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Thadou language

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"Kuki language" redirects here. Not to be confused with Kuki language (Nigeria).

Thadou-Kuki
Thado, Thaadou, Thado-Pao
Thadou
Native toIndia
RegionManipur
EthnicityThadou people and Kuki people
Native speakers
350,000 (2011–2017)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3tcz
Glottologthad1238
ELPThado Chin

Thadou or Thado Chin is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Northern Kuki-Chin-Mizo sub-branch. It is spoken by the Thadou people in Northeast India (specifically in Manipur and Assam).[2]


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.[3] 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.[4]

Thadou culture

The Thadou language comes from the Tibeto-Burman or Kuki-Chin-Mizo languages family of the Sino-Tibetan phylum. The Thadou people were settled in dense jungle sites. The Thadou villages mostly cultivated agriculture and domesticated animals. A unique aspect of the Thadou culture is that men and women shared these cultivation and domestication responsibilities.

Knowing a language connects one to the culture and traditions of the speakers of the language. This was especially the case with the Thadou language. Four important words in this language: chongmou, sahapsat, jol-lha', and kijam mang. These terms represent four different forms of marriage. Chongmou represents the form of marriage where there is a negotiation price of the bride between the parents of the groom as well as the parents of the bride, along with feasting and wrestling. The sahapsat is a form of marriage where just the negotiation between the parents of the bride and groom take place. The jol-Iha' and kijam mang are both similar forms of marriage, equivalent to eloping. Divorce is allowed and happens often within this culture. Children have a lot of independence in this culture and are encouraged to learn through experience including parental guidance as a stepping stone.

Thadou people consider Pathen the god who has created everything and is thus, the ruler of the universe. They pray to him in times of need and trouble. This culture is very into religious ceremonies. Many of their ceremonies are specific to individual groups or genders. In earlier times, the Thadou also believe in spirits moving on to Mithikho or Mithikhua, which is the village of the dead. As time passed by most of the Thadou people embraced Christianity.

Geographical distribution

Thadou is spoken in the following locations (Ethnologue).

Dialects

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.[5]

Phonology

Consonants

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.[6]

Vowels

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

References

  1. ^ a b Thadou-Kuki at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  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.
  3. ^ "Just 4 people keep a language alive". The Hindu. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  4. ^ Singh, Chungkham Yashawanta (1995). "The linguistic situation in Manipur" (PDF). Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. 18 (1): 129–134. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Just 4 people keep a language alive". The Hindu. 18 July 2012.
  6. ^ 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

Thadou language test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator
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