with the possibility that Yao was the first of these to branch off, effectively meaning that Miao/Hmongic would consist of six branches: She (Ho-Nte), Pa-Hng, Wunai, Jiongnai, Yunuo, and everything else. In addition, the 'everything else' would include nine distinct but unclassified branches, which were not addressed by either Matisoff or Ratliff (see West Hmongic#Strecker). Matisoff (2001) Matisoff followed the basic outline of Strecker 1987, apart from consolidating the Bunu languages and leaving She unclassified: Hmongic (Miao) Bunu Younuo Wunai Bu-Nao: Pu No, Nao Klao, Nu Mhou, Nunu, Tung Nu Jiongnai Chuanqiangdian Miao (See) Pa-Hng Qiandong Miao (Hmu, 3 languages) Xiangxi Miao (Xong, 2 languages) Wang & Deng (2003) Wang & Deng (2003) is one of the few Chinese sources which integrate the Bunu languages into Hmongic on purely linguistic grounds. They find the following pattern in the statistics of core Swadesh vocabulary: She (main branch) (Hunan–Guangxi) Jiongnai (other) Western Hunan (Northern Hmongic / Xong) Younuo–Pa-Hng (Guizhou–Yunnan) Eastern Guizhou (Eastern Hmongic / Hmu) (Western) Bu-Nao Western Hmongic A-Hmao Hmong Matisoff (2006) Matisoff 2006 outlined the following. Not all varieties are listed. Northern Hmong = West Hunan (Xong) Western Hmong (See) Central Hmong Longli Miao Guizhu Eastern Guizhou (Hmu) Daigong Kaili (= Northern) Lushan Taijiang (= Northern) Zhenfeng (= Northern) Phö Rongjiang (= Southern) Patengic Pateng Yongcong Matisoff also indicates Hmongic influence on Gelao in his outline. Ratliff (2010) The Hmongic classification below is from Martha Ratliff (2010:3). Hmongic (Miao) Pa-Hng – 32,000 speakers Main branch Kiong Nai – 1,100 speakers She – 910 speakers Core Hmongic West Hmongic (Chuanqiandian) Hmong – 3,712,000 speakers Gha-Mu - 84,000 speakers A-Hmao – 300,000 speakers in Guizhou and Yunnan Bu-Nao – 390,000 speakers in Guangxi Gejia - 60,000 speakers A-Hmyo - 61,000 speakers Mashan - 140,000 speakers Guiyang - 190,000 speakers Huishui - 180,000 speakers Pingtang - 24,000 speakers Xong – 900,000 speakers mostly in Hunan Hmu – 2,100,000 speakers mostly in Guizhou Ratliff (2010) notes that Pa-Hng, Jiongnai, and Xong (North Hmongic) are phonologically conservative, as they retain many Proto-Hmongic features that have been lost in most other daughter languages. For instance, both Pa-Hng and Xong have vowel quality distinctions (and also tone distinctions in Xong) depending on whether or not the Proto-Hmong-Mien rime was open or closed. Both also retain the second part of Proto-Hmong-Mien diphthongs, which is lost in most other Hmongic languages, since they tend to preserve only the first