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Na (or Narua, Mosuo) is a language of the Naish subbranch of the Naic group of the Sino-Tibetan languages.

Varieties

Yongning Na, which is spoken in Yongning Township, Ninglang County, Lijiang, Yunnan, China, has been documented by Jacques and Michaud (2011). It has three tonal levels. A trilingual dictionary is available online.

Lataddi Narua is notable for having only two tonal levels.

Phonology

Consonants

• /t, tʰ, d, n, l/ can be heard as when preceding vowel sounds /ɯ, u, v̩, ɤ, æ/.
• /p, pʰ, b, m, w/ can be heard as when preceding vowel sounds /ɯ, u, v̩/.
• /ɣ/ can also be heard as uvular in word-initial position.
• /w, h/ is also heard as voiceless in free variation.
• /n/ is heard as velar when before velar stops.
• is heard in initial position before vowels.

Vowels

• /ɯ/ can be heard as in syllable-initial position and as retroflex when after retroflex consonants.

References

1. Na at Ethnologue (24th ed., 2021)
2. Jacques, Guillaume, and Alexis Michaud. 2011. "Approaching the historical phonology of three highly eroded Sino-Tibetan languages." Diachronica 28:468-498.
3. Michaud, Alexis (2017). Tone in Yongning Na: Lexical tones and morphotonology. Studies in Diversity Linguistics. Berlin: Language Science Press. ISBN 978-3-946234-87-6.
4. Michaud, Alexis; Latami, Dashilamu; Milan, Pascale-Marie; Galliot, Benjamin (2024). Na (Mosuo) – English – Chinese dictionary (version 2.0 ed.). France: Lexica.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
5. Dobbs, Roselle, and La Mingqing. 2016 "The two-level tonal system of Lataddi Narua." Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area, Vol. 39:1 (2016), 67–104. doi:10.1075/ltba.39.1.04dob
6. Lidz, Liberty A. (2010). A Descriptive Grammar of Yongning Na (Mosuo). University of Texas at Austin.
7. Zhenhong, Yang (2009). An overview of the Mosuo language. Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area 32. pp. 1–43.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

v t e Sino-Tibetan branches
Western Himalayas (Himachal, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim)	West Himalayish Tamangic Newaric Newar Baram–Thangmi Kiranti Dhimalish Dhimal Toto Lhokpu Lepcha Greater Magaric Magaric Magar Kham Chepangic Chepang Bhujel Raji–Raute Dura–Tandrange
Eastern Himalayas (Tibet, Bhutan, Arunachal)	Bodish Tibetic East Bodish Tshangla Basum Nam? Gongduk ʼOle Tani Chamdo
Myanmar and Indo- Burmese border	Karbi Kuki-Chin Mruic Mru Hkongso Pyu Taman "Naga" Ao Angami–Pochuri Meitei Tangkhulic Zeme Sal Boro–Garo Konyak Jingpho–Luish
East and Southeast Asia	Sinitic Bai Tujia Nungish Karenic Gong Kathu Cai–Long Caijia Longjia Luren Burmo-Qiangic Qiangic Gyalrongic Ersuic Naic Lolo-Burmese Mondzish Burmish Loloish
Dubious (possible isolates) (Arunachal)	Hrusish Hruso Mijiic Kho-Bwa Puroik Miju–Meyor Songlin Greater Siangic Siangic Koro Milang Idu–Taraon
Proposed groupings	Central Tibeto-Burman Kuki-Chin–Naga Macro-Bai Mahakiranti Rung Tibeto-Burman Tibeto-Kanauri
Proto-languages	Proto-Sino-Tibetan Proto-Tibeto-Burman Proto-Loloish Proto-Karenic Proto-Min Proto-Hakka
Italics indicates single languages that are also considered to be separate branches.

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