The Northern Loloish languages, also known as Northern Ngwi, are a branch of the Loloish languages that includes the literary standard of the Yi people. In Lama's classification, it is called Nisoid, which forms the Nisoish branch together with the Axi-Puoid languages.
Another officially recognized Yi language, Southern Yi, may or may not be a Northern Loloish language, as Pelkey classifies it as a Southeastern Loloish language based on phonological innovations shared with Southeastern instead of Northern Loloish languages. Other Northern Loloish languages are listed below.
Nisu is classified as Southeastern Loloish by Pelkey, but is traditionally classified as a Northern Loloish language. Bradley also lists the endangered Kathu and Mo'ang languages of Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan, China as Northern Loloish languages, but they were later classified as Mondzish by Lama and Hsiu.
Bradley (2007)
Within Northern Loloish, David Bradley recognizes the Nosoid and Nasoid subgroups. Lama also recognizes a distinction between the Nuosu and Nasu clusters, with the Nuosu cluster including Nuosu and Niesu, and the Nasu cluster include Nasu, Gepu, and Nesu.
Chen recognizes two topolectss, namely Nosu and Nasu.
Nosu 诺苏方言
Nasu 纳苏方言
*Nàsū 纳苏次方言
**Nàsū 纳苏 : 400,000 speakers in Luquan, Wuding, Xundian, Huize, Dongchuan, Songming, etc.
**Naso, Nàsuǒ 纳索 : 300,000 speakers in Zhaotong, Ludian, Yiliang, Daguan, Yanjin, Suijiang, Yongshan, Qiaojia, Huize, etc.
**Alo, Āluó 阿罗 : 100,000 speakers in Wuding, Fumin, Lufeng, etc.
**Mongi, Mòqí 莫其 : 50,000 speakers in Wuding, Luquan, Songming, Kunming, Mile, etc.
*Nersu, Nèisū 内苏次方言
**Nersu, Nèisū 内苏 : 300,000 speakers in Weining, Shuicheng, Hezhang, Nayong, Yiliang, Huize, Xuanwei, Weixin, Zhenyong, etc.
**Nipu, Nípǔ 尼普 : 300,000 speakers in Bijie, Qianxi, Jinsha, Dafang, Zhijin, Nayong, Qingzhen, Pingba, Puding, Liuzhi, Guanling, Zhenning, etc.
*Noso, Nuòsuǒ 诺索次方言
**Noso, Nuòsuǒ 诺索 : 100,000 speakers in Panxian, Xingren, Pu'an, Xingyi, Qinglong, Shuicheng, Fuyuan, Luoping, etc.
**Polo, Bǔluó 补罗 : 50,000 speakers in Kaiyuan, Gejiu, Mengzi, Honghe, Wenshan, Yanshan, etc.
Li lists the following autonyms for the Yi people of these counties.
Xide County: '
Luquan County, Xundian County: '
Shilin County: ', '/'
Weining County: '
Dafang County: '
Eshan County: '
Luquan County: '
Pan County: '
Longlin County: '
Liangshan County: ,
Other autonyms listed by Dai :
Luquan County: ' ; '; '
Mojiang County: '
The of southwestern Guizhou reside in Pingdi 坪地, Pugu 普古, and Jichangping 鸡场坪 townships, Pan County; Longchang 龙场 and Fa'er 法耳 township, Shuicheng County.
Innovations
Pelkey lists the following as Northern Ngwi innovations that had developed from Proto-Ngwi.
Proto-Ngwi tone categories H and L flipped
Proto-Ngwi tone categories *1 and *2 merged to mid-level
Proto-Ngwi tone category *3 > low-falling
Lexicalized family group classifiers with frequent monosyllabic forms
Burmic extentive paradigm is highly grammaticalized, with few lexical innovations
