Lahu (Lāhù 拉祜) is an important minority language of SW China and SE Asia. It belongs to the Lolo-Burmese subgroup of the Sino-Tibeto-Burman family.
1. General
Lahu belongs to the Central Loloish branch of the Lolo-Burmese (= Yi-Burmese) subgroup of Tibeto-Burman. The two fundamental branches of the Lahu people are the Black Lahu (Lahu Na) and the Yellow Lahu (Lahu Shi). The Black Lahu are far more numerous than the Yellow Lahu in Yúnnán and Burma, and ar…