Laymyo language

Not to be confused with Daai language.

Laymyo Chin
Region	Myanmar
Native speakers	15000 (2014)
Language family	Sino-Tibetan Tibeto-Burman Laymyo Chin
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	lemy1239

Laymyo language(Burmese: လေးမြို့; also spelt Lemyo or Phung lawng) is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken mainly in the Southern Chin State across the Lemro River, where it is the main dialect. It is the mother tongue of the Yet people and some members of the Dai ethnic group, including the Khawng people , Hang and Yet. The Laymyo language is a branch of Kuki-Chin within the Tibeto-Burman language family. Laymyo people mainly reside in Paletwa Township. The Laymyo language exhibits distinct linguistic features while sharing certain similarities with its neighboring languages.

Relation to other Languages

The Laymyo language is a dialect spoken by people living in the Laymyo region. The dialects spoken in Laymyo are mostly closely related to the languages spoken by members of the Dai ethnic group who reside on the Kanpanlet , Matupi, and Mindat. However, the language in Laymyo displays slow accents and a faster pace of speech, distinguishing it from the language spoken by the Dai people. Although there is linguistic proximity between the Dai language and that of Laymyo, distinctions arise in the rchealm of literary writing. Laymyo exhibits a notable degree of lexical similarity with the Dai language, estimated at approximately 90%, underscoring a significant linguistic affinity between the two. Furthermore, it shares around 60% of its lexicon with the Asho language and roughly 20% with the Laitu language.

Evolution of Dialect

When Christian missionaries arrived in the Laymyo area, reforms and open views emerged. The mission from the Mara Evangelical Church arrived, and in 1975, local people and missionarier Rev. Thla Chhau worked together to develop the local language alphabet. Initially, it closely resembled the Mara alphabet, but with later editions, the text is now used to a certain extent.Now, It is used in church worship song books, prayers and letters, and is used by more than five churches in the laymyo area.

Tone

Although the Dai people and the members of the Laymyo people can communicate and understand each other comfortably, the Laymyo language is less fluctuating, and they speak faster. Sometimes, the accent varies from one village to another. They speak slowly and steadily along Bu Sen Village in the Lemro area, while the residents of Pai Sein Village in the Tan Chaung River area speak like the upper Dai people. However, they can easily understand each other when they communicate.

Written System

The laymyo alphabet is based on the Roman script and has 25 letters, including 10 auxiliary verbs. Auxiliary verbs have more than one letter but only one sound. Sometimes, the letter "J" is used as a letter.

Below are the 25 letters:

A	AW	Y	YA	B	C
D	E	F	NG	H	I
K	L	M	N	O	P
R	S	T	U	V	W
		Z

Among these letters are the vowel characters A E I O U AW YA Y NG. The remaining characters are called consonant characters. Please note that sometimes we use "J" as a letter.

Words that have more than one letter but are pronounced with one sound are called auxiliary letters: see below;

CH

PH

TH

HL

KH

SH

HM

HN

HNG

THL

One thing to note when reading is to make the sound according to the letters in front of the word.

• M (pronounced with a muffled sound)

• Ng (pronounced with a nasal sound)

• K (pronounced with a guttural sound)

The three-letter words included in front of the word are not necessary when speaking aloud, but when using that letter, the sound must be observed.

Conversations

Khuihpawi sen byaih : Hello, Hi.

Na sak ei ki zaw? : How are you?

Hngam na seh ze ki nu? : Where are you going?

Buh na ei pyan ngaw? : Have you eaten?

Visit to Laymyo region

If you're someone who enjoys traveling and desires to relax and bathe along the scenic shores of the Lemro River Valley, surrounded by the natural beauty of the forest, it's essential to familiarize yourself with the local customs and lifestyle beforehand. However, with the LaymyoChin Dictionary installed on your phone, you'll have all the information you need at your fingertips, making it easier to navigate and appreciate your surroundings and speak the local language.