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Laghuu (Vietnamese: Xá Phó, Phù Lá Lão) is a Loloish language spoken in northwestern Vietnam. In Nậm Sài, Sa Pa Town, the speakers' autonym is la21 ɣɯ44, while in Sơn La Province it is la21 ɔ44. The people are also called the Phù Lá Lão by the Vietnamese.

Edmondson considers Laghuu to be related to but not part of the Yi language complex of China. Jamin Pelkey (2011) considers Laghuu to be a Southeastern Loloish language.

Distribution

Laghuu is spoken in the following locations by a total of about 1,000 people (Edmondson 1999 & 2002).

• Lào Cai province
  • Văn Bàn district
  • Bảo Thắng district
  • Bát Xát district
    • A Lù
  • Sa Pa town
    • Nậm Sài
  • Cam Đường (near Lào Cai city)
• Yên Bái province
  • Văn Yên district
• Sơn La province
  • Thuần Giáo

The Vietnam, Laghuu speakers are officially classified as part of the Phù Lá ethnic group. Some Laghuu are known as "Black Phu La," and others as "Flowery Phu La."

Phonology

Phonotactics

Words in Laghuu are typically disyllabic compounds, consisting of two single-syllable morphemes, as in other Yi languages. A syllable may be divided into an initial, a rhyme, and a tone. The initial is not obligatory, and it usually consists of a single consonant, though it may also be a cluster consisting of a velar stop followed by a lateral. The rhyme consists of a nuclear vowel followed by a glide /-i, -u/ or a nasal coda /-m, -n, -ŋ/, with /ŋ/ being the most common coda nasal.

Consonants

Laghuu has the following consonants. In addition to these single consonants, Laghuu also allows syllables to begin with velar stop + alveolar lateral sequences: /kl, khɬ, gl, ŋkhɬ/.

Vowels

Laghuu has the following vowels. Also, the diphthongs /ai/, /au/, /ɯi/ occur.

Tones

Laghuu has five tones:

• high /˥/ (/55/)
• high-mid /˦/ (/44/)
• low-mid /˧/ (/33/)
• low-rising /˨˦/ (/24/)
• low-falling /˨˩/ (/21/)

Notes

1. Laghuu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. Raymond G. Gordon Jr., ed. 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 15th edition. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
3. ^ Edmondson, Jerold A.; Lama, Ziwo (1999). "Laghuu or Xá Phó, A New Language of the Yi Group" (PDF). Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. 22 (1): 1–10. Retrieved 20 January 2024.

References

• Edmondson, Jerold A. (25 June 2002). "The Central and Southern Loloish Languages of Vietnam". Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society. 28 (2): 1. doi:10.3765/bls.v28i2.1042.
• Nguyễn Văn Huy (1975). "Bước đầu tim hiểu mối quan hệ tộc người giữa hai nhóm Phù Lá và Xá Phó". In, Ủy ban khoa học xã hội Việt Nam: Viện dân tộc học. Về vấn đề xác định thánh phần các dân tộc thiểu số ở miền bắc Việt Nam, 415-428. Hà Nội: Nhà xuất bản khoa học xã hội.
• http://ling.uta.edu/jerry/vietTB1.pdf
• https://web.archive.org/web/20100627045649/http://ling.uta.edu/~jerry/tbv.pdf

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.

• Loloish languages
• Languages of Vietnam