Gepo language

Gepo (Köpu; autonym: ' or ') is a Loloish language of Yunnan, China spoken by 100,000 people. The speakers' autonym is ', while the "-po" of "Gepo" means 'people'. It is spoken in 6 villages of Fumin County, eastern Luquan County, and other adjacent counties to the northeast.

(Gao 2017) classifies Geipo (autonym: ') as a Central Ngwi language. In Wuding County, it is spoken by 250 people in Gubai Village, Shishan Township and by 30 people in Yaoying Village, Shishan Township in Micha-majority villages.

Distribution and varieties

Gupo 古泼 (autonym: ') is spoken in Mile, Songming, Xundian, Zhanyi, Luoping, Shizong, Luxi, Shilin, Luliang, Yiliang, Fuyuan, Qiubei, Luquan, Huize, and Yiliang counties by about 100,000 speakers. Gupo speakers are also referred as the White Yi 白彝, Gan Yi 甘彝, and Little White Yi 小白彝.

The Ayizi 阿夷子 of Aimailong Village 爱买龙, Shilin County refer to themselves as Ge, and may thus speak a language related to Gepo (Bradley 2007). It is also spoken in Banqiao Township 板桥乡, and other parts of Beidacun 北大村乡.

Epo 峨颇 (autonyms: ', ') is an Eastern Yi language variety spoken by about 8,000 people in the following villages of Longlin, Napo, and Xilin counties in western Guangxi.

A similar dialect called Wopu 窝普 is reported in Xingyi, Guizhou and Luoping County, Yunnan. The Luoping County Gazetteer (1995:601) reports that Wopu 窝普 (also called Large Black Yi 大黑彝) is spoken in the following locations in Luoping County:

Guopu 果铺 is reported in Weining County, Guizhou.

Jing (2022) documents the Gepo 葛颇 dialect of Xiaozhiyi Village 小直邑村 (Gepo name: kʰɑ⁴⁴m̩³³), Baishui Town 白水镇, Luxi County 泸西县. The village is located in the Dongshan 东山 area of Luxi County 泸西县. Some Gepo subgroups in and around Luxi County, who all refer to themselves as ko⁴⁴ or ko⁴⁴pʰu²¹, include the following (Jing 2022:2):