Chungli Ao language
| Chungli Ao | |
|---|---|
| Native to | India |
| Region | Nagaland |
| Ethnicity | Ao Naga |
Native speakers | 130,004 (2011 census)[1][2] |
Sino-Tibetan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | njo |
| Glottolog | chon1286 |
| ELP | Chungli |
Chungli Ao is a Sino-Tibetan language of northeast India. It is the most widely-spoken language and the prestige language of the Ao languages, spoken by the Ao Nagas of Nagaland.
History
During the American Baptist Mission to Naga Hills, Dr E.W.Clark first came in contact with the Molungkimong village that paved the way for a common Ao language. Chungli Ao is spoken in Molungkimong and Molungyimsen and other villages throughout Ao territory by roughly 50% of the Ao-speaking population. The speech of Molungkimong is the prestige dialect due to Baptist missionaries' influence. Most Ao can speak Chungli even if they are from Mongsen-speaking regions. Chungli is taught in schools. Various trans-Dikhu neighbouring dialects of Chungli Ao are spoken east of the Dikhu River in Yacham, Tengsa, and Longla. These are poorly documented; Yacham and Tengsa may be separate languages (van Driem 2001).
References
- ^ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
- ^ Coupe, A. R. (2007-01-01). A Grammar of Mongsen Ao. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110198522.
- Bruhn, Daniel Wayne. 2014. A Phonological Reconstruction of Proto-Central Naga. Ph.D. dissertation. University of California, Berkeley.