Zou language

{{Short description|Sino-Tibetan language of Burma and India}} {{Infobox language | name = Zou | altname = Zo, Zouham, Zoham, Zokam | image = Shukla Zoulai.svg | imagescale = | imagecaption = 'Zo Lai' in Zolai alphabet | states = Manipur, India | region = Tonzang: [[Chin State]], [[Chin Hills]]; In India: [[Mizoram]] and [[Manipur]], [[Chandel district|Chandel]], [[Singngat]] subdivision and Sungnu area; [[Churachandpur]] districts; [[Assam]]. | ethnicity = [[Zou people|Zou]] | speakers = {{sigfig|87,500|2}} | date = 2012 | ref = e25 | familycolor = Sino-Tibetan | fam2 = [[Kuki-Chin languages]]<ref name=Haokip>{{Cite book|last=Haokip|first=Pauthang|title=Socio-linguistic Situation in North-east India|year=2011|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|isbn=978-8180697609|page=55|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hnYShQ7TryMC&pg=PA55}}</ref> | fam3 = [[Northeastern Kuki-Chin languages]] | script = [[Latin script|Latin]], [[Zoulai alphabet]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://omniglot.com/writing/zoulai.htm|title=Zoulai|website=Omniglot.com|access-date=2021-12-28|archive-date=2021-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228173614/https://omniglot.com/writing/zoulai.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> | iso3 = zom | glotto = zouu1235 | glottorefname = Zo }} '''Zou''' (also spelled '''Zo''' and known as '''Zoham''' or '''Zokam''') is a language of the [[Northeastern Kuki-Chin languages|Northeastern]] branch of [[Kuki-Chin languages]]<ref name=Haokip /> originating in western [[Burma]] and spoken also in [[Mizoram]] and [[Manipur]] in northeastern [[India]].

The name Zou is sometimes used as a blanket term for the languages spoken by the [[Kuki-Chin-Mizo peoples]].

== Phonology ==

The set of 23 Zou consonantal phonemes can be established on the basis of the following minimal pairs or overlapping words. Besides these 23 Phonemes, 1 consonant is a borrowed phoneme (i.e. /r/), which is found only in loan words, in very rare cases (e.g. /r/ in /rəŋ/ "color"). Along with these consonants, Zou has 7 vowels: i, e, a, ɔ, o, u, ə.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Singh |first1=Yashawanta |first2=Lukram |last2=Himmat |date=February 2013 |title=Zou Phonology |url=http://www.languageinindia.com/feb2013/zouphonologyfinal.pdf |journal=Language in India |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=683–701 |access-date=2019-02-19 |archive-date=2018-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123155118/http://www.languageinindia.com/feb2013/zouphonologyfinal.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Consonant Phonemes ! colspan="2" | ![[Labial consonant|Labial]] ![[Dental consonant|Dental]]/ [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]] ![[Palatal consonant|Palatal]] ![[Velar consonant|Velar]] ![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]] |- ! rowspan="3" |[[Plosive]] !voiceless |{{IPA link|p}} |{{IPA link|t}} |{{IPA link|c}} |{{IPA link|k}} |rowspan="3"|{{IPA link|ʔ}} |- ![[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]] |{{IPA link|pʰ}} |{{IPA link|tʰ}} | |{{IPA link|kʰ}} |- !voiced |{{IPA link|b}} |{{IPA link|d}} |{{IPA link|ɟ}} |{{IPA link|g}} |- ! colspan="2" |[[Affricate]] | | |{{IPA link|tʃ}} | | |- ! rowspan="2" |[[Fricative]] !voiceless |{{IPA link|v}} |{{IPA link|s}} | | |{{IPA link|h}} |- !voiced | |{{IPA link|z}} | | | |- ! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]] |{{IPA link|m}} |{{IPA link|n}} | |{{IPA link|ŋ}} | |- ! colspan="2" |[[Lateral consonant|Lateral]] | |{{IPA link|l}} | | | |- ! colspan="2" |[[Trill consonant|Trill]] | |({{IPA link|r}}) | | | |- ! colspan="2" |[[Semivowel]] |{{IPA link|w}} | |{{IPA link|j}} | | |}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+Vowels ! ![[Front vowel|Front]] ![[Central vowel|Central]] ![[Back vowel|Back]] |- ![[Close vowel|Close]] |{{IPA link|i}} | |{{IPA link|u}} |- ![[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]] |{{IPA link|e}} | rowspan="2" |{{IPA link|ə}} |{{IPA link|o}} |- ![[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]] | |{{IPA link|ɔ}} |- ![[Open vowel|Open]] | |{{IPA link|a}} | |}

