Waic languages

Waic
Ethnicity	Wa people
Geographic distribution	Burma, China
Linguistic classification	Austroasiatic Khasi–Khmuic Palaungo-Khmuic Palaungo-Pakanic Palaungic Waic
Language codes
Glottolog	waic1245

The Waic languages are spoken in Shan State, Burma, in Northern Thailand and in Yunnan province, China.

Classification

Gérard Diffloth reconstructed Proto-Waic in a 1980 paper. His classification is as follows (Sidwell 2009). (Note: Individual languages are highlighted in italics.)

• Waic
  • Samtau (later renamed "Blang" by Diffloth)
    • Samtau
  • Wa–Lawa–La
    • Wa proper
      • Wa
    • Lawa
      • Bo Luang
      • Umphal

The recently discovered Meung Yum and Savaiq languages of Shan State, Burma also belong to the Wa language cluster.

Further reading

• Sidwell, Paul. 2009. Classifying the Austroasiatic languages: history and state of the art. LINCOM studies in Asian linguistics, 76. Munich: Lincom Europa.