Alternate Names: Tuchia
Dialects: None known. Northern , and Southern Tujia are not mutually intelligible. Lexical similarity: 40% with Northern Tujia ,, but with phonological and grammatical differences.
Status Notes: Language of recognized nationality: Tujia.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 1,500 (Brassett and Brassett 2005), decreasing. Monolinguals are mainly women, children, and older adults. Ethnic population: 8,030,000 (2000 census). Includes 70,000 in Northern Tujia.
Language Use: In Boluozhai, all speak the language; in Puzhu, some children can speak it; in Xiaqieji, only adults speak it (Bradley 2007). Home, village. Mainly older people. Positive attitudes. Also use Mandarin Chinese [cmn]. Chinese used in schools.
Language Development: Literacy rate in L1: 0%. Literacy rate in L2: 88% in Chinese (2000 census, Tujia nationality).
Typology: SOV; voiced stops and affricates; tonal, 5 tones.
Nation of Origin: China
Other Comments: Traditional religion, Buddhist.