Thadou language

(Redirected from Saimar language)

Thadou, Kuki, or Thado Chin is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Northern Kuki-Chin sub-branch. It is spoken by the Thadou people in Northeast India (specifically in Manipur and Assam).[2] The speakers of this language use Meitei language as their second language (L2) according to the Ethnologue.[3]

Thadou–Kuki
Thado Chin, Thadou, Kuki
Thadoupao
Native toIndia
RegionManipur
EthnicityKuki people, natively to the Thadou tribe.
Native speakers
350,000 (2011–2017)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3tcz
Glottologthad1238
ELPThado Chin

The language is known by many names, including Thado, Thado-Pao, Thado-Ubiphei, Thādo, Thaadou Kuki, or just Kuki or Chin.

There are several dialects of this language: Hangshing, Khongsai, Kipgen, Saimar, Langiung, Sairang, Thangngeo, Haokip, Sitlhou, Singson (Shingsol).[1] The Saimar dialect was reported in the Indian press in 2012 to be spoken by only four people in one village in the state of Tripura.[4] The variety spoken in Manipur has partial mutual intelligibility with the other Mizo-Kuki-Chin languages varieties of the area including Paite, Hmar, Vaiphei, Simte, Kom and Gangte languages.[5]

Geographical distribution

edit

Thadou is spoken in the following locations (Ethnologue).

Dialects

edit

Ethnologue lists the following dialects of Thadou, the names of which mostly correspond to clan names. There is high mutual intelligibility among dialects.

  • Lupho
  • Lupheng
  • Misao
  • Hangsing
  • Chongloi
  • Khongsai
  • Kipgen
  • Langiung
  • Sairang
  • Thangngeo
  • Haokip
  • Sitlhou
  • Touthang
  • Haolai
  • Singson (Shingsol)
  • Hanghal
  • Lhouvum
  • Mate
  • Lhungdim
  • Baite

The Saimar dialect is only spoken by 4 people in one village, which is located in Tripura.[6]

Phonology

edit

Consonants

edit
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive voiceless p t k ʔ
aspirated
voiced b d ɡ
Affricate ts
Nasal m n ŋ
Fricative voiceless s x h
voiced v z
lateral ɬ
Approximant w l j
  • /p t k/ are heard unreleased as [p̚ t̚ k̚] in word-final position.
  • /ts/ is heard as more apical [ts̺] when occurring before front and central vowels.
  • /x/ can have a cognate of an aspirated velar plosive [] in the dialect spoken in Burma.
  • /ɬ/ can have an allophone of [] in word-medial position.[7]

Vowels

edit
Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e ə o
Open a

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Thadou–Kuki at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  2. ^ Mahapatra, Bijaya P.; Padmanabha, P. (December 1989). The Written Languages of the World: A Survey of the Degree and Modes of Use : Book 2, Non-Constitutional Languages. Pr De L'Universite Laval. p. 1311. ISBN 978-2-7637-7196-0. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Meitei | Ethnologue". Ethnologue. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Just 4 people keep a language alive". The Hindu. 18 July 2012. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  5. ^ Singh, Chungkham Yashawanta (1995). "The linguistic situation in Manipur" (PDF). Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. 18 (1): 129–134. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  6. ^ "Just 4 people keep a language alive". The Hindu. 18 July 2012. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  7. ^ Haokip, Marykim (2014). Grammar of Thadou-Kuki: A Descriptive Study. New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

Further reading

edit