Population : There are 74 Yao villages known, with an averaGe of 15 hours per villa nd 8.5 persons per household. The total population for 1960 is estimated at 10,200 Gao in Thailand
Language: The Yao language is more closely related to the Men language than any other, but the two are completely different as far as mutual inter-intelligence is concerned. It is a tonal language. strongly influenced by Chinese. Actual affiliations of the Yao language have yet to be definitely established. They have no alphabet of t h ~ i ro wn, but some or the men use Chinese characters to write their own language.
The Yao in the northern areas of Chiengrai (Amphur MaeChan) have almost all come from the Nam Tha district of Laos
where they were closely associated with the Lahu Na. They aretherefore all quite fluent in Oahu, as well as Yunnanese and Lao- Thai. This group if You have remarkable linguistic abilities, so that it is strange that the Yao in Nan and in western China do not show the same affinity for languages. The tao of Yin speak the Lao-Thai poorly, as compared to their northern brothers, and must of them do not understand Yunnanese (this is also true for the meo in Nan). There are individuals in the north who can speak
Akha and Lisu, and a few have learned Thai. There is a missionary English and Thai script being taught to the Yao and a few of them have become literate in it. Very few of them can use Chinese characters.