Samei
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A language of China
Alternate Names
Sani
User Population
20,000 (Bradley 2007b). Very few monolinguals. Ethnic population: 28,000 (Bradley 2007b).
Location
Yunnan province: Guandu district, Ala and surrounding communities, Kunming, 47 villages; west Yiliang County, 7 villages.
Language Maps
Language Status
6b (Threatened). Language of recognized nationality: Yi.
Language Use
Extinct in some villages close to Kunming, severely endangered to the east in northeast Guandu and Yiliang, endangered in Ala Township, which is the center of the Samei distribution and where most villages are entirely or largely Samei (Bradley 2007a). Some young people, all adults. Most also use Mandarin Chinese [cmn].
Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: High in Chinese.
Traditional religion.