"The distribution of the Laomian and Laopin people has led to a complex language usage situation. Their original mother tongues are usually only spoken within their own communities. In villages that are predominantly Laomian or Laopin, these languages are spoken within the villages themselves; whereas in villages which include different ethnic groups, their use is confined to the home in some of the households of Laomian or Laopin speakers. In markets or other public places outside the village, and when communicating with other ethnic groups, they use the main local ethnic language and have been doing so far a long time. Lahu is spoken in Lancang, Menglian, and Ximeng Counties, while Dai is the local language in Menghai County. Therefore, the vast majority of Laomian and Laopin people are at least bilingual, especially the Laomian who live in heterogeneous communities. Most of them can speak one or more other ethnic languages, which nearly always includes Lahu. The other languages spoken are, in descending order, Dai, Hani and Wa. Due to prolonged restriction in its domains of usage, Laomian is not being transmitted to children in those villages where they live among other ethnic groups. Increasing numbers of young people are abandoning Laomian and shifting to Lahu. Therefore, the average age of Laomian speakers in such villages in increasing. In some villages, only those over the ages of sixty or seventy can still speak Laomian.
Over the past decade, rapid economic development has opened up many ethnic minority areas. The influence of the Chinese language on the social life of ethnic minorities has become increasingly marked, with rapid spread of Chinese and development of multilingualism. This general trend has directly affected Laomian and Laopin, in that Chinese has now become an important language spoken by Laomian and Laopin people. Not only in villages where they live among other ethnic groups, but even in villages which are predominantly Laomian and Laopin, there has been a marked increase in the number of people who can also speak Chinese." (p.101)

More than half of the remaining Laomian population in China lives mixed in Lahu-majority villages. Not all of the remaining Laomian can speak the language; it is endangered, especially in the most economically advanced village, Nanya in Menglian, where it is being replaced by Chinese and Lahu.

Most Laomian speak Lahu as well as Chinese and some other local languages.

The number of speakers is decreasing.