צ׳יאנג צפוני

Northern Qiang (autonymously Rrmea) is a Qiangic Tibeto-Burman language of the Aba Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan, China. The Qiangic family (Northern Qiang cnd, Central Qiang cng, Pumi pmj, rGyalrongic varieties — ~10 languages, total ~250K speakers) is sister to the Bodish-Tibetic branch within Sino-Tibetan, occupying the eastern Tibetan Plateau and Sichuan highlands. Northern Qiang is famous in linguistic literature for its complex stop-fricative system, voiceless sonorants, and unusual tonal contrasts. The 2008 Sichuan earthquake devastated Mao County, the Qiang heartland, displacing many speakers; revitalization through Qiang Pinyin literacy programs continues.