| Luish | |
|---|---|
| Asakian | |
| Geographic distribution | Burma and Bangladesh |
| Linguistic classification | Sino-Tibetan |
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | sakk1239 |
The Luish, Asakian, or Sak languages are a group of Sino-Tibetan languages belonging to the Sal branch. They are spoken in Burma and Bangladesh, and consist of the Sak, Kadu, and Ganan languages. In recent years, Luish languages have been influenced by Burmese and Chakma.
Although Luish languages are now widely scattered and spoken by relatively small populations, Luce (1985) suggests that the Luish languages were “once spread over the whole north of Burma, from Manipur perhaps to northern Yunnan.”
Matisoff (2013)[1] proposes the name Asakian, since Lui or Loi were used by the Meithei to refer to slaves. Although many speakers of Luish languages refer to themselves as Sak, Cak, or similar variations, speakers of Ganan and Mokhwang Kadu do not refer to themselves as Sak or Asak.[2]
Matisoff2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).