The language spoken by the Li ethnic group in southernmost
Chinese province of Hainan is now threatened with extinction due to
the prevalence of putonghua, standard and official Chinese
language, experts have warned.
No more than 500,000 among the one million Li people in Hainan
can speak authentic Li language or dialect, according to experts
with the Hainan Provincial Committee of China Association for
Promoting Democracy, which is mainly composed of intellectuals
working in the fields of culture, education, publication and
science.
Li dialect, a language unique to the island province of Hainan,
is also the most peculiar language in Zhuang-Dong branch of the
Sino-Tibetan language family. The latest studies show that it has a
close relationship with languages of Malay in Malaysia, Tagalog in
the Philippines, and Gaoshan dialect in another China's island
province of Taiwan.
Research on the Li dialect in Hainan will be of great help to
study the immigration history of Hainan people in early times and
their relationship with other ethnic groups in southeast Asian
nations, experts said.
Experts with the Hainan Provincial Committee of China
Association for Promoting Democracy suggested linguists fully study
the Li language through recording the existing folk tales and songs
of the Li ethnic group.
They also advise the local government to set up special task
force and allocate special funds to preserve the endangered Li
dialect.
The Li people, together with the Zhuang, Bouyei, Dong and Dai
ethnic groups, can trace its origin back to the ancient "Yue"
people who inhabited in the areas where are now south China's
Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Yue people moved to the Hainan Island and became the Li ethnic
group. However, the Li people's language is different from those
spoken by other descendants of the Yue people who live in other
parts of the country. A written form for the Li language was worked
out in 1957. Many Li people also speak the Han language.
The Li people are mainly engaged in farming, but some also in
handicrafts, animal raising and commerce for living. They live in
the scenic sub-tropical zone, which is a good place for the growing
of crops. Marine products also are abundant in their area.
The women are skilled in weaving and embroidery. They make
beautiful scarves, bedclothes and other products decorated with
bright-colored patterns of birds, animals, flowers and figures. The
exquisite Li brocade enjoys a high reputation.
Singing is part of their life. Men and women, old and young, can
compose and sing songs impromptu. The Li folk songs are melodious
and expressive. Their musical instruments include mouth harps, nose
flutes and multi-piped flutes.
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(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2006)
