Ersu language
Encyclopedia
Ersu is a Qiangic language
of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It is spoken by about 9,000 people in China
. There are three main dialects of Ersu, Eastern Ersu, Central Ersu, and Western Ersu but mutual intelligibility is fading. Some linguists speculate Menia is a dialect of Ersu. Older adults use the language in most situations but younger people also use Chinese
or Yi
. The Ersu Shaba script
is the pictographic script of Ersu shābā religious books. The system, in which the color of the characters has an effect on the meaning, was inspired by Chinese writing and it was created in the 11th century.
Qiangic languages
Qiangic or Kiangic, formerly known as Dzorgai, is a language group of the northeastern Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family, spoken mainly in Southwestern China, including Sichuan, Tibet, and Yunnan....
of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It is spoken by about 9,000 people in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. There are three main dialects of Ersu, Eastern Ersu, Central Ersu, and Western Ersu but mutual intelligibility is fading. Some linguists speculate Menia is a dialect of Ersu. Older adults use the language in most situations but younger people also use Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
or Yi
Yi language
Nuosu , 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 and, as such, is the only one taught in school, both in its oral and written form...
. The Ersu Shaba script
Ersu Shaba script
The Ersu Shaba script, also called Ersu Shaba Picture Writing and known in Ersu as , is the writing system used in texts of the indigenous religion of the Ersu people, which is rendered in Chinese as Shābā. These scriptures are recited in divination and when treating the sick...
is the pictographic script of Ersu shābā religious books. The system, in which the color of the characters has an effect on the meaning, was inspired by Chinese writing and it was created in the 11th century.
External links
- Entry for Ersu at Ethnologue
- http://www.am-ccsm.org/operationchina/E/Ersu.asp