Alternate Names: Bulang, K’ala, Kawa, Kontoi, Plang, Pula, Pulang
Dialects: Kem Degne, Phang. In Thailand, the group from Mae Sai came from Sipsongpanna, Yunnan, China, stayed in Myanmar for a while, and have been in Thailand since 1974. 6 to 10 dialects represented in one refugee village in Thailand. Samtao , of Myanmar and China is not intelligible with Plang, but is closely related to Plang and Wa ,.
Status Notes: Language of recognized nationality: Blang.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 42,000 in China (2000 census). Population total all countries: 55,200.
Language Use: Vigorous. All domains. All ages. Positive attitudes. Also use Lü [khb], Mandarin Chinese [cmn], Vo Wa [wbm]. Used as L2 by Lahu [lhu].
Language Development: Literacy rate in L2: 77% (2000 census). Grammar. Bible portions.
Typology: SVO; modifiers follow noun heads; voiceless nasal initials; singular-dual-plural pronoun distinction; rich in morphophonemic processes; tonal, 4 tones.
Writing System: Latin, Tai Le, Tai Tham (Lanna), Thai
Nation of Origin: China
Other Comments: Buddhist (Hinayana), Christian.