China and includes the southeast Asian peninsula. This area is comprised of many millions of people with histories, languages, and traditions largely unknown to the Westerner. Powerfully interesting economic, political, and social forces are emerging in the countries of this part of the world. Of particular interest from a linguist s point of view are the characteristics of this huge area, what research has been completed, and what further work needs to be done.In the past it has generally been assume that Tai is a part of a grand Sino-Tibetan family, but inevitably questions have arisen: What languages are involved, how diverse are they, and how are the language families interrelated?Those who wish to study these varied Kadai languages have serious research materials available in Comparative Kadai.Table of ContentsIntroduction Jerold A. Edmondson and David B. SolnitMapsI. ZhuangThe Tonal Cylinder in Sanfang Zhuang Wei Feng and Jerold A. EdmondsonThe Interaction between Zhuang and the Yue (Cantonese) Dialects Huang YuanweiRegional Variants and Vernaculars in Zhuang Zhang Yuans/zeng and Wei XingyunVillage Names in Guangxi Province and Northeastern Thailand Pranee KullavanijayaWuming Zhuang Tone Sandhi: A Phonological, Syntactic, and Lexical Investigation Wil C. Snyder and Lu TianqiaoII. Other Northern TaiFront /a/ and Back / / in Biandan Mountain Bouyei Ni DabalThe Sound System of the Bouyei Language and Its Special Feature Wang WeiLinguistic Prediction: The Case of Saek Paul K. BenedictIII. Central TaiImplications of the Retention of Proto-Voiced Plosives and Fricatives in the Dai Tho Language of Yunnan Province for a Theory of Tonal Development and Tai Language Classification Theraphan L-ThongkumThe Sound System of the Tày language of Cao Bàng Province, Vietnam Hoàng Van MaIV. Southwestern Tai Languages and General TaiA Preliminary Examination of Tay Tac Jean Donaldson and Jerold A. Edmondson'Near' and 'Far' in Tai William J. GedneyTai-Kadai Arthropods: A Preliminary Biolinguistic Investigation James R. ChamberlainThe Emergence of the Length Distinction in the Mid-front Vowels e-ee in Thai Puttachart DhananjayanandaComparative Shan Jerold A. Edmondson and David B. SolnitCited Forms IndexAuthors, Languages, and SubjectsSIL International and the University of Texas at Arlington Publications in Linguistics 124

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