Piyo | |
States: | China, Laos |
Ethnicity: | Hani |
Speakers: | 120,000 |
Date: | 1997 |
Ref: | e18 |
Familycolor: | Sino-Tibetan |
Fam2: | Tibeto-Burman |
Fam3: | Lolo–Burmese |
Fam4: | Loloish |
Fam5: | Southern |
Fam6: | Bi-Ka |
Iso3: | byo |
Glotto: | biyo1243 |
Glottorefname: | Biyo |
Piyo (Biyo, Biyue; pronounced as /pi31 jɔ31/ (Jing 2015:11)) is a Loloish language of China. The people are ethnic Hani, and the "Bi-Ka" varieties (Biyo, Kaduo, Enu) are traditionally considered dialects of Hani. However, in the classifications of Bradley (2007) and Lama (2012), they are more distinct from Hani than other related languages are. Lama classifies Mpi as closer to Biyo dialect than Kaduo is.
In Mojiang County, the Upper Biyo (pronounced as /a31tʰa̠31 pi31jɔ31/) and Lower Biyo (pronounced as /a31va̠31 pi31jɔ31/) varieties are mutually intelligible (Jing 2015:11).