Yawyin elder H & S. Yawyin was a term that was sometimes used in relation to Lisu peoples. It was considered an insult by Lisu peoples themselves and was never employed when talking about oneself.
"They are a very scattered tribe and their dress and dialect vary from one district to another. Mr Fraser of the Inland China Mission who is the greatest authority on the Lisus states that in their several dialects he finds sixty per cent of the words constant and forty per cent different. The language is difficult. There are six tones and two hundred and fifty separate sounds, none of which have consonantal endings. Hence the Lisus pronounce Chinese badly. They have, however, borrowed and corrupted a large number of Chinese words." [dissertation, 1934:260-261]
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