Editing Zhuang languages (section)

==Varieties==
The Zhuang language (or language group) has been divided by Chinese linguists into northern and southern "dialects" (fāngyán 方言 in Chinese), each of which has been divided into a number of vernacular varieties (known as ''tǔyǔ'' 土語 in Chinese) by Chinese linguists (Zhang & Wei 1997; Zhang 1999:29-30).<ref name="ZhangWei">Zhang Yuansheng and Wei Xingyun. 1997. "Regional variants and vernaculars in Zhuang." In Jerold A. Edmondson and David B. Solnit (eds.), ''Comparative Kadai: The Tai branch'', 77–96. Publications in Linguistics, 124. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics and the University of Texas at Arlington. {{ISBN|978-1-55671-005-6}}.</ref> The [[Wuming County|Wuming]] dialect of Yongbei Zhuang, classified within the "Northern Zhuang dialect", is considered to be the "[[standard language|standard]]" or [[prestige dialect]] of Zhuang, developed by the government for certain official usages. Although Southern Zhuang varieties have aspirated stops, Northern Zhuang varieties lack them.<ref name="Luo">{{Cite book |last=Luo |first=Yongxian |title=The Tai-Kadai Languages |date=2008 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-7007-1457-5 |editor-last=Diller |editor-first=Anthony |location=London |chapter=Zhuang |editor-last2=Edmondson |editor-first2=Jerold A. |editor-last3=Luo |editor-first3=Yongxian}}</ref> There are over 60 distinct tonal systems with 5–11 tones depending on the variety.

Zhang (1999) identified 13 Zhuang varieties.
Later research by the [[Summer Institute of Linguistics]] has indicated that some of these are themselves multiple languages that are not [[mutually intelligible]] without previous exposure on the part of speakers, resulting in 16 separate [[ISO 639-3]] codes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Eric C. |year=2007 |title=ISO 639-3 Registration Authority, Change Request Number 2006-128 |url=http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/cr_files/2006-128.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tan |first=Sharon |year=2007 |title=ISO 639-3 Registration Authority, Change Request Number 2007-027 |url=http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/cr_files/2007-027.pdf}}</ref>

