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The Pumi language (also known as Prinmi) is a Qiangic language used by the Pumi people, an ethnic group from Yunnan, China, as well as by the Tibetan people of Muli in Sichuan, China. Most native speakers live in Lanping, Ninglang, Lijiang, Weixi and Muli.

The autonym of the Pumi is pʰʐə̃55 mi55 in Western Prinmi, pʰɹĩ55 mi55 in Central Prinmi, and pʰʐõ55 mə53 in Northern Prinmi with variants such as pʰɹə̃55 mə55 and tʂʰə̃55 mi53.

In Muli Bonist priests read religious texts in Tibetan, which needs to be interpreted into Prinmi. An attempt to teach Pumi children to write their language using the Tibetan script has been seen in Ninglang. A pinyin-based Roman script has been proposed, but is not commonly used.

Dialects

Earlier works suggest there are two branches of Pumi (southern and northern), and they are not mutually intelligible. Ding (2014) proposes three major groups: Western Prinmi (spoken in Lanping), Central Prinmi (spoken in southwestern Ninglang, Lijiang, Yulong and Yongsheng) and Northern Prinmi (spoken in northern Ninglang and Sichuan).

Lu (2001)

Dialects of Pumi include the following (Lu 2001).

Southern (22,000 speakers)

• Qinghua 箐花村, Lanping County, Yunnan
• Ludian 鲁甸县, Yunnan
• Xinyingpan 新营盘乡, Ninglang County, Yunnan

Northern (55,000 speakers)

• Taoba 桃巴村, Muli County, Sichuan
• Tuoqi 拖七村, Ninglang County, Yunnan
• Zuosuo 左所区, Yanyuan County, Sichuan
• Sanyanlong 三岩龙乡, Jiulong County, Sichuan

Sim (2017)

Sims (2017) lists the following dialects of Pumi.

• Northern
  • Sanyanlong 三岩龙 (B. Huang & Dai 1992)
  • Taoba 桃巴 (Sun 1991)
  • Shuiluo 水洛 (Jacques 2011)
• Central
  • Wadu 瓦都 (Daudey 2014)
  • Niuwozi 牛窝子 (Ding 2001, etc.)
• Southern
  • Dayang (Matisoff 1997)
  • Qinghua 箐花 (Sun 1991; B. Huang & Dai 1992)

Sims (2017) reconstructs high tones and low tones for Proto-Prinmi.

Documentation

Transcribed, translated and annotated audio documents in the Pumi language are available from the Pangloss Collection. They concern Northern dialects of Pumi.

Phonology

Orthography

The pinyin-based Roman script for Pumi has been proposed, but yet to be promoted.

Tones:

• Monosyllabic words
  • f – falling tone
  • v – high tone
  • none – rising tone
• Polysyllable words
  • f – nonspreading of the high tone
  • v – spreading of the high tone to the next syllable
  • r – rising tone
  • none – default low tone

Grammar

A reference grammar of the Wadu dialect of Pumi is available online. A grammar of Central Pumi is also available.

