Biao
Audio recordings (Yonggu): Andrew Hsiu. (2017). Biao (Yonggu) audio word list. Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1122587
Audio recordings (Dagang): Andrew Hsiu. (2017). Biao (Dagang) audio word list. Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1122591
Audio recordings (Chang'an): Andrew Hsiu. (2017). Biao (Chang'an) audio word list. Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1122593
Conference presentations: Hsiu, Andrew. 2014. The Biao languages of northwestern Guangdong, China.
Transcribed word list (selected words)
Three dialects of Biao were documented from May 8-9, 2013 in:
Yonggu Township 永固镇, Huaiji County, Guangdong, China
Zhailing Village 寨岭村, Dagang Township 大岗镇, Huaiji County, Guangdong, China
Baoshan Village 保山村, Chang'an Township 长安镇, Fengkai County, Guangdong, China
Liang Min (2002) documented the Biao lect of Shidong Township 诗洞镇, Huaiji County, and included a few examples from Yonggu Biao. Biao of Dagang Township 大岗镇 was previously undocumented. Shidong and Yonggu Biao speakers both report each others’ lects to be unintelligible. Dagang Biao is also unintelligible with both Shidong Biao and Yonggu Biao.
(1) Yonggu Township 永固镇, Huaiji County, Guangdong Province
(2) Zhailing Village 寨岭村, Dagang Township 大岗镇, Huaiji County, Guangdong Province
I have also collected data from Baoshan Village 保山村, Chang'an Township 长安镇, Fengkai County, Guangdong Province. This variety turned out to be mutually intelligible with the Dagang lect, since my informant from Zhailing, Dagang was able to fully converse with the Biao speakers of Baoshan when he traveled with me to the field site. Locals in Dagang report that Biao of Liangcun Township 梁村镇 is intelligible and nearly identical with Dagang Biao. Thus, there are at least three mutually unintelligible varieties of Biao, namely (1) Shidong 诗洞, (2) Yonggu 永固, and (3) Dagang 大岗.
Biao appears to share some lexical and phonological links with Lakkja, which some Chinese linguists consider to be a divergent Kam-Sui language. Thus, Biao may form a subgroup with Kam-Sui and/or Lakkja, or it may even constitute a primary branch of Kra-Dai on its own.
Hmong-Mien loanwords
Biao appears to have various loanwords from an unknown branch of Hmong-Mien or Mienic. For the most part, these words are not attested in Lakkia.
Yonggu Biao ɲien53 'liver' < Proto-Hmong-Mien *-hri̯ən 'liver' or PHM *hɲeuŋX 'intestines'
Shidong Biao nam3 'to think' < Proto-Mienic *hnəm B ~ *hləm B, PTB *s-nyam, or OC
Shidong Biao jan2 'blood' < PHM *ntshjamX, PMK *jhaam ~ *jhiim
Shidong Biao lak8 ŋen1 'neck' < PHM *qlaŋ, OC *m-[k]eŋ
Shidong Biao tshat7 'wing' < PHM *N-tat
Shidong Biao ta1 pɔŋ2 'stone' < Proto-Mienic *ʔbeŋ C