TheLisoish languages are a branch of theLoloish languages proposed by Ziwo Lama (2012) that includesLisu and several of theYi languages. David Bradley (1997)^[1] considers Lisoish languages to be part of theCentral Loloish branch.

David Bradley (2007)^[2] considersLisu,Lipo, andLamu to form aLisoid subgroup.

Other Lisoish languages are:

• Miqie (Micha)
• Lamu
• Limi
• Lalo languages:Lalo,Yangliu,Eka,Mangdi,Xuzhang
• Taloid languages:Talu,Lavu,Lang'e,Tagu,Popei,Naruo,Kua-nsi,Kuamasi,Laizisi,Zibusi,Sonaga,Gomotage

The following two of the sixYi languages (fangyan 方言) officially recognized by the Chinese government belong to Lama's Lisoish clade. (The remaining four areNisoish.)

• Western Yi (Lalo 腊罗)
• Central Yi (Lolopo 倮倮泼)

Names forLolopo varieties include Enipu 厄尼蒲, Qiangyi 羌夷, Tuzu 土族, and Xiangtang 香堂.^[3]

Chen (2010) lists the following dialects for "Lolo" (倮倮) languages, which corresponds to Lama's (2012) Lisoish clade. The position ofLisu is not addressed. Also listed are the counties where each respective dialect is spoken.

Lolo 倮倮方言

• Lolo, Luóluó 倮倮次方言 (lo̠21lo̠33pʰo21): 600,000 speakers in all counties ofChuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture
• Lalu, Làlǔ 腊鲁次方言
  • Lalu, Làlǔ 腊鲁 (la21lu̠33pa21): 250,000 speakers in Dali, Weishan, Midu, Yongping, Baoshan, etc.
  • Lalo, Làluó 腊罗 (la21lo̠21ɣɑ55ly55): 250,000 speakers in Dali, Weishan, Yunxian, Changning, Nanjian, Lincang, Shuangjiang, Midu, Jingdong, Jinggu, etc.
• Lipo, Lǐpō 里泼次方言
  • Lipo, Lǐpō 里泼 (li33pʰo21): 200,000 speakers in Luquan, Wuding, Yongsheng, Huaping, etc.
  • Lavu, Lāwù 拉务 (la21u21): 50,000 speakers in Yongsheng
  • Talu, Tǎlǔ 塔鲁 (tʰa21lu55): 50,000 speakers in Yongsheng, Huaping, and Ninglang.
  • Toloza, Tánglángràng 堂郎让 (tʰo33lo33za33): 2,000+ speakers in Tai'an Township, Lijiang County

Below is a classification of the Lisoish languages by Hsiu (2016) based on a phylogenetic analysis of selected lexical isoglosses.^[4]

TheChuxiong Prefecture Ethnic Gazetteer (2013:364)^[5] lists the following cognate percentages betweenLolopo 罗罗濮 and other Yi languages in Chuxiong Prefecture.

• Ache 阿车: 74.86% (211/282)
• Chesu 车苏: 55% (155/282)
• Luowu 罗武: 75.89% (214/282)
• Shansu 山苏: 78.4% (221/282)
• Lipo 里濮: 93.36% (253/271)

Yang, et al. (2017)^[6] lists the following languages as part of theTaloid branch, whose speakers are descendants of soldiers sent by theNanzhao Kingdom from theDali region to be stationed in northwestern Yunnan. Taloid languages are most closely related toLalo,Lolopo, andLipo, all of which share thelexical innovation a¹to^L for 'fire'. They are spoken primarily inYongsheng County andHeqing County.Popei 泼佩 is spoken inHuaping County, whileGomotage is spoken inEryuan County.

• Talu 他留, Nazan 纳咱
• Lang'e 崀峨,Lawu 拉务
• Tagu 塔古
• Popei 泼佩 (Shuitian 水田)
• Naruo 纳若 (Shuitian 水田)
• Kua-nsi 跨恩斯
• Kuamasi 跨玛斯
• Laizisi 莱兹斯
• Zibusi 子逋斯
• Sonaga 锁内嘎
• Gomotage 俄毛柔

Tazhi of Puwei Township 普威镇, northernMiyi County 米易县,Sichuan may also be a Taloid language.

Cathryn Yang (2010:7)^[7] also suggests thatWotizo (wɔ21 ti33 zɔ21) ofMidu County may probably be related toLolo (Lolopo).

Cathryn Yang (2010)^[7] lists the following 4 languages as peripheralLalo languages. Hsiu (2017)^[8] suggests thatAlu is also likely a peripheral Lalo language.

• Yangliu
• Eka
• Mangdi
• Xuzhang

Bradley (2007) reports the moribund languageSamatu as aLaloid language.

Tulao (土老) ofJinping County (spoken in the 2 villages of Yugadi 鱼嘎底,^[9] Xinzhai Village 新寨村, Mengqiao Township勐桥乡; and Laowangzhai 老王寨,^[10] Qingjiao Village 箐脚村, Dazhai Township大寨乡) may fit in the Lisoish branch, although this is uncertain due to lack of data.^[8]

Other languages that may be Lisoish include (see alsoList of lesser-known Loloish languages):

• Gaiji 改积 of centralYun County
• Gaisu, Western 改苏(西) (Luoren) of northeasternYongde County
• Gepo, Western 葛泼(西) of Liuhe Township 六合彝族乡,Heqing County
• Pengzi 棚子 of Wumulong Township 乌木龙彝族乡 (and possibly also Mengban Township 勐板乡),Yongde County
• Suan 蒜 of Wumulong Township 乌木龙彝族乡 and Mengban Township 勐板乡,Yongde County
• Western Samadu 撒马堵(西) ofZhenkang County (pop. 6,000),Yongde County (pop. 1,500)

Lolopo varieties:

• Enipu 厄尼蒲 ofNanjian County (pop. 11,000) andWeishan County (pop. 5,000)
• Maci 骂池 of Maci village 骂池, Taipingdi Village Cluster 太平地村, Yongding City 永定镇, northeasternYongren County^[11]
• Qiangyi 羌夷 ofXiangyun County (pop. 9,000) andBinchuan County (pop. 1,000)
• Tusu 土族 ofXiangyun County
• Xiangtang 香堂 of southwestern Yunnan
• Xijima 洗期麻 of centralYun County

Below areautonyms ofCentral Yi (彝语中部方言) speakers as listed in theYunnan Province Ethnic Minority Languages Gazetteer (1997) (云南省志：少数民族语言文字志; p. 57):

• lo22lo33pʰo21 (Lolopo language)
• li33pʰo21 (Lipo language)
• mi˥tɕʰe21pʰo21 (Micha language)
• kɚ33sɨ33pʰo21
• ɬɚ33supʰo21 (Shansu language)

Lama (2012) lists the following sound changes fromProto-Loloish as Lisoish innovations.

• *m- > zero
• *m- > p-

• Chen Kang [陈康]. 2010.A study of Yi dialects [彝语方言研究]. Beijing: China Minzu University Press.
• Lama, Ziwo Qiu-Fuyuan (2012),Subgrouping of Nisoic (Yi) Languages, thesis, University of Texas at Arlington (archived)