Be languages

Be speakers refer to themselves as ', with ' being the prefix for persons and '''' meaning 'village'. Liang (1997) notes that it is similar to the autonym ' (from ' 'person' and '''' 'village'), by which Gelong (Cun language) speakers refer to themselves. ==Classification==

The Be languages are a pair of Kra–Dai languages, but its precise relationship to other branches within the Kra-Dai family has yet not been conclusively determined. Hansell (1988) considers Be to be a sister of the Tai branch based on shared vocabulary, and proposes a Be–Tai grouping. Based on toponymic evidence from place names with the prefix dya- ( diao), Jinfang Li considers Be to have originated from the Leizhou peninsula of Guangdong province. Liang (1997:16) considers Be to have migrated to Hainan from the Leizhou Peninsula of Guangdong about 2,500 years ago during the Warring States Period, but not over 3,000 years ago. Liang & Zhang (1996:21–25) also believe that Be had migrated from the Leizhou Peninsula to northern Hainan about 2,500 years ago during the Warring States period. Weera Ostapirat (1998), analyzing data from Zhang (1992), notes that Be and Jizhao share many lexical similarities and sound correspondences, and that Jizhao may be a remnant Be-related language in China. ==Dialects==

Be consists of the Lincheng (, Western) and Qiongshan (, Eastern) dialects. Liang (1997:32) documents the following varieties of Be. • Lingao County, including Lincheng () and Xinying () towns • Bailian (), Chengmai County • Longtang Township (), Qiongshan District Be of Chengmai is intermediate between the Lincheng and Qiongshan dialects, and has features of both. Chen (2018) contains extensive comparative lexical data for the Be dialects of Changliu (), Yongxing (), Longtang (), Qiaotou (), Huangtong (), and Xinying (). The Qiaotou, Huangtong, and Xinying dialects are unintelligible with the Changliu, Yongxing, Longtang, and Shishan () dialects. Chen (2018) also reconstructs Proto-Ong-Be on the basis of this comparative lexical data. Classification Chen (2018: 82) classifies the Ong-Be dialects into two groups, which are mutually unintelligible with each other. • Ong-Be • Western Ong-Be • Qiaotou • Huangtong • Maniao • Lincheng • Jialai • Meiliang • Xinying • Eastern Ong-Be • Longtang • Longqiao • Longquan (formerly Shizilu ) • Yongxing • Shishan • Changliu • Laocheng Schmitz (2024) suggests three dialects: • Ong-Be (Lingao) • Lingao County Lingao • Bohou • Jialai • Lincheng • Chengmai County Lingao • Haikou City Lingao == Phonology ==

Consonants Initials • is mainly heard in finals, rarely in initials. • can also be heard as in free variation. • can be heard as in the dialect of Xindengyi. Finals Vowels • Vowels in word-initial position are phonetically heard beginning with a glottal . • An open-mid vowel occurs in the Chengmai and Qiongshan dialects. • A near-open central vowel sound also occurs in the Qiongshan dialect. Tones Be is a tonal language. It has 5 tones: • Rising () • High () • Mid () • Low () • Mid checked () The Bolian dialect has also a high checked tone (). ==See also==

• • • Schmitz, Timo. 2024. Family Tree: Tai-Kadai Languages. {url=https://www.academia.edu/114687690/Family_Tree_Tai_Kadai_Languages} ==Further reading==