The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non-Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken throughout the highlands of southeast Asia, as well as lowland areas in Burma (Myanmar). The group is named after its most widely spoken members, Burmese (over 32 million speakers) and the Tibetic languages (over 8 million). Most of the other languages are spoken by much smaller communities, and many of them have not been described in detail.
Some taxonomies divide Sino-Tibetan into Sinitic and Tibeto-Burman branches (e.g. Benedict, Matisoff). However, other scholars deny that Tibeto-Burman comprises a monophyletic group. Van Driem argues that the Sino-Tibetan family should be called "Tibeto-Burman", but this usage has not been widely adopted. Others exclude a relationship with Chinese altogether (e.g. Beckwith, R. A. Miller).
The oldest attested Tibeto-Burman language is Pai-lang, of the 3rd century, followed by Tibetan and Burmese.
Read more about Tibeto-Burman Languages: History, Survey, Classification, Writing Systems
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