=== Northern Zhuang ===
{{Main|Northern Tai languages}}
Northern Zhuang comprises dialects north of the [[Yong River (Guangxi)|Yong River]], with 8,572,200 speakers<ref name="ZhangWei" /><ref name="Zhang">{{harvp|Zhang|1999}}</ref> ({{ISO 639|ccx|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|ccx}}] prior to 2007):
* '''Guibei''' 桂北 (1,290,000 speakers): [[Luocheng Mulao Autonomous County|Luocheng]], [[Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County|Huanjiang]], [[Rongshui Miao Autonomous County|Rongshui]], [[Rong'an County|Rong'an]], [[Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County|Sanjiang]], [[Yongfu County|Yongfu]], [[Longsheng Various Nationalities Autonomous County|Longsheng]], [[Hechi]], [[Nandan County|Nandan]], [[Tian'e County|Tian'e]], [[Donglan County|Donglan]] ({{ISO 639|zgb|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zgb}}])
* '''Liujiang''' 柳江 (1,297,000 speakers): [[Liujiang District|Liujiang]], North [[Laibin]], [[Yishan County|Yishan]], [[Liucheng County|Liucheng]], [[Xincheng County|Xincheng]] ({{ISO 639|zlj|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zlj}}])
* '''Hongshui He''' 紅水河 (2,823,000 speakers): South [[Laibin]], [[Du'an Yao Autonomous County|Du'an]], [[Mashan County|Mashan]], Shilong, [[Guixian]], [[Luzhai County|Luzhai]], [[Lipu, Guangxi|Lipu]], [[Yangshuo County|Yangshuo]].  Castro and Hansen (2010) distinguished three [[Mutual intelligibility|mutually unintelligible]] [[Variety (linguistics)|varieties]]: Central Hongshuihe ({{ISO 639|zch|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zch}}]), [[Eastern Hongshuihe Zhuang|Eastern Hongshuihe]] ({{ISO 639|zeh|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zeh}}]) and Liuqian ({{ISO 639|zlq|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zlq}}]).<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hansen |first1=Bruce |last2=Castro |first2=Andy |year=2010 |title=Hongshui He Zhuang dialect intelligibility survey |url=http://www.sil.org/resources/archives/8989 |series=SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2010-025}}</ref>
* '''Yongbei''' 邕北 (1,448,000 speakers): North [[Yongning District|Yongning]], ''[[Wuming County|Wuming]]'' (prestige dialect), [[Binyang County|Binyang]], [[Hengxian]], [[Pingguo]] ({{ISO 639|zyb|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zyb}}])
* '''Youjiang''' 右江 (732,000 speakers): [[Tiandong]], [[Tianyang]], and parts of the [[Baise]] City area; all along the [[Youjiang River]] basin area ({{ISO 639|zyj|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zyj}}])
* '''Guibian''' 桂邊 ([[Yei Zhuang language|Yei Zhuang]]; 827,000 speakers): [[Fengshan County|Fengshan]], [[Lingyun County|Lingyun]], [[Tianlin County|Tianlin]], [[Longlin Various Nationalities Autonomous County|Longlin]], North [[Guangnan County|Guangnan]] ([[Yunnan]]) ({{ISO 639|zgn|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zgn}}])
* '''Qiubei''' 丘北 ([[Yei Zhuang language|Yei Zhuang]]; 122,000 speakers): [[Qiubei County|Qiubei]] area ([[Yunnan]]) ({{ISO 639|zqe|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zqe}}])
* '''Lianshan''' 連山 (33,200 speakers): [[Lianshan Zhuang and Yao Autonomous County|Lianshan]] ([[Guangdong]]), North [[Huaiji County|Huaiji]] ([[Guangdong]]) ({{ISO 639|zln|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zln}}])

====Eastern Guangxi====
In east-central Guangxi, there are isolated pockets of Northern Zhuang speakers in [[Zhongshan County|Zhongshan]] (14,200 Zhuang people), [[Pingle County|Pingle]] (2,100 Zhuang people), [[Zhaoping County|Zhaoping]] (4,300 Zhuang people), [[Mengshan County|Mengshan]] (about 5,000 Zhuang people), and [[Hezhou]] (about 3,000 Zhuang people) counties. These include the following varieties named after administrative villages that are documented by Wei (2017).<ref>Wei, Mingying 韦名应. 2017. ''Guidong Zhuangyu yuyin yanjiu'' 桂东壮语语音研究. Beijing: Minzu chubanshe 民族出版社. {{ISBN|978-7-105-14918-6}}.</ref>

*''Lugang'' Village 蘆崗村, Etang Town 鵝塘鎮, Pinggui District 平桂區, [[Hezhou|He County]] 賀縣
*''Qishan'' Village 啟善村, Yuantou Town 源頭鎮, [[Pingle County]]
*''Xiping'' Village 西坪村, Zouma Township 走馬鄉, [[Zhaoping County]]
*''Xie'' Village 謝村, Xinxu Town 新圩鎮, [[Mengshan County]]
*''Nitang'' Village 坭塘村, Yuantou Town 源頭鎮, [[Pingle County]]
*''Linyan'' Village 林岩村, Qingtang Town 清塘鎮, [[Zhongshan County]]

