Wa language
| Wa | |
|---|---|
| Va, Vo, Awa | |
| Region | China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand |
| Ethnicity | Wa |
Native speakers | (900,000 cited 2000–2008) |
| Latin script Formerly: Chinese characters, Shan script | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Wa State |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Variously:prk – Paraukwbm – Vovwa – Awa |
| Glottolog | waaa1245 |
| ELP | Wa |
| Phalok | |
Wa is classified as Severely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Wa (Va) is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Wa people of Myanmar and China. There are three distinct varieties, sometimes considered separate languages; their names in Ethnologue are Parauk, the majority and standard form; Vo (Zhenkang Wa, 40,000 speakers) and Awa (100,000 speakers), though all may be called Wa, Awa, Va, Vo. David Bradley (1994) estimates there are total of 820,000 Wa speakers.
It is Recognized as a State Language by the government of Wa State.