Zhuang, Nong

Dialects: Central Zhuang, Liancheng, Southern Zhuang, Western Guangnan. Reportedly most similar Tày ,, and Min Zhuang ,. Some Tày dialects near Viet Nam-Yunnan border reportedly mutually intelligible. Nong Dialects mutually intelligible for simple topics. Not intelligible of Dai Zhuang ,, Min Zhuang ,, Yang Zhuang ,, Guibian Zhuang ,, or Qiubei Zhuang ,. Lexical similarity: over 70% with Nong, Yang ,, Yongnan ,, and Zuojiang ,; about 67% with Dai ,; 54% with Yongbei Zhuang ,. A member of macrolanguage Zhuang ,.

Status Notes: Language of recognized nationality: Zhuang.

Demographics: 500,000 (Wang Mingfu and Johnson 2008). 125,000 monolinguals. Ethnic population: 600,000 (2007).

Language Use: Vigorous. All domains. All ages. Positive attitudes. 75% also use Mandarin Chinese [cmn]. Used as L2 by Bugan [bbh], Dai Zhuang [zhd], Guibian Zhuang [zgn], Qabiao [laq], Thopho [ytp], Zokhuo [yzk].

Language Development: Literacy rate in L1: A few teachers and linguists can read the recent Yunnan government approved experimental orthography. Literacy rate in L2: Rapidly increasing due to free education begun in 2008, including women and girls. In 2011, 300 Nong 7th graders received a few hours of Nong instruction. Taught in primary schools, pilot projects. Poetry. Magazines. Radio programs. Films. Dictionary.

Typology: SVO; modifiers follow nouns, directional verbs precede objects; phonemic distinction between aspirated, unaspirated voiceless, and preglottalized voiced plosives; 6 tones on unchecked, 3–4 on checked syllables.

Writing System: Han (Hanzi), Han (Kanji), Han (Hanja), Latin

Nation of Origin: China

Other Comments: ‘Phu Nong’, Nong People; ‘Khau Nong’, Nong Language. Over half the Nong live in Guangnan and Yanshan counties. Nong represent a majority of Zhuang in all their counties except for Funing and Qiubei, where mostly northern Taic Zhuang languages are spoken. Traditional religion.