AN EXTRA LETTER

MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE!

There are over 7,000 languages spoken worldwide today, but the number is shrinking fast due to globalisation and language extinction. When I get the chance, I enjoy exploring the stories behind some of the more 'obscure' languages we pick up on shortwave bands. However, one language had me fooled, until I looked a little deeper.

At 1015 UTC, I was tuning into Sichuan Ethnic Radio on 7225 kHz, which is broadcast from Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China's Sichuan province. The language listed in several shortwave guides is Yui. So, what is this 'Yui' they're talking about? I hadn’t heard of it before!

Into Google I go, and to my surprise, the search comes up as a Trans–New Guinea language spoken by about 6,500 people in Simbu Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Huh? What's Sichuan Ethnic Radio doing broadcasting a PNG language to its domestic listenership? Doesn't make sense!

More digging in Wikipedia, several specialist language wikis, and finally ChatGPT, I received confirmation that, indeed, Yui is a language spoken in PNG, specifically in the mountainous Central Highlands.

Checking with my DXing mates, Tony Rogers and Mauno Ritola it seems that somewhere along the way, years ago, China's Yi language got an extra letter added to some of the DX lists. Easily done! But these are two vastly different languages: Yui (spoken in PNG) and Yi (spoken in southwestern China). Here is a summary of the two:

Yui Language (Papua New Guinea)

* Region: Chimbu (also spelt Simbu) Province, Papua New Guinea.

* Family: Part of the Trans–New Guinea family (Papuan languages).

* Speakers: Around 6,000–7,000, but the number is declining.

* Writing system: Mostly oral; no long tradition of writing, though some literacy efforts exist.

* Status: Endangered. It is still alive but threatened by urban migration and language shift toward Tok Pisin. Its cultural value is high, especially in oral traditions and music, but it has limited institutional support. Without revitalization efforts, Yui risks endangerment or even extinction within a few generations.

Yi Language (also called Nuosu, 彝语)

* Region: Southwestern China (mainly Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou provinces, plus Guangxi).

* Family: Part of the Tibeto–Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family.

* Speakers: Over 8 million, making it one of the largest minority languages in China.

* Writing system: Has its own Yi script (an indigenous logographic script, reformed into a syllabary in the 20th century).

* Status: Vigorous — widely used in daily life, education, and even media among Yi communities.

So, there you go! Last night's shortwave listening session taught me about both Yui and Yi. Over the decades, much of my education has come through shortwave radio!

You could say that the Mount Evelyn DX Report was brought to you today by the letter U

Now, some of the online frequency lists need to be fixed!

73 and have a great weekend!

Rob Wagner VK3BVW