Language name and location: Sadu, Yunnan, China [Not reported on the Ethnologue]

语言名称和分布地区: 撒都语, 云南省中部玉溪市红塔区春和镇波衣村和大石板村，母语使用人数大约一千五百人。

1. te²¹

21.  tɕi³³  tɕɿ²¹

2. ȵi²¹

22.  tɕi³³ ȵi²¹

3. sə³³

23.  tɕi³³ sə³³

4. li³³

24.  tɕi³³ li³³

5. ŋo³³

25.  tɕi³³ ŋo³³

6. tsʰv̩³¹

26.  tɕi³³ tsʰv̩³¹

7. sɿ²⁴

27.  tɕi³³ sɿ²⁴

8. xe⁴²

28.  tɕi³³ xe⁴²

9. ɡɯ³³

29.  tɕi³³ ɡɯ³³

10. tɕʰi²¹

30.  sə³³ tɕʰi³³ 

11. tɕʰi²¹ tɕi³³

40.  li³³ tɕʰi³³

12. tɕʰi²¹ ȵi³¹

50.  ŋo³³ tɕʰi³³ 

13. tɕʰi²¹ sə³³

60.  tsʰv̩³¹ tɕʰi³³ 

14. tɕʰi²¹ li³³

70.  sɿ²⁴ tɕʰi³³

15. tɕʰi²¹ ŋo³³

80.  xe⁴² tɕʰi³³

16. tɕʰi²¹ tsʰv̩³¹

90.  ɡɯ³³ tɕʰi³³  

17. tɕʰi²¹ sɿ²⁴

100. te²¹ xo²¹

18. tɕʰi²¹ xe⁴²

200. ȵi³¹ sə˞²¹

19. tɕʰi²¹ ɡɯ³³

1000. te²¹ sə˞^21,

20. ȵi²¹tɕi³³ 

2000. ȵi³¹ tu⁴⁴, 10,000. te²¹ va⁵⁵

Linguist providing data and dateː Prof. Xianming Xu, Research Centre for Endangered Languages, Yuxi Normal University, Yuxi City, Yunnan, China, December 18, 2010.

提供资料的语言学家: 许鲜明教授 (云南省玉溪师范学院), 2010 年 12 月18 日.

Other comments: Sadu is a newly discovered language with a numeral system similar to that of Lisu language. There is almost no literature on the Sadu ethnic group. The historical background we acquired was mainly from oral narration delivered by the elders in the three hamlets. According to limited local Chinese records and some olders’ oral narrations, it was said that Li clan in Jiaoyuan and Bi clan in Dashuitang hamlet moved from Hetaoyuan Township in Kunyan County and Baofeng Township of Jinning County in the Qing Dynasty. Originally they belonged to a sub-branch of Yi who claimed to be “Samodu”, whose ancestors were referred to “Ximodi” in Tang Dynasty, and as “Ximotu” in Yuan Dynasty. This group of people was named as “Bailuoluo Samodu” after Ming Dynasty. Nowadays, the villagers of the Li clan acknowledge that they are the descendants of Dali Bai nationality, however. They call themselves Sadu. Yet they use different names to distinguish themselves from one hamlet to another. The people from Xincun village call themselves Suonapo. The people from Tashuitang call themselves Tatapo; The people from Jiaoyuan claimed themselves Lilepo. They all were referred as Bai-Yi before 1958. They were designated by the Government as Bai nationality in 1858. Nevertheless, the language is very unique. It is neither intelligible to Yinyuan Bai, nor Dali Bai, nor local Yi. Sadly, we found that the descendants of preceding generations in Hetaoyuan and Baofeng Townships now all have shifted Chinese. Therefore, this group of people was redefined as the Sadu. According the identification, the Sadu language belongs to one of the languages of the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. However, the Sadu language is a lesser-known language. It is not intelligible to Bai, nor the neighboring Yi. It is necessary to redefine the genetic affiliation explicitly based on core words, phonology, words formation and grammar analysis as well as comparison with related language Yuxi Municipality is located in the middle of Yunnan Province, with a distance of 88 kilometers from Kunming city, the provincial capital. Yuxi Municipality, with a total area of 15,285 km², consists of one district and eight counties under its jurisdiction, namely, Hongta District, Tonghai County, Jiangchuan County, Chengjiang County, Huaning County, Yimen County, Eshan Yi Autonomous County, Xinping Yi and Dai Autonomous County and Yuanjiang Hani, Yi and Dai Autonomous County. There are 25 nationalities with a total population of 2.276 million in Yuxi Municipality. They are Chinese, Yi, Hani, Dai, Hui, Bai, Mongolia, Miao, Lahu nationality groups, etc. Over 33 percent of the total population in the Yuxi Municipality territory is the minority nationalities. Hongta District, where is the political, economic and cultural center has a population of 400,000 in 2009 census. There are 3 sub-districts, 6 towns, and 2 townships of Nationalities under the jurisdiction of Hongta District. They are Yuxinglu Sub-district, Fenghuanlu Sub-district and Yudailu Sub-district; Beicheng Township, Chunhe Township, Liqi Township, Dayingjie Township, Yanhe Township, Gaocan Township, Xiaoshiqiao Yi Nationality Township and Luohe Yi Nationality Township. The Sadu inhibit in Jianyuan village at Beicheng Township, Xincun and Dashuitang villages in Chunhe Township. The three hamlets are located in east longitude 102°17′32″ and north latitude 24°08′30″, in the mountains between 1700 and 1900 meters height above sea-level. The distances among three hamlets are ranged from 6 to 10 km. They are surrounded by Yi, Han, Hani and Hui as well as other minority nationalities. It is located in a high mountain, 6 km away from the Cluster seat, and 20 km away from Beicheng Township government headquarter, and 40 km away from Yuxi city seat. Xincun and Dashuitang are two of four hamlets at Boyi Village Cluster. They are 4 and 6 km away from the Cluster seat, and 12 and 18 km away from Chunhe Township government headquarter, and 20 and 26 km away from Yuxi city seat, respectively.

The total population in Chunhe Township Administrative jurisdiction is 55,368. Of them 5,310 are Yi; 996 are the Sadu, officially Bai. The population in three hamlets are 1756, the Sadu are 1505, which comprises 85.7 percent. The Yi are 175 and Han are 21, which comprise 9.97 and 1.2 percent, respectively. Other minority nationalities are only 5, which comprise 0.3 percent, who came to the village by marriage.