"Kuki language" redirects here. Not to be confused with Kuki language (Nigeria).
Thadou–Kuki
AltnameThado Chin, Thadou, Kuki
NativenameThadoupao
StatesIndia
RegionManipur
EthnicityKuki people, natively to the Thadou tribe.
Date2011–2017
Refe25
FamilycolorSino-Tibetan
Fam 2Tibeto-Burman
Fam 3Kuki-Chin-Naga
Fam 4Kuki-Chin
Fam 5Northeastern
Iso 3tcz
Glottothad1238
GlottorefnameThado Chin

Thadou, Kuki, or Thado Chin is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Northeastern sub-branch of Kuki-Chin. It is spoken by the Thadou people in Northeast India (specifically in Manipur and Assam).[1] The speakers of this language use Meitei language as their second language (L2) according to the Ethnologue.[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).[3] 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.[4] 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.[5]

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.[6]

Phonology

Consonants

LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Plosivevoicelessptkʔ
aspiratedpʰtʰ
voicedbdɡ
Affricatets
Nasalmnŋ
Fricativevoicelesssxh
voicedvz
lateralɬ
Approximantwlj
  • /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.[7]

Vowels

FrontCentralBack
Closeiu
Mideəo
Opena

References

  1. ^ 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. Archived 27 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Meitei | Ethnologue". Ethnologue. Archived 24 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  3. ^ e25
  4. ^ "Just 4 people keep a language alive". The Hindu. 18 July 2012. Archived 3 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  5. ^ Singh, Chungkham Yashawanta (1995). "The linguistic situation in Manipur". Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. 18 (1): 129–134. Archived 19 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  6. ^ "Just 4 people keep a language alive". The Hindu. 18 July 2012. Archived 13 September 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  7. ^ Haokip, Marykim (2014). Grammar of Thadou-Kuki: A Descriptive Study. New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Further reading