==Orthography== ===Vowels=== * a - [a] * aw - [ɔ] * e - [e/ə] * i - [i~j] * o - [o] * u - [u~w]<ref name="omniglot.com">{{cite web |title=Zou language, script, and pronunciation |url=https://www.omniglot.com/writing/zou.htm |website=Omniglot |access-date=2019-07-06 |archive-date=2019-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706155644/https://www.omniglot.com/writing/zou.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Consonants=== * b - [b] * ch - [c] * d - [d] * g - [g] * h - [h], [ʔ] at the end of a syllable * j - [ɟ] * k - [k] * kh - [kʰ] * l - [l] * m - [m] * n - [n] * ng - [ŋ] * p - [p] * ph - [pʰ] * r - [r] * s - [s] * t - [t] * th - [tʰ] * v - [ʋ] * z - [z]<ref name="omniglot.com"/>

== Types of Zou verbs == The Zou verbs can be classified into three types: Stem (1), Stem (2), Stem (3) as given below:<ref>{{cite web |author=Philip Thanglienmang Tungdim |title=A Descriptive Grammar of the Zo Language |url=https://an-in.academia.edu/philipthanglienmangtungdim |website=Academia |access-date=22 March 2019 |date=2012 |archive-date=25 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325112817/http://an-in.academia.edu/philipthanglienmangtungdim |url-status=live }}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |+Types of Zou Verbs |Stem 1 |Stem 2 |Stem 3 |Stem 4 |- |piê-give |pie? |pe- |pieh |- |puo-carry |puo? |po- |pua- |}

