The Lachi language is a Kra language spoken in Yunnan, China and in northern Vietnam. There were 9,500 Lachi speakers in Vietnam in 1990. Edmondson reports another 2,500 in Maguan County, Yunnan, China for 1995, but Li Yunbing reports 60 speakers in Maguan out of an ethnic population of 1,600.
Subdivisions
Weera Ostapirat proposed three major subdivisions for the Lachi language.
Northern
Central
Southern
Jerold A. Edmondson notes that Vietnamese researchers recently have not been able to locate White Lachi speakers. It is also the least studied variety of Lachi. The Maguan County Gazetteer 马关县志 lists the following Lachi ethnic subdivisions.
Flowery Lachi 花拉基
White Lachi 白拉基
Black Lachi 黑拉基
Chinese Lachi 汉拉基
Manyou Lachi 曼忧拉基
Manpeng Lachi 曼棚拉基
The Maguan County Gazetteer 马关县志 also lists the following autonyms for the Lachi.
She 舍
Laguo 拉果
Heitu 黑土
Gudai 古逮
Yibi 依比
Yimei 依梅
Yiduo 依多
Yibeng 依崩
The Republic of China-era Maguan County Gazetteer 马关县志 gives the names Labo 剌僰 and Laji 拉鸡.
Geographic distribution
Kosaka reports 6,000–8,000 Lachi speakers in Vietnam, and 2,000 in China. The Lachi of Maguan County, China are currently classified as Zhuang, while the Lachi of Malipo County, China, along with the Qabiao, are classified as Yi. The Lachi of Vietnam have official status as a separate ethnic group.
China
The Lachi of China live in various locations in Maguan County, Yunnan, which is located in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture near the border with Hà Giang Province, Vietnam. According to American linguist Jerold A. Edmondson, the Lachi of China are thought to have moved to their present location during the Qing Dynasty from places in Vietnam called Maibu 麥布, Maidu 麥督, and Maiha 麥哈. Other Lachis are also found scattered in Yanshan, Qiubei, Xichou, and Malipo counties. The subdivisions, with their respective locations, are as follows: Flowery Lachi
The Lachi live mostly in Xín Mần District and Hoàng Su Phì District, Hà Giang Province, Vietnam. There are also many Lachi living in Bắc Quang District in southern Hà Giang Province, which is outside their home district of Hoàng Su Phì. Since the Lachi dialects of Vietnam have many Chinese loanwords, the Lachi of Vietnam must have migrated from areas to the north in China. Similarly, the Lachi of Maguan County, Yunnan, China just across the border believed that their ancestors had migrated from Ami Prefecture 阿迷州, which is now Kaiyuan, Yunnan. In Vietnam, Jerold Edmondson notes that the most common autonym used by his Lachi informants is ', with ' meaning 'people'. The Lachi people are an officially recognized ethnic group in Vietnam, and are divided as such : Long Haired Lachi
Bản Phùng, Hoàng Su Phì District — largest village; regarded as cradle site
Bản Pắng, Hoàng Su Phì District — speakers have shifted to the Nùng language, the regional lingua franca
Bản Máy, Hoàng Su Phì District — speakers have shifted to the Nùng language, the regional lingua franca
Lachi is also spoken in :
Tân Lợi hamlet, Bắc Quang District, Hà Giang Province — formed through a secondary migration from Tân Lập village, which is now called Xã Tân Thành.
Chí Cà, Xín Mần District, Hà Giang Province
Bắc Hà District, Lào Cai Province — descended from Bản Phùng migrants; can no longer speak Lachi
Mường Khương District, Lào Cai Province — descended from Bản Phùng migrants; can no longer speak Lachi
Kosaka describes the following migratory route that took the Lachi of Bản Phùng, Hoàng Su Phì District to other locations, all in Bắc Quang District, Hà Giang Province.
Approximant sounds when occurring before, maybe also be realized as. Both sounds also can be realized as a voiced glottal sound.
Vowels
Standard vowel sounds and, only occur after palatal, velar, palatalized and labialized initials. After other initials elsewhere, they become velarized as,.
