Ersu language

Ersu
Spoken in	China
Native speakers	9,000  (date missing)
Language family	Sino-Tibetan (Tibeto-Burman) Qiangic Ersu-Namuzi ? Ersu
Writing system	Ersu Shaba script
Language codes
ISO 639-3	ers

Ersu (also called Duoxu or Erhsu) is a Qiangic language of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It is spoken by about 9,000 people in China. There are three main dialects of Ersu, Eastern Ersu, Central Ersu, and Western Ersu but mutual intelligibility is fading. Some linguists speculate Menia is a dialect of Ersu. Older adults use the language in most situations but younger people also use Chinese or Yi. The Ersu Shaba script is the pictographic script of Ersu shābā religious books. The system, in which the color of the characters has an effect on the meaning, was inspired by Chinese writing and it was created in the 11th century.

Grammar

Ersu is primarily a subject–object–verb language. It has three tones.

External links

• Entry for Ersu at Ethnologue
• http://www.am-ccsm.org/operationchina/E/Ersu.asp