=== Southern Zhuang ===
{{Main|Central Tai languages}}
Southern Zhuang dialects are spoken south of the [[Yong River (Guangxi)|Yong River]], with 4,232,000 speakers<ref name="ZhangWei" /><ref name="Zhang" /> ({{ISO 639|ccy|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|ccy}}] prior to 2007):
* '''Yongnan''' 邕南 (1,466,000 speakers): South [[Yongning District|Yongning]], Central and North [[Fusui County|Fusui]], [[Long'an County|Long'an]], [[Jinzhou]], Shangse, [[Chongzuo]] areas ({{ISO 639|zyn|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zyn}}])
* '''Zuojiang''' 左江 (1,384,000 speakers): [[Longzhou County|Longzhou]] (Longjin), [[Daxin County|Daxin]], [[Tiandeng County|Tiandeng]], [[Ningming County|Ningming]]; [[Zuojiang River]] basin area ({{ISO 639|zzj|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zzj}}])
* '''Dejing''' 得靖 (979,000 speakers): [[Jingxi, Guangxi|Jingxi]], [[Debao County|Debao]], Mubian, [[Napo County|Napo]].  Jackson, Jackson and Lau (2012) distinguished two [[Mutual intelligibility|mutually unintelligible]] [[Variety (linguistics)|varieties]]: [[Yang Zhuang language|Yang Zhuang]] ({{ISO 639|zyg|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zyg}}]) and [[Min Zhuang language|Min Zhuang]] ({{ISO 639|zgm|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zgm}}])<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Jackson |first1=Bruce |last2=Jackson |first2=Andy |last3=Lau |first3=Shuh Huey |year=2012 |title=A Sociolinguistic Survey of the Dejing Zhuang Dialect Area |url=http://www.sil.org/resources/publications/entry/50901 |series=SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2012-036}}.</ref>
* '''Yanguang''' 硯廣 ([[Nong Zhuang language|Nong Zhuang]]; 308,000 speakers): South [[Guangnan County|Guangnan]] ([[Yunnan]]), [[Yanshan District|Yanshan]] area ({{ISO 639|zhn|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zhn}}])
* '''Wenma''' 文麻 ([[Dai Zhuang language|Dai Zhuang]]; 95,000 speakers): [[Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture|Wenshan]] ([[Yunnan]]), [[Malipo County|Malipo]], Guibian ({{ISO 639|zhd|link=yes}} [{{ethnolink|zhd}}])

The [[Tày language|Tày]] and [[Nùng language|Nùng]] language complex in Vietnam is also considered one of the varieties of Central Tai and shares a high [[mutual intelligibility]] with Wenshan Dai and other Southern Zhuang dialects in [[Guangxi]]. The Nùng An language has a mixture of Northern and Central Tai features.

==== Recently described varieties ====
Johnson (2011) distinguishes four distinct Zhuang languages in [[Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture|Wenshan Prefecture]], [[Yunnan]]: [[Nong Zhuang language|Nong Zhuang]], [[Yei Zhuang language|Yei Zhuang]], [[Dai Zhuang language|Dai Zhuang]], and [[Min Zhuang language|Min Zhuang]], all of which are Southern Zhuang varieties except for Yei Zhuang, which is Northern Zhuang.<ref>{{harvp|Johnson|2010}}</ref> [[Min Zhuang language|Min Zhuang]] is a recently discovered Southern Zhuang variety that has never been described previous to Johnson (2011). (''See also [[Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture#Ethnic groups]]'')

[[Pyang Zhuang language|Pyang Zhuang]] and [[Myang Zhuang language|Myang Zhuang]] are recently described Southern Zhuang (Central Tai) languages spoken in [[Debao County]], Guangxi, China.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Language Name and Locationː Pyang Zhuang (Fuping), China [Not on Ethnologue] |url=http://lingweb.eva.mpg.de/numeral/Zhuang-Fuping.htm |url-status=dead |website=lingweb.eva.mpg.de |access-date=2014-02-09 |archive-date=2014-02-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223011156/http://lingweb.eva.mpg.de/numeral/Zhuang-Fuping.htm }}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Liao |first=Hanbo |title=Tonal Development of Tai Languages |date=2016 |degree=M.A. |publisher=Payap University |language=en}}</ref>