Gepo (Köpu; autonym: ko³³pʰo⁵⁵[2] or ko⁵⁵pʰu²¹[3]) is a Loloish language of Yunnan, China spoken by 100,000 people. The speakers' autonym is kɔ²¹, while the "-po" of "Gepo" means 'people'.[4] It is spoken in 6 villages of Fumin County, eastern Luquan County, and other adjacent counties to the northeast.

Gepo
Native toChina
EthnicityYi
Native speakers
100,000 (2007)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
ygp – Gupo
yyz – Ayizi
Glottologgepo1234
ELPAyizi

(Gao 2017)[5] classifies Geipo (autonym: ke⁵⁵pʰo²¹) 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 edit

Gupo 古泼 (autonym: ko⁵⁵pʰo²¹) 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.[6] Gupo speakers are also referred as the White Yi 白彝, Gan Yi 甘彝, and Little White Yi 小白彝.[6]

The Ayizi 阿夷子 of Aimailong Village 爱买龙,[7] Shilin County refer to themselves as Ge, and may thus speak a language related to Gepo (Bradley 2007).[8] It is also spoken in Banqiao Township 板桥乡, and other parts of Beidacun 北大村乡.[9]

Epo 峨颇 (autonyms: ŋo³³phu²¹, ŋo³³) 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.[10]

  • Longlin County (5,000+ people)
    • De'e Township 德峨乡: Agao 阿稿 (main datapoint), Nadi 那地, Zhebang 者帮, Nongbao 弄保, Tangshi 塘石, etc., in 10 villages total
    • scattered in the townships of Zhelang 者浪, Zhuchang 猪场, Changfa 场发, Kechang 克场, and Yancha 岩茶
  • Napo County (2,000+ people): Dala 达腊, Zhexiang 者祥, Nianbi 念毕, Powu 坡五, etc.
  • Xilin County (about 1,000 people): Bada Town 八达镇 (Yanla 岩腊 village, etc.)

A similar dialect called Wopu 窝普 is reported in Xingyi, Guizhou and Luoping County, Yunnan.[11] 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:

  • Majie Town 马街镇: Dayiben 大以本, Jiudaogou 九道沟, Jigu 吉古
  • Agang Township 阿岗乡: Satuge 洒土格

Guopu 果铺 is reported in Weining County, Guizhou.[12]

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):[13]

  • diɛ²¹o³³ko⁴⁴ (or Pingba Yi 平坝彝; exonyms: Flat-headed Yi 平头彝 or Large White Yi 大白彝)
  • tʂɿ⁴⁴ʂɿ⁴⁴ko⁴⁴ (or Gaoshan Yi 高山彝; exonym: Large White Yi 大白彝)
  • dʐo³³bo³⁵ko⁴⁴ (or Guishan Yi 圭山彝; exonym: Small White Yi 小白彝)

References edit

  1. ^ Gupo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Ayizi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Chen Shilin [陈士林], et al. 1985. Yiyu jianzhi [彝语简志], p.108. Beijing: Ethnic Publishing House [民族出版社].
  3. ^ Yunnan Province Ethnic Minority Languages Gazetteer (云南省志:少数民族语言文字志), p.30
  4. ^ Bradley, David. 2005. "Sanie and language loss in China".International Journal of the Sociology of Language. Volume 2005, Issue 173, Pp. 159–176.
  5. ^ Gao, Katie B. 2017. Dynamics of Language Contact in China: Ethnolinguistic Diversity and Variation in Yunnan. PhD Dissertation: University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
  6. ^ a b Wang Chengyou [王成有]. 2003. Yiyu Fangyan Bijiao Yanjiu [彝语方言比较研究]. Chengdu: Sichuan People's Press [四川民族出版社]. ISBN 7540927658
  7. ^ "石林彝族自治县石林镇小密枝村委会爱买龙自然村". Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  8. ^ Bradley, David. 2007. "East and Southeast Asia."
  9. ^ https://asiaharvest.org/wp-content/uploads/people-groups/China/chinaPeoples/A/Ayizi.pdf[bare URL PDF][dead link]
  10. ^ Li Shengfu 李生福. 2007. 彝语峨颇话概况. 《民族语文》2007年第6期.
  11. ^ http://asiaharvest.org/wp-content/themes/asia/docs/people-groups/China/chinaPeoples/W/Wopu.pdf[bare URL PDF][dead link]
  12. ^ http://asiaharvest.org/wp-content/themes/asia/docs/people-groups/China/chinaPeoples/G/Guopu.pdf[bare URL PDF][dead link]
  13. ^ Jing, Jiang 姜静 (2022). Gepo Yiyu xingtai jufa yanjiu 葛颇彝语形态句法研究. Beijing: Chinese Social Sciences Press 中国社会科学出版社. OCLC 1336346167.