Bit (Khabit, Bid, Psing, Buxing) is an Austroasiatic language spoken by around 2,000 people in Phongsaly Province, northern Laos and in Mengla County, Yunnan, China.
In China, the Buxing people (å¸Âå ´, å¸Â幸, or å¸ÂéÂÂ; IPA: ) are also called Kami (佧米人) or Kabi (佧æ¯Â人, IPA: ).
Yan & Zhou (2012:157) list the following names for Khabit.
The Khabit name for Khmu is ta mÃÂi.
Paul Sidwell (2014) and Svantesson (1990) classify Bit as Palaungic. It is most closely related to Kháng and Quang Lam.
In Laos, Bit is spoken by 2,000 people in the following villages. The speakers call themselves "Laubit".
Kingsada (1999) covers the Khabit (khaa bet) language of Nale village, Bun Neua District, Phongsaly Province, Laos.
In Mengla County, Yunnan, China, Bit (Buxing) is spoken by 539 people as of 2000, in the following villages.
In Menghai County, Yunnan, China, there is a group of people known as the Bajia (å «ç²人) of Menghun (Ã¥ÂÂæ··), not to be confused with the Tai-speaking Bajia of Meng'a Township (Ã¥ÂÂé¿éÂÂ), Menghai County), which is close to the border with Shan State, Myanmar. They live in Manbi Village (æ¼忠æÂÂ), Menghun Town (Ã¥ÂÂæ··éÂÂ), Menghai County, Yunnan (comprising 48 households and 217 persons), and have recently been classified by the Chinese government as ethnic Bulang people. Their autonym is Manbi (æ¼忠) or Bi (å¿ ). The Bajia of Menghun believe that their ancestors had migrated from Laos. They are variously referred to by other ethnic groups as Kabi (å¡忠), Laos Bulang (èÂÂæÂÂå¸ÂæÂÂ), and Manbi people (æ¼忠人). They do not consider themselves to be Bajia (å «ç²人), which is a name given to them by government officials, since they do not believe they are related to the Tai-speaking Bajia of Meng'a. Yunnan (1979) considers Bajia (å «ç²) to be a dialect of Tai Lue based on the group's autonym and language, with 225 Bajia people counted as of 1960. The Bajia had originally migrated from Bajia å «ç², Laojian Mountain èÂÂè©山, Jinggu County. Yunnan (1979) documents the location of Bajia as Jingbo Township (æ¯æÂÂ乡), Meng'a District (Ã¥ÂÂé¿åº), Menghai County.
Yunnan (1979) reports that in Mengla County, the Khabit (Kabie, å¡å«) have close relations with a group called the Bubeng (å¸Âå´©), who numbered 15 households with about 100 people as of 1960, and speak a Hani language. Yunnan (1979) classifies both the Kabie (å¡å«) and Bubeng (å¸Âå´©) as ethnic Hani people.