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Where are Northern Tai languages such as Zhuang and Buyei spoken?
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Tai languages
Major divisions of the Tai languages and related languages.
Northern Tai languages, including Zhuang and Buyei, are primarily spoken in southern China.1
Specifically, the distribution of these languages is as follows:
- Zhuang: Dialects classified as Northern Tai are spoken largely in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.2
- Buyei: This language is spoken in Guizhou province, located just to the north of Guangxi.21
While these languages are concentrated in these Chinese provinces, some Northern Tai dialects are also spoken in Yunnan and Vietnam. Additionally, one specific Northern Tai language, known as Saek, is spoken as far south as Laos and Thailand.3