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Introduction

Yi, also known as Lob, is spoken by about 6 million people in Yunnan Province, southern China. It is a member of the Tibeto--Burman subgroup of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. The origin of the Yi script is unclear. The characters are mainly ideographic, possibly adaptations of the Chinese, but a number seem to be phonetic. In 1958 the Chinese government introduced a Roman-based alphabet for use in Yi.

Family: Sino-Tibetan
Subgroup: Tibeto-Burman

Writing Sample

Translation

1. In ancient times there were differences between man and animal.

2. January likes the autumn rain.

3. February likes the leaves of the grasses.

4. March likes the frog.

5. April is the four-legged snake.

6. May is the house lizard.

7. June assumes the form of man.

8. July has mother's transformation.

9. August unites mother's spirit.

10. September is in mother's bosom.

—Passage describing the growth of a child during its mother's pregnancy