1. General

The Hlai (Chinese Lí 黎) languages comprise one of the four main branches of the Kra-Dai (also known as Tai-Kadai) phylum. They are spoken almost exclusively on Hǎinán, China, and their speakers were very likely the first inhabitants of the island. The Hlai are currently the largest "minority group" on Hǎinán, which they share with various groups of Chinese (speaking varieties of Sinitic including Hakka or Kèjiāhuà 客家話, Yuè 粵 (Dānzhōuhuà 儋州話), and Southern Mǐn 閩 (Hǎinánese), as well as other ethnic groups…