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Four Pei, Plou Glao.
Five Pa Peh.
Six Chou Glao.
Seven Shiang, I Shiang.
Eight Yi, Yik Yih.
Nine Chio Chia.
Ten Ch'it Kao.
The Miao language was until a year or two ago only spoken; it was never
written, and no one ever dreamed that it could be written. At the time
of the great Miao revival, when thousands of Miao made a raid on the
mission premises at Chao-t'ong, and implored the missionaries to come
and teach them, it was found absolutely necessary that the language
should be reduced to writing, and the whole of this extremely creditable
work fell to the Rev. Samuel Pollard, who may be characterized as the
pioneer of this Christianizing movement in North-East Yuen-nan.
In reducing the language to writing, however, considerable difficulty
was complicated by the presence of "tones," so well known to all
students of Chinese, itself said to be an invention of the Devil. Tones
introduce another element or dimension into speech.


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