Bokar language

Bokar
Bokar-Ramo
Region	Arunachal Pradesh, Tibet
Ethnicity	Lhoba
Language family	Sino-Tibetan Tani Eastern Tani Bokar
Dialects	Bokar Ramo
Language codes
ISO 639-3	None (mis)
Glottolog	boka1249
ELP	Bokar
Bokar is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Bokar or Bokar-Ramo (IPA: [bɔk˭ar ɡɔm]; pinyin: Bogar Luoba) is a Tani language spoken by the Lhoba in West Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India (Megu 1990) and Nanyi Township 南伊珞巴民族乡, Mainling County, Tibet Autonomous Region, China (Ouyang 1985).

The Ramo dialect is spoken in Mechukha Subdivision and Monigong Circle (Badu 2004).

Phonology

Consonants

		Labial		Alveolar	(Alveolo-) palatal	Velar	Glottal
		plain	pal.
Plosive	voiceless	p	pʲ	t		k
	voiced	b	bʲ	d		ɡ
Affricate	voiceless				tɕ
	voiced				dʑ
Fricative				(s)	ɕ		h, (ɦ)
Nasal		m	mʲ	n	ɲ	ŋ
Trill				r
Approximant		w		l	j

• The pronunciation of /ɕ/ may vary between [ɕ] and [s] among different dialects.
• Some speakers may also pronounce /tɕ/ as [ts] when preceding vowels other than /i/.
• /h/ can be realized as either voiced [ɦ] or [h], when preceding /i/.
• Stops /p t k/ are heard as unreleased [p̚ t̚ k̚] in word-coda position.
• A retroflex affricate /tʂ/ can also occur only from Tibetan loanwords.

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i	(ɨ)	ɯ	u
Mid	e	ə	o
Open		a

• /ɯ/ can also be heard as more central [ɨ].
• /o/ is heard as more open and nasalized before /ŋ/ as [ɔ̃ŋ].

Writing system

Bokar is written in the Latin script in India and the Tibetan script in China.

References

• Badu, Tapoli. 2004. Ramo language guide. Itanagar: Directorate of Research, Government of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Ouyang, Jueya. 1985. Luobazu Yuyan Jianzhi (Bengni-Boga'eryu) [Brief Description of the Luoba Nationality Language (The Bengni-Bokar Language)]. Beijing: Minzu Chubanshe.