam), Kháng, Ksongmul (Ksingmul, Xinh-mun), and Hmong populations.
Ostapirat (2000) considers the Laha dialects to form a subgroup of their own (Southern Kra) within the Kra branch.[2]