Alternate Names: Ai Nan
Status Notes: Language of recognized nationality: Maonan.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 30,000 (GXLOUS 2005), decreasing. A few thousand women and children are monolingual. Ethnic population: 107,000 (2000 census).
Language Use: 75% use it at home; 62% use it outside the home; 72% speak it to their children (GXLOUS 2005). Positive attitudes. Also use Chinese [cmn] or other local languages. More than 90% are bilingual or trilingual (GXLOUS 2005).
Language Development: Literacy rate in L2: 93% (2000 census, Manon nationality). Taught in primary schools. Radio programs. Grammar.
Typology: SVO; numbers and adjectives follow nouns; reduplication; glottalized, prenasalized, palatalized, and labialized onsets; nasal and stop finals; many Chinese loans; tonal, 6 tone categories in unchecked syllables, 2 in checked (split into 4 according to vowel length).
Writing System: Han (Simplified), Han (Traditional)
Nation of Origin: China
Other Comments: Daoist, Christian.