James Outram Fraser
James Outram Fraser (1886-1938) was a British missionary and linguist who dedicated his life to studying and documenting the languages and cultures of the Lisu and other minority ethnic groups in southwest China. Fraser first arrived in China in 1910 as a representative of the China Inland Mission, and spent the next several decades living among the Lisu people in Yunnan province.
Fraser was not only interested in spreading Christianity to the Lisu people, but also in preserving their cultural heritage and language. He was an accomplished linguist, and his work in documenting and analyzing the Lisu language is still considered valuable today. Fraser also compiled a detailed ethnography of the Lisu people, which includes descriptions of their customs, beliefs, and daily life.
Perhaps Fraser's most enduring legacy is his role in helping to develop the Fraser alphabet, a writing system for the Lisu language that is still in use today. Fraser believed that preserving the Lisu language was crucial to preserving the Lisu people's cultural identity, and he worked tirelessly to develop a system that would allow the language to be written down and taught to future generations.
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