Tày language

Tày or Thổ (a name shared with the unrelated Thổ and Cuoi languages) is the major Tai language of Vietnam, spoken by more than a million Tày people in Northeastern Vietnam.

Distribution

 * Vietnam: northern provinces (including Cao Bang Province and Quang Ninh Province)
 * China: in the border area of Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan and Guangxi (mainly Jingxi County)
 * Laos: northern region.

Varieties
Tày linguistic varieties include the following:


 * Tày Bảo Lạc – spoken in Bảo Lạc District, western Cao Bang province.
 * Tày Trùng Khánh – spoken in Trùng Khánh District, northeastern Cao Bang province.
 * Thu Lao or Dai Zhuang varieties are considered to be a different language.

Consonants

 * The Cao Bẳng Tày dialect is the only variety to have the sounds.

Vowels

 * There are also three semivowels that mainly occur in syllable-coda position in combination with other vowel sounds.  are typically realized as consonant sounds .  follows front vowels  and central vowels .  follows back vowels  as well as central vowels . However,  only follows.

Tones
Six tones are present in Cao Bẳng Tày: