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Larong language

Larong or Zlarong (autonym: '; Tibetan name: ') is a recently documented Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Zogang and Markam counties of southeastern Chamdo, Tibet. It was recently documented by Zhao (2018) and Suzuki & Nyima (2018). Zhao (2018) tentatively classifies Zlarong as a Qiangic language.

Names

Larong is referred to by the Changdu Gazetteer (2005) as Rumei 如美话, as it is spoken in Rumei Township 如美乡, Markam County.

Zhao (2018) reports the autonym ' and the Tibetan exonym ' for the speakers. Their language is referred to as ' by speakers, and by Tibetans as ' (Zhao 2018).

Nyina & Suzuki (2019) report the autonym m̥a55, which is identical to the Drag-yab autonym also reported by them (m̥a55 ~ ma55).

Jiang (2023) refers to the language as Laronghua (拉茸话).

Locations

  • 仁果乡, Mdzo sgang County 左贡县 (Suzuki & Nyima 2018; Zhao 2018), including the village of Phagpa 坝巴村
  • 措瓦乡, Markam County 芒康县
  • 如美镇, Markam County 芒康县 (Changdu Gazetteer 2005), including the village of Tangre Chaya 达日村
  • 曲登乡, Markam County 芒康县 (two villages)

Larong villages by township:

A computational phylogenetic analysis by Jiang (2022) shows that Rumei (如美话) to be the most divergent Chamdo, and is not closely related to the Larong dialect (拉茸话) of Zogang County (左贡县).

Dialects

Larong is spoken in four townships in the Larong valley, along the Lancang River (also known as the Zla chu or Lachu River in Tibetan). The four townships are:

  • Ringo (Chinese: Renguo)
  • Tshonga (Chinese: Cuowa): Larong villages are Tshonga, Rushul, Thosa, Thaya, Drori, and Kuze
  • Rongsmad (Chinese: Rumei): Larong speakers in entire town
  • Choedan (Chinese: Qudeng): Dempa (Chinese: Dengba) and Choedan village clusters, both Larong-speaking

The dialect spoken in Ringo and Tshonga differs from that of the dialect spoken in Rongsmad and Choedan.

Classification

Suzuki & Nyima (2018) note that Zlarong (Larong) is closely related to two other recently documented Sino-Tibetan languages of Chamdo, eastern Tibet, namely Lamo and Drag-yab (spoken in southern Zhag'yab County).

Phonology

Suzuki & Nyima (2018) report the following phonemes from the Tangre Chaya dialect of Larong.

Prenasalisation and preaspiration appear as a preinitial.

Suzuki & Nyima (2018) report that each vowel has a creaky and nasalized counterpart.

Syllable structure: <sup>c</sup>CGV

Tones are high and rising. The first two syllables of each word act as the tone bearing unit. The second syllable is occasionally out of the tone bearing unit.

Vocabulary

Zhao (2018: 1-3) lists the following Zlarong words.

References