Hmong–Mien languages

The Hmong-Mien languages are a family of languages found in southern China and Southeast Asia. Formerly called the miao-yao family (苗瑶), this name has been discontinued as it is offensive to some of the Hmong peoples. The 32 languages of the family are spoken in the mountainous regions of southern China, including Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, and Hubei provinces, as well as in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Burma. As a result of the wars in Indochina, many of the speakers of Hmong-Mien languages left Southeast Asia for Australia, North America and Europe.

Old classifications grouped the Hmong-Mien languages within the Sino-Tibetan language family, but today most linguists consider them a family of their own. The family, like the tai-kadai, may have its origins in southern China.

Family languages

Intermediate subgroups of the hmong-mien family.

Currently, the Hmong-Mienh languages are classified into 32 macrolanguages.

• Languages hmong (26)
  • Languages bunu (5)
    • Younuo bunu
    • Wunai bunu
    • Bu-nao bunu
    • Baheng bunu
    • Jiongnai bunu
  • Chuanqiandian languages (16)
    • Hmong njua
    • Mashan north hmong
    • Huishui hmong central
    • Dian hmong from the northeast
    • Huishui hmong oriental
    • Guiyang hmong southwest
    • Huishui hmong Southwest
    • Chonganjiang hmong
    • Luopohe hmong
    • Mashan central hmong
    • Huishui northern hmong
    • Mashan north hmong
    • Mashan hmong Western
    • Guiyang South Hmong
    • Guiyang North Hmong
    • Hmong daw
  • qiandong languages (3)
    • Qiandong northern hmong
    • Qiandong East Hmong
    • Qiandong southern hmong
  • xiangxi languages (2)
    • Xiangxi western hmong
    • Xiangxi hmong oriental
• Mining languages (5)
  • Biao-jiao languages (1)
    • Biao-jiao mien
  • Languages mian-jin (3)
    • Biao mien
    • Iu mien
    • Kim mun
  • Zaomin Languages (1)
    • Ba pai
• Language(s)
  • She

Comparative vocabulary

Hmong-mien languages generally contain a significant number of cognates. And it is easy to find regular correspondences between these cognates to reconstruct the protoforms of a large part of the lexicon. For example, the following table summarizes the attested and roughly reconstructible numerals for each branch (proto-mong, proto-mieng, proto-she, and proto-hmong-mienh-she), along with reconstructed numerals for other families: