Lyngngam language
Lyngam | |
---|---|
Lyngam | |
Native to | India |
Region | Meghalaya, Assam |
Native speakers | 11,586 (2011 census)[1] |
Austroasiatic
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | lyg |
Glottolog | lyng1241 |
Lyngam is an Austroasiatic language of Northeast India closely related to Khasi. Once listed as a dialect of Khasi, Lyngam has in recent literature been classified as a distinct language. Lyngam speakers have food and dress similar to the neighboring Garo people, since they are former Garo speakers who have adopted the Khasi language.
Phonology
Consonant inventory
The following table lists the consonants attested in Lyngam.[2]
Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal Nasal /m/ /n/ /ɲ/ /ŋ/ Stop voiceless /p/ /t/ /c/ /k/ /ʔ/ aspirated /pʰ/ /tʰ/ /cʰ/ /kʰ/ voiced /b/ /d/ /ɟ/ /ɡ/ Voiceless fricative /s/ /h/ Liquid /l, r/ Glide /w/ /j/
The main difference with the Khasi language is that Lyngngam does not possess the voiced aspirated series. Furthermore, Lyngngam does not have the phoneme /ç/. Words which have /ç/ in Khasi typically have /c/ or /s/ in Lyngngam,[3] as in the following pairs of cognates:
Lyngngam Khasi meaning cʔeŋ çʔeŋ bone cɨppʰeu çipʰeu 10 sɲjək çɲiuʔ hair snaːr çnjaʔ chisel
Vowel inventory
The following table lists the vowel inventory of the language.[2] The only vowels showing a length distinction are /i/ and /a/, in contradistinction to Khasi, where length is distinctive for all vowels.
Words with diphthongs in Khasi have monophthongs in Lyngam,[3] as in the following pairs of cognates:
Lyngam Khasi meaning bni bnaːi month ksu ksəu dog mot miet night
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.
- ^ a b Nagaraja 1996, sect. 1
- ^ a b Nagaraja 1996, sect. 2
- Nagaraja, K.S. (1996). "The status of Lyngngam" (PDF). Mon–Khmer Studies. 26: 37–50. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
{{cite journal}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help)