THC Science

Phukha
Phukha
Phula
Native to	China, Vietnam
Ethnicity	18,000 Phula people (undated – 2009)
Native speakers	100,000 (2008–2011)
Language family	Sino-Tibetan Lolo-Burmese Loloish Southeastern Highland Phula Phowa Hlepho–Phukha Phukha; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Language codes
ISO 639-3	phh
Glottolog	phuk1235
ELP	Phula
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Phukha is a Loloish language spoken by the Phula people of Vietnam and China.^[1]

Distribution

Phukha is spoken near Lao Cai town; Xin Mun District of Ha Giang Province and Lai Chau and Son La Provinces in Vietnam and villages in Maguan, Malipo and Hekou Counties in China. Phula people in Yen Bai Province do not speak Phukha but speak Laghuu.

Phukha has the following consonants.^[2]

		Labial	Coronal			Retroflex	Palatal	Velar	Uvular
		Labial	Plain	Lateral	Sibilant	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar	Uvular
Plosive/ Affricate	Aspirated	pʰ	tʰ	tɬʰ	tsʰ	tʂʰ	tʃʰ	kʰ
	Voiceless	p	t	tɬ	ts	tʂ	tʃ	k
	Voiced	b	d	dɮ				ɡ
Fricative	Voiceless	f	s	ɬ		ʂ	ʃ		χ
	Voiced	v	z	ɮ		ʐ	ʒ		ʁ
	Laryngealized	v̰	z̰				ʒ̰
Nasal		m	n					ŋ
Approximant		w		l			j

Phukha has the following vowels.^[2]

Phukha has five tones:^[2] high /˥/ (/55/), mid /˧/ (/33/), low /˨/ (/22/), low-rising /˨˦/ (/24/), and low-falling /˨˩/ (/21/).

Robert Wayne Fried. 2000. "A Preliminary Phonological Sketch of Phu-kha, a Tibeto-Burman Language Spoken in Northern Vietnam," University of Texas at Arlington MA thesis.
Jamin R. Pelkey. 2005. "Puzzling over Phula: Toward the Synthesis and Statement of a Sub-Branch," Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area 28/2:41-78.