Editing Nuosu language (section)

{{Short description|Prestige language of China's Yi people}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Nuosu
| altname          = Northern Yi, Liangshan Yi, Sichuan Yi
| nativename       = {{lang|ii-Yiii|ꆈꌠꉙ}} {{transliteration|ii|''Nuosuhxop''}}
| image            = 
| imagecaption     = 
| states           = [[China]]
| region           = Southern [[Sichuan]], northern [[Yunnan]]
| ethnicity        = [[Yi people|Yi]]
| speakers         = 2 million
| date             = 2000 census
| ref              = e18
| refname          = Nuosu
| familycolor      = Sino-Tibetan
| fam2             = [[Tibeto-Burman languages|Tibeto-Burman]]
| fam3             = [[Lolo–Burmese languages|Lolo–Burmese]]
| fam4             = [[Loloish languages|Loloish]]
| fam5             = [[Nisoish languages|Nisoish]]
| fam6             = [[Northern Loloish languages|Nisoid]]
| script           = [[Yi syllabary]], formerly [[Yi logograms]]
| stand1           = Liangshan (Cool Mountain) dialect
| iso1             = ii
| iso1comment      = Sichuan Yi, Nuosu
| iso2             = iii
| iso2comment      = Sichuan Yi, Nuosu
| iso3             = iii
| iso3comment      = Nuosu, Sichuan Yi
| glotto           = sich1238
| glottoname       = Sichuan Yi
| notice           = IPA
| minority         = {{flag|China}} (Yunnan province)
| map              = Nuosu Language.jpg
}}

'''Nuosu''' or '''Nosu''' ({{script|Yiii|ꆈꌠꉙ}}, transcribed as {{transliteration|ii|Nuo su hxop}}), also known as '''Northern Yi''', '''Liangshan Yi''', and '''Sichuan Yi''', is the [[prestige language]] of the [[Yi people]]; it has been chosen by the Chinese government as the standard [[Yi language]] ({{zh|s=彝语}}) and as such is the only one taught in schools in both oral and written forms. It was spoken by two million people and was increasing (as of PRC census); 60% were monolingual (1994 estimate). 
Nuosu is the native Nuosu name for their own language and is not used in [[Mandarin Chinese]], though it may sometimes be translated as ''Nuòsūyǔ'' ({{zh|s=诺苏语 |t=諾蘇語}}).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Zhu |first1=Wenxu 朱文旭 |title=Yíyǔ jīchǔ jiàochéng |last2=Munai |first2=Reha 木乃热哈 |last3=Chen |first3=Guoguang 陈国光 |date=2006 |publisher=Zhongyang minzu daxue chubanshe |edition=4th |location=Beijing |language=zh |script-title=zh:彝语基础教程}}</ref>

The occasional terms "Black Yi" ({{zh|labels=no|c=黑彝 |p=hēi Yí}}) and 'White Yi' ({{zh|labels=no|c=白彝 |p=bái Yí}}) are [[caste]]s of the Nuosu people, not dialects.{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}}

Nuosu is one of several often [[mutually unintelligible]] varieties known as Yi, Lolo, Moso, or Noso. The six Yi languages recognized by the Chinese government have only 25% to 50% of their vocabulary in common. They share a common [[Yi script|traditional writing system]], but that is used for [[shamanism]], rather than daily accounting.{{Citation needed|date=September 2014}}

According to the ''[[Encyclopedia Britannica]]'', it is one of the eight [[Tibeto-Burman languages]] with over 1,000,000 speakers (others being [[Burmese language|Burmese]], [[Lhasa Tibetan|Tibetan]], [[Meitei language|Meitei]], [[Bai language|Bai]], [[Karen language|Karen]], [[Hani language|Hani]], [[Jingpo language|Jingpo]]).<ref>{{Cite encyclopaedia |last=Matisoff |first=James A.|date=November 2008 |orig-date=First published online 1998|title=Tibeto-Burman languages |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tibeto-Burman-languages |access-date=2024-10-03 |encyclopaedia= Encyclopaedia Britannica |language=en |quote=There are 8 Tibeto-Burman languages with over 1,000,000 speakers (Burmese, Tibetan, Bai, Yi [Lolo], Karen, Meitei, Hani, Jingpo){{nbsp}}...|others=Revised 2008, by Elizabeth Prine Pauls}}
* Note: ''Encyclopedia Brittanica'' defines modern Tibetan as having "four dialect groups: Central, Southern, Northern (in northern Tibet), and Western (in western Tibet)". {{Cite encyclopaedia |title=Tibetan language |date=1998 |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tibetan-language |encyclopaedia= Encyclopaedia Britannica |language=en }}</ref>