Hlai

Ha Hlai

Kra-Dai (Hlai)

FamilyKra-Dai (Hlai) Speakers~750K (Li nationality ~1.6M) ScriptLatin (1957 scheme, limited use) CountriesChina (Hainan) Official inNo (recognized minority nationality; a Latin orthography was devised in 1957 but is little used) Vitalitysafe ISO 639-3lic

Hlai is one of the primary branches of Kra-Dai in Ostapirat's classification, a sister to Tai, Kam-Sui, Be and Kra rather than a member of any of them, which gives it weight in reconstructing the family out of proportion to its size. It is spoken on the island of Hainan in China, where the Li nationality numbers about 1.6 million in the 2020 census and forms the largest indigenous group there; the Hlai languages themselves have on the order of 750,000 speakers. The Li are held to be the earliest settlers of Hainan, arriving long before Chinese settlement of the island. A Latin orthography was devised in 1957 on the basis of the Ha (Baoding) variety, and this row gives the Baoding lect. Most speakers today are also bilingual in Hainanese or Mandarin. The digit after each form is a tone-category number; the IPA converts it to Chao values.

Where it is spoken

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87 core words in Ha Hlai

Water

nom3

nom˩˩

Fire

fei1

fei˥˧

Sun

tsha1 hwan1

tsʰa˥˧ hwan˥˧

Moon

ȵa:n1

ȵaːn˥˧

Star

ra:u1

raːu˥˧

Night

tshop7

tsʰop˥˥

Rain

fun1

fun˥˧

Wind

hwo:t7

hwoːt˥˥

Earth

van1

van˥˧

Stone

tshi:n1

tsʰiːn˥˧

Sea

la:ŋ3

laːŋ˩˩

Mother

pai3

pai˩˩

Father

pha3

pʰa˩˩

Daughter

ɬɯ:k7 pai3 khau2

ɬɯːk˥˥ pai˩˩ kʰau˥˥

I

hou1

hou˥˧

You

meɯ1

meɯ˥˧

We

ga / fa1

ɡa / fa˥˧

Name

phe:ŋ1

pʰeːŋ˥˧

Person

u2 a:u1

u˥˥ aːu˥˧

Head

gwou3

ɡwou˩˩

Eye

tsha1

tsʰa˥˧

Ear

zai1

zai˥˧

Nose

khat7

kʰat˥˥

Mouth

pom3

pom˩˩

Tooth

fan1

fan˥˧

Tongue

ɬi:n3

ɬiːn˩˩

Hand

meɯ1

meɯ˥˧

Foot

khok7

kʰok˥˥

Heart

ɬa:u3

ɬaːu˩˩

Bone

vɯ:k7

vɯːk˥˥

Blood

ɬa:ȶ7

ɬaːȶ˥˥

Love

—

—

Tree

tshai1

tsʰai˥˧

Dog

pa1

pa˥˧

Cat

—

—

Fish

ɬa1

ɬa˥˧

Bird

taȶ7

taȶ˥˥

Butterfly

pɯ1 tshom1

pɯ˥˧ tsʰom˥˧

Egg

zɯ:m1

zɯːm˥˧

Bear

mui1

mui˥˧

Horse

ka3

ka˩˩

House

ploŋ3

ploŋ˩˩

Milk

nom3 tshei1

nom˩˩ tsʰei˥˧

Honey

nom3 ko:i1

nom˩˩ koːi˥˧

Salt

ȵa:u3

ȵaːu˩˩

Wine

bi:ŋ2 phu3 tha:u3

biːŋ˥˥ pʰu˩˩ tʰaːu˩˩

Rice

tha2

tʰa˥˥

Iron

go:i1

ɡoːi˥˧

Wheel

pai3 tshia1

pai˩˩ tsʰia˥˧

Silk

diu3

diu˩˩

Book

bui1 tshia3

bui˥˧ tsʰia˩˩

Eat

la2

la˥˥

Drink

hja:u1

hjaːu˥˧

Sleep

kau2

kau˥˥

One

tsheɯ3

tsʰeɯ˩˩

Two

ɬau3

ɬau˩˩

Three

fu3

fu˩˩

Four

tshau3

tsʰau˩˩

Five

pa1

pa˥˧

Hundred

gwa:n1

ɡwaːn˥˧

Hello

—

—

Thank you

—

—

Good

ɬeȵ1

ɬeȵ˥˧

New

pa:n1

paːn˥˧

Red

de:ŋ3

deːŋ˩˩

White

kha:u1

kʰaːu˥˧

Black

dom3

dom˩˩

Green

khi:u1

kʰiːu˥˧

Blue

khi:u1

kʰiːu˥˧

Sugar

nom3 tha:ŋ3

nom˩˩ tʰaːŋ˩˩

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Kra-Dai (Hlai)

Meaning Ha HlaiSuiSouthern DongMaonanMulamLaoSouthern Thai
Water nom3 /nom˩˩/ nam3 /nam˧˧/ nɐm31 /nɐm˧˩/ nam3 /nam˥˩/ nəm4 /nəm˨˦/ ນ້ຳ /naːm˥˨/ น้ำ /nam˧˥/
Fire fei1 /fei˥˧/ vi1 /vi˩˩/ pui55 /pui˥˥/ vi1 /vi˦˨/ fi1 /fi˦˨/ ໄຟ /faj˧˥/ ไฟ /faj˥/
Sun tsha1 hwan1 /tsʰa˥˧ hwan˥˧/ ⁿda1 van1 /ⁿda˩˩ van˩˩/ ta53 mən55 /ta˥˧ mən˥˥/ la:k8 van1 /laːk˨˦ van˦˨/ thəu5 fan1 /tʰəu˦˦ fan˦˨/ ຕາເວັນ /taː˩˧ ven˧˥/ ตะวัน /ta˨˩wan˥/
Moon ȵa:n1 /ȵaːn˥˧/ njen2 /njen˧˩/ kwaŋ55 ɲan55 /kwaŋ˥˥ ɲan˥˥/ ni4 njen2 /ni˨˦ njen˨˧˩/ kɣa:ŋ1 njen2 /kɣaːŋ˦˨ njen˩˨˩/ ດວງເດືອນ /duaŋ˩˧ dɯːan˩˧/ เดือน /dɯan˥/
Star ra:u1 /raːu˥˧/ zət7 /zət˥˥/ ɕət55 /ɕət˥˥/ zət7 /zət˥˥/ la:k8 m̥ət7 /laːk˩˩ m̥ət˥˥/ ດາວ /daːw˩˧/ ดาว /daːw˥/
Night tshop7 /tsʰop˥˥/ saan2 /saːn˧˩/ ɲɐm53 /ɲɐm˥˧/ ʔȵam5 /ʔȵam˦˦/ mu2 /mu˩˨˩/ ຄືນ /kʰɯːn˧˥/ คืน /kʰɯːn˥/
Rain fun1 /fun˥˧/ fən1 /fən˩˩/ pjən55 /pjən˥˥/ fin1 /fin˦˨/ kwən1 /kwən˦˨/ ຝົນ /fɔn˩˧/ ฝน /fɔn˩˧/
Wind hwo:t7 /hwoːt˥˥/ lum1 /lum˩˩/ ləm212 /ləm˨˩˨/ ləm1 /ləm˦˨/ ləm2 /ləm˩˨˩/ ລົມ /lom˧˥/ ลม /lom˥/
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