Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Miao language

Miao language

9.9
A group of related languages spoken by the Hmong people in southern China and Southeast Asia
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : lengua miao
  • The Miao language is spoken by millions of Hmong people across several Asian countries.

Examples

  • The Miao language has many dialects.

  • She studied the Miao language to better understand local folklore and oral traditions.

  • Linguists classify the Miao language as part of the Hmong-Mien family, though its origins are debated.

  • Many children in China learn the Miao language at school.

  • The Miao language is spoken by millions of Hmong people across several Asian countries.

  • She studied the Miao language to better understand local folklore and oral traditions.

  • Many children in China learn the Miao language at school.

Synonyms

Hmong language
vsMiao language
1 9.0

The language spoken by the Hmong people in Southeast Asia and abroad

is described as of uncertain affiliation rather than stated family belonging
Hmong
vsMiao language
9.9

The language spoken by the Hmong people

is described as of uncertain linguistic classification rather than assigned to a family
Miao
vsMiao language
  • Specialized
9.9

A language that Hmong people speak in southern China and Southeast Asia

expresses uncertainty about linguistic affiliation rather than claiming family membership

Surface Forms

Miao language singular
Miao languages plural

Morphology

Miao + language

The phrase 'Miao language' is transparently compositional: if a learner knows 'Miao' (the name of a people/language) and 'language' (a system of speech), they can infer it refers to the language spoken by the Miao. This X + language pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows a standard naming convention, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand the meaning.

Etymology

Miao language gets its name from the word Miao, a label neighbours used long ago for certain hill communities. One popular story says Miao meant 'the people's speech', so Miao language came to mean the language those Hmong people speak today.