==Numbers== Zou numbers are counted as follows:<ref>{{cite book |first=Philip |last=Thangliènmâng Tungdim |title=Zo-English-Hindi Kizìlna Lȁibú |trans-title=Self-tutor book of Zo-English-Hindi |url=https://www.academia.edu/3715035 |access-date=20 August 2019 |date=2011 |archive-date=21 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621013852/https://www.academia.edu/3715035 |url-status=live |isbn=978-81-920282-0-0 |publisher=Zou Cultural-cum-Literature Society India |location=New Delhi}}</ref> {|class="wikitable sortable" |- !Numeral!!Zou!!English!!Hindi |- !0 |{{lang|zom|be̋m}} || zero || {{lang|hi|शून्य}} {{translit|hi|śūnya}} |- !1 |{{lang|zom|khàt}} || one|| {{lang|hi|एक}} {{translit|hi|ek}} |- !2 |{{lang|zom|nì:}} || two ||{{lang|hi|दो}} {{translit|hi|do}} |- !3 |{{lang|zom|thum}} || three ||{{lang|hi|तीन}} {{translit|hi|tīn}} |- !4 |{{lang|zom|li:}}|| four || {{lang|hi|चार}} {{translit|hi|cār}} |- !5 |{{lang|zom|nga:}} || five || {{lang|hi|पाँच}} {{translit|hi|pā̃c}} |- !6 |{{lang|zom|gùh}} || six || {{lang|hi|छह}} {{translit|hi|chah}} |- !7 |{{lang|zom|sagí}} || seven || {{lang|hi|सात}} {{translit|hi|sāt}} |- !8 |{{lang|zom|giét}} || eight ||{{lang|hi|आठ}} {{translit|hi|āṭh}} |- !9 |{{lang|zom|kuó}} || nine || {{lang|hi|नौ}} {{translit|hi|nau}} |- !10 |{{lang|zom|sàwm}}, {{lang|zom|sôm}} || ten|| {{lang|hi|दस}} {{translit|hi|das}} |- !11 |{{lang|zom|sàwm leh khàt}} || eleven ||{{lang|hi|ग्यारह}} {{translit|hi|gyārah}} |- !12 |{{lang|zom|sàwm leh nì}} || twelve || {{lang|hi|बारह}} {{translit|hi|bārah}} |- !13 |{{lang|zom|sàwm leh thum}} || thirteen ||{{lang|hi|तेरह}} {{translit|hi|terah}} |- !14 |{{lang|zom|sàwm leh li:}}|| fourteen || {{lang|hi|चौदह}} {{translit|hi|caudah}} |- !15 |{{lang|zom|sàwm leh nga:}} || fifteen || {{lang|hi|पंद्रह}} {{translit|hi|pandrah}} |- !16 |{{lang|zom|sàwm leh gùh}} || sixteen || {{lang|hi|सोलह}} {{translit|hi|solah}} |- !17 |{{lang|zom|sàwm leh sagí}} || seventeen || {{lang|hi|सत्रह}} {{translit|hi|satrah}} |- !18 |{{lang|zom|sàwm leh giét}} || eighteen ||{{lang|hi|अठारह}} {{translit|hi|aṭhārah}} |- !19 |{{lang|zom|sàwm leh kuó}} || nineteen || {{lang|hi|उन्नीस}} {{translit|hi|unnīs}} |- !20 |{{lang|zom|sàwmnì}} || twenty || {{lang|hi|बीस}} {{translit|hi|bīs}} |- !30 |{{lang|zom|sàwmthum}} || thirty || {{lang|hi|तीस}} {{translit|hi|tīs}} |- !40 |{{lang|zom|sàwmli:}} || forty || {{lang|hi|चालीस}} {{translit|hi|cālīs}} |- !50 |{{lang|zom|sàwmnga:}} || fifty || {{lang|hi|पचास}} {{translit|hi|pacās}} |- !60 |{{lang|zom|sàwmgùh}} || sixty || {{lang|hi|साठ}} {{translit|hi|sāṭh}} |- !70 |{{lang|zom|sàwmsagí}} || seventy || {{lang|hi|सत्तर}} {{translit|hi|sattar}} |- !80 |{{lang|zom|sàwmgiét}} || eighty || {{lang|hi|अस्सी}} {{translit|hi|assī}} |- !90 |{{lang|zom|sàwmkuò}} || ninety || {{lang|hi|नव्वे}} {{translit|hi|navve}} |- !100 | {{lang|zom|zȁ}} || hundred || {{lang|hi|सौ}} {{translit|hi|sau}} |- !1,000 |{{lang|zom|sa̋ng}}, {{lang|zom|tȕl}} || one thousand || {{lang|hi|हज़ार}} {{translit|hi|hazār}} |- !10,000 | {{lang|zom|si̋ng}}, {{lang|zom|tȕlsàwm}}, {{lang|zom|sa̋ngsàwm}} || ten thousand ||{{lang|hi|दस हज़ार}} {{translit|hi|das hazār}} |- !100,000 |{{lang|zom|nuòi}}, {{lang|zom|tȕlzà}}, {{lang|zom|sa̋ngzà}} || one hundred thousand, one lakh || {{lang|hi|लाख}} {{translit|hi|lākh}} |- !1,000,000 |{{lang|zom|nuòisàwm}}, {{lang|zom|sa̋ngtȕl}}, {{lang|zom|tȕltȕl}} || one million || {{lang|hi|दस लाख}} {{translit|hi|das lākh}} |- !10,000,000 |{{lang|zom|thȅn}}, {{lang|zom|vâibêlsié}}, {{lang|zom|kráwl}} || ten million, one crore ||{{lang|hi|करोड़}} {{translit|hi|karoṛ}} |- !100,000,000 |{{lang|zom|thȅnzà}}, {{lang|zom|kráwl sàwm}} || one billion, ten crore || {{lang|hi|अरब}} {{translit|hi|arab}} |}

==Writing systems== Zou is often written in a Latin script developed by Christian missionary J.H. Cope. In 1952, M. Siahzathang of Churachandpur created an alternative script known as Zolai or Zoulai, an [[alphabet]]ic system with some [[Abugida|alphasyllabic]] characteristics. The user community for the script is growing- Zou cultural, political, and literary organizations began to adopt the script beginning in the 1970s, and more recently, the [[Government of Manipur|Manipur State Government]] has shown support for both Siahzathang and the script.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pandey |first1=Anshuman |title=Introducing the Zou Script |url=http://unicode.org/L2/L2010/10254r2-zou.pdf |access-date=30 December 2019 |date=29 September 2010 |archive-date=18 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718045320/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2010/10254r2-zou.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Ian James |author2=Mattias Persson |title=Script for Zou |url=http://skyknowledge.com/zolai.htm |website=skyknowledge.com |access-date=19 February 2019 |date=March 2012 |archive-date=14 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814232631/http://skyknowledge.com/zolai.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Linguistic relations== Zou among the [[Northeastern Kuki-Chin languages]] is closely related to the Central languages such as the [[Mizo languages|Duhlian]] (Lusei/Lushai) or [[Mizo language]