Phonology of the word in Highland Yao

The Yao dialects constitute a clearly differentiated branch of the Miao-Yao language family, both in vocabulary and phonology. Phonologically, they are characterized by a wide range of vowels and the presence of final consonants, whereas the Miao dialects have generally a very simple system of rhymes but great complexity in the initials. Their close connexion is very apparent, although the rules for sound-correspondences have not yet been worked out. No affiliation of the Miao-Yao languages with any of the neighbouring groups— Tibeto-Burman, Chinese, Thai-Sui, or Mon-Khmer—has yet been convincingly demonstrated.