| Larong | |
| Also Known As: | Zlarong |
| States: | China |
| Region: | Zogang County, Chamdo Prefecture, Tibet |
| Familycolor: | Sino-Tibetan |
| Fam2: | (unclassified); Qiangic ? |
| Fam3: | Chamdo |
| Glotto: | zlar1234 |
| Glottorefname: | Zlarong |
Larong or Zlarong (autonym: pronounced as /la˥ rɔ˥/; Tibetan name: pronounced as /la˥ ruŋ˥/) is a recently documented Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Zogang and Markam counties of southeastern Chamdo, Tibet. It was recently documented by Zhao (2018)[1] and Suzuki & Nyima (2018).[2] Zhao (2018) tentatively classifies Zlarong as a Qiangic language.
Larong is referred to by the Changdu Gazetteer (2005)[3] as Rumei 如美话, as it is spoken in Rumei Township 如美乡, Markam County.
Zhao (2018) reports the autonym pronounced as /la˥rɔ˥/ and the Tibetan exonym pronounced as /la˥ruŋ˥/ for the speakers. Their language is referred to as pronounced as /mə˥kə˥/ by speakers, and by Tibetans as pronounced as /ma˧˩ke˥˧/ (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).[4]
Larong villages by township:
| Township, County | Villages | |
|---|---|---|
| Renguo Township 仁果乡, Dzogang | Dongba 东坝村, Deqinggang, Zuoke 左科村, Xindi 新德村, Shalong 沙龙村 (Sano), Paba 坝巴村, Jiaka 加卡村, Languo 兰果村, Woba, etc. | |
| Cuowa Township 措瓦乡, Markham | Tongsha 通沙村, Wuba, Zhongri 仲日村, Kuzi 库孜村, Taya 它亚村, Dangreqiaya, etc. | |
| Rumei Town 如美镇, Markham | Rumei 如美村, Zhuka 竹卡村, Lawu 拉乌村, and Dari 达日村 | |
| Qudeng Township 曲登乡, Markham | Qudeng 曲登村 and Dengba 登巴村 |
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).[5]
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:[6]
The dialect spoken in Ringo and Tshonga differs from that of the dialect spoken in Rongsmad and Choedan.
Suzuki & Nyima (2018)[2] 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).
Suzuki & Nyima (2018) report the following phonemes from the Tangre Chaya dialect of Larong.
| Labial | Alveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain | sibilant | |||||||||
| Nasal | voiceless | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | ||||
| voiced | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |||||
| Plosive/ Affricate | tenuis | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |
| aspirated | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |||
| voiced | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |||
| Continuant | voiceless | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | ||||
| voiced | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |||||
| Approximant | voiceless | pronounced as /ink/ | ||||||||
| voiced | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |||||||
| Trill | pronounced as /ink/ | |||||||||
| Front | Central | Back | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |
| Close-mid | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | ||
| Mid | pronounced as /ink/ | ||||
| Open-mid | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |||
| Open | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |||
Syllable structure: cCGV
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.
Zhao (2018: 1-3) lists the following Zlarong words.
| Gloss | Zlarong | |
|---|---|---|
| name | mɛ˥ | |
| medicine | rɛ˥˧ | |
| cloth | rɛ˩˧ | |
| ice | ndza˥ | |
| you | ȵo˥˧ | |
| horse | rɛ˥˧ | |
| road | rə˩˧ | |
| blood | sɛ˥˧ | |
| meat | tɕʰi˩˧ | |
| urine | pi˩˧ | |
| snow | wi˩˧ | |
| water | tɕi˥ | |
| smoke | mu˥kʰu˥ | |
| wind | ma˧˩mi˥ | |
| cloud | ndə˥rə˥ | |
| belly | wu˩˧ | |
| white | tʂʰɔ̃˧˩tʂʰɔ̃˥˧ | |
| black | ȵi˧˩ȵi˥˧ | |
| red | nɛ˥nɛ˥˧ | |
| yellow | nɛ˥nɛ˥˧ | |
| short | wɛ˧˩wɛ˥˧ | |
| wide | pʰa˥pʰa˥˧ | |
| thick | mbo˧˩mbo˥ | |
| fish | ȵɛ˩˧ | |
| sand | tɕy˧˩mɛ˥˧ | |
| doctor | mɛ̃˥pɛ˥˧ | |
| ground | sɛ˥˧ | |
| zero | lɛ˥kɔ˥ | |
| one | ti˩˧kʰi˥ | |
| two | nɛ˧˩ji˥˧ | |
| three | sɔ̃˩˧ | |
| four | ɣə˩˧ | |
| five | ŋa˩˧ | |
| six | tɕʰu˩˧ | |
| seven | ȵɛ˩˧ | |
| eight | ɕɛ˩˧ | |
| nine | ŋgo˩˧ | |
| ten | a˥kõ˥ |