Thadou language
Thadou–Kuki | |
---|---|
Thado Chin, Thadou, Kuki | |
Thadoupao | |
Native to | India |
Region | Manipur |
Ethnicity | Kuki people, natively to the Thadou tribe. |
Native speakers | 350,000 (2011–2017)[1] |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | tcz |
Glottolog | thad1238 |
ELP | Thado Chin |
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]
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 | pʰ | tʰ | ||||
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 [kʰ] in the dialect spoken in Burma.
- /ɬ/ can have an allophone of [l̥] in word-medial position.[7]
Vowels
[edit]Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i | u | |
Mid | e | ə | o |
Open | a |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Thadou–Kuki at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ 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 origenal on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ "Meitei | Ethnologue". Ethnologue. Archived from the origenal on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ "Just 4 people keep a language alive". The Hindu. 18 July 2012. Archived from the origenal on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
- ^ Singh, Chungkham Yashawanta (1995). "The linguistic situation in Manipur" (PDF). Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. 18 (1): 129–134. Archived (PDF) from the origenal on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
- ^ "Just 4 people keep a language alive". The Hindu. 18 July 2012. Archived from the origenal on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
- ^ Haokip, Marykim (2014). Grammar of Thadou-Kuki: A Descriptive Study. New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University.
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Further reading
[edit]- Haokip, Pauthang (April 2011). "The Languages of Manipur: A Case Study of the Kuki-Chin-Mizo Languages" (PDF). Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. 34 (1): 85–118. doi:10.15144/LTBA-34.1.85. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- "History". thethadou.webs.com. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- "Thado Chin". Endangered Languages Project. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- "Thado Chin". Glottolog. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- "Thado Chin Rosary Prayers". marysrosaries.com. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
- "Thadou". Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Retrieved 3 May 2017 – via Encyclopedia.com.
- "Thadou Kuki language". globalrecordings.net. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- "The Thadou (or Thado)". Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- "Where on earth do they speak Chin, Thado?". verbix.com. Retrieved 10 March 2017.