Qiangic | |
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Rmaic | |
Geographic distribution | China |
Linguistic classification | Sino-Tibetan
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Subdivisions | |
Language codes | |
Glottolog | naqi1236 (Na–Qiangic)qian1263 (Qiangic) |
Qiangic (Ch'iang, Kyang, Tsiang, Chinese: 羌語支, "Qiang language group"; also Rmaic,[1] formerly known as Dzorgaic) is a group of related languages within the Sino-Tibetan language family. They are spoken mainly in Southwest China, including Sichuan and northern Yunnan. Most Qiangic languages are distributed in the prefectures of Ngawa, Garzê, Ya'an and Liangshan in Sichuan with some in Northern Yunnan as well.
Qiangic speakers are variously classified as part of the Qiang, Tibetan, Pumi, Nakhi, and Mongol ethnic groups by the People's Republic of China.
The extinct Tangut language of the Western Xia is considered to be Qiangic by some linguists, including Matisoff (2004).[2] The undeciphered Nam language of China may possibly be related to Qiangic.
Lamo, Larong and Drag-yab, or the Chamdo languages, a group of three closely related Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in Chamdo, Eastern Tibet, may or may not be Qiangic.[3][4][5]