Axi language

Axi
Axipo
Native to	China
Ethnicity	Yi
Native speakers	100,000 (2007)[1]
Language family	Sino-Tibetan Tibeto-Burman Lolo-Burmese Loloish Southeastern Sani–Azha Axi
Language codes
ISO 639-3	yix
Glottolog	axiy1235

Axi (Chinese: 阿细 Axi; Ahi; autonym: ɑ21 ɕi55 pʰo21) is one of the Loloish languages spoken by the Yi people of China. The Axi are one of the main linguistic sub-branches of Yi, and the Axi tiaoyue is a dance of the Axi speaking Yi people accompanied by the sanhu.^[2]

Axi is spoken in Mile, Shilin, Kunming, Luxi, and Huaning counties by about 110,000 speakers.^[3]

Dialects

Wu (2014) divides Axi into three dialects and also provides word lists for each of the three dialects.^[4]

• The Western dialect 西阿土语 (approximately 75,000 speakers) is spoken in Mile (in Xishan 西山, Dongshan 东山, Midong 弥东, Jiangbian 江边, Buqi 补七); Qiubei (some areas), Lunan, Luxi, Huaning counties, etc.
• The Yanshan dialect 砚阿土语 (approximately 72,000 speakers) is spoken in Yanshan, Qiubei (some areas), Wenshan counties, etc.
• The Kunming dialect 昆阿土语 (approximately 23,000 speakers) is spoken in Kunming (Xishan, in Shuangshao 双哨; Anning); Luquan, Wuding counties, etc.

Phonology

Axi consonants^[5]

		Labial	Alveolar		Alveolo- palatal	Retroflex		Velar
			plain	sibilant		plain	sibilant
Nasal		m	n					ŋ
Plosive/ Affricate	voiceless	p	t	t͡s	t͡ɕ	ʈ	t͡ʂ	k
	aspirated	pʰ	tʰ	t͡sʰ	t͡ɕʰ	ʈʰ	t͡ʂʰ	kʰ
	voiced	b	d	d͡z	d͡ʑ	ɖ	d͡ʐ	ɡ
Continuant	voiceless	f	ɬ	s	ɕ		ʂ	x
	voiced	v	l	z	ʑ		ʐ	ɣ

Axi vowels^[5]

	Front	Central	Back
			unrd.	rnd.
Close	i, ḭ		ɯ, ɯ̰	u, ṵ
Mid	e, ḛ			o, o̰
Open-mid	ɛ, ɛ̰
Open		a, a̰
Syllabic consonant	ɹ̪̩, ɹ̪̰̩

See also

• Axi word list (Wiktionary)

References

1. Axi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. 李勇翔 中国少数民族音乐 2006 "彝族三胡彝族三胡是彝族特有的弓弦乐器。云南彝族的两大支系"撒尼"与"阿细"人的民间乐舞"阿细跳月"常用此乐器演奏。"
3. Wang Chengyou [王成有]. 2003. Yiyu Fangyan Bijiao Yanjiu [彝语方言比较研究]. Chengdu: Sichuan People's Press [四川民族出版社]. ISBN 7540927658
4. Wu, Zili 武自立 (2014). Axi Yiyu gaiyao 阿细彝语概要. Kunming: Yunnan People's Publishing House 云南人民出版社. OCLC 1027705935.
5. https://stedt.berkeley.edu/pubs_and_prods/STEDT_Monograph3_Phonological-Inv-TB.pdf Phonological inventories of Tibeto-Burman languages. Ju, Namkung, 1996, ISBN 0-944613-28-4, Page 6.