Example

References

1. Northern Pumi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
   Southern Pumi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. Ding, Picus S. (2003). "Prinmi: A Sketch of Niuwozi". In Thurgood, Graham; LaPolla, Randy (eds.). The Sino-Tibetan Languages. London: Routledge Press. pp. 588–601.
3. ^ Lu 2001
4. Ding 2014, chapter 1
5. "Shínián, xiāngcūn "hánguī" zǒujìn xiànxué "pǔmǐbān"" 十年，乡村“韩规”走进县学“普米班”. Dàzhòng wǎng 大众网 (in Chinese). 2011-10-07.
6. Ding, Picus Sizhi (2007). "Challenges in Language Modernization in China: The Case of Prinmi" (PDF). In David, Maya; Nicholas Ostler; Caesar Dealwis (eds.). Working Together for Endangered Languages: Research Challenges and Social Impacts (Proceedings of FEL XI). Bath, England: Foundation for Endangered Languages. pp. 120–126. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-07-26.
7. Ding 2014, chapter 1
8. ^ Sims, Nathaniel (2017). The Suprasegmental Phonology of Proto-Rma (Qiang) in Comparative Perspective. Presented at the 50th International Conference on Sino-Tibetan Languages and Linguistics, Beijing, China.
9. ^ Huang, Bufan 黄布凡; Dai, Qingxia 戴庆厦, eds. (1992). Zàng-Miǎn yǔzú yǔyán cíhuì 藏緬語族語言詞匯 [A Tibeto-Burman Lexicon] (in Chinese). Beijing: Zhongyang minzu xueyuan chubanshe.
10. ^ Sun, Hongkai 孙宏开; et al. (1991). Zàng-Miǎnyǔ yǔyīn hé cíhuì 藏缅语语音和词汇 [Tibeto-Burman Phonology and Lexicon] (in Chinese). Beijing: Zhongguo shehui kexue chubanshe.
11. Jacques 2011b
12. "Nínglàng Yízú Zìzhìxiàn Yǒngníng Xiāng Yǒngníng Cūnwěihuì Zhōngwǎ Zìráncūn" 宁蒗彝族自治县永宁乡永宁村委会中瓦自然村 [Zhongwa Natural Village, Yongning Village Committee, Yongning Township, Ninglang Yi Autonomous County]. ynszxc.net (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2019-01-22.
13. Daudey 2014
14. "Nínglàng Yízú Zìzhìxiàn Xīnyíngpán Xiāng Xīnyíngpán Cūnwěihuì Niúwōzǐ Zìráncūn" 宁蒗彝族自治县新营盘乡新营盘村委会牛窝子自然村 [Niuwozi Natural Village, Xinyingpan Village Committee, Xinyingpan Township, Ninglang Yi Autonomous County]. ynszxc.net (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2019-01-22.
15. Ding, Picus Shizhi (2001). "The Pitch-Accent System of Niuwozi Prinmi" (PDF). Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. 24 (2): 57–83.
16. Matisoff, James A. (1997). "Dàyáng Pumi Phonology and Adumbrations of Comparative Qiangic" (PDF). Mon-Khmer Studies. 27: 171–213.
17. "Pumi corpus". The Pangloss Collection.
18. Daudey 2014
19. Ding 2014

Bibliography

• Ding, Sizhi (1998). Fundamentals of Prinmi (Pumi): A Tibeto-Burman Language of Northwestern Yunnan, China (Ph.D. thesis). Australian National University. doi:10.25911/5D77885FBC7F9. hdl:1885/109290.
• Daudey, Henriëtte (2014). A Grammar of Wadu Pumi (Ph.D. thesis). La Trobe University. hdl:1959.9/517239.
• Ding, Picus (2014). A Grammar of Prinmi: Based on the Central Dialect of Northwest Yunnan, China. Languages of the Greater Himalayan Region 14. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 9789004279773.
• Jacques, Guillaume (2011a). "A Panchronic Study of Aspirated Fricatives with New Evidence from Pumi". Lingua. 121 (9): 1518–1538. doi:10.1016/j.lingua.2011.04.003. S2CID 56166344.
• Jacques, Guillaume (2011b). "Tonal Alternations in the Pumi Verbal System" (PDF). Language and Linguistics. 12 (2): 359–392.
• Lu, Shaozun 陆绍尊 (2001). Pŭmĭyŭ fāngyán yánjiū 普米语方言硏究 [A Dialectal Study of the Pŭmĭ Language] (in Chinese). Beijing: Minzu chubanshe.

v t e Sino-Tibetan branches
Western Himalayas (Himachal, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim)	West Himalayish Tamangic Newaric Newar Baram–Thangmi Kiranti Dhimalish Dhimal Toto Lhokpu Lepcha Greater Magaric Magaric Magar Kham Chepangic Chepang Bhujel Raji–Raute Dura–Tandrange
Eastern Himalayas (Tibet, Bhutan, Arunachal)	Bodish Tibetic East Bodish Tshangla Basum Nam? Gongduk ʼOle Tani Chamdo
Myanmar and Indo- Burmese border	Karbi Kuki-Chin Mruic Mru Hkongso Pyu Taman "Naga" Ao Angami–Pochuri Meitei Tangkhulic Zeme Sal Boro–Garo Konyak Jingpho–Luish
East and Southeast Asia	Sinitic Bai Tujia Nungish Karenic Gong Kathu Cai–Long Caijia Longjia Luren Burmo-Qiangic Qiangic Gyalrongic Ersuic Naic Lolo-Burmese Mondzish Burmish Loloish
Dubious (possible isolates) (Arunachal)	Hrusish Hruso Mijiic Kho-Bwa Puroik Miju–Meyor Songlin Greater Siangic Siangic Koro Milang Idu–Taraon
Proposed groupings	Central Tibeto-Burman Kuki-Chin–Naga Macro-Bai Mahakiranti Rung Tibeto-Burman Tibeto-Kanauri
Proto-languages	Proto-Sino-Tibetan Proto-Tibeto-Burman Proto-Loloish Proto-Karenic Proto-Min Proto-Hakka
Italics indicates single languages that are also considered to be separate branches.

• Qiangic languages
• Languages of Yunnan
• Pumi people
• Languages of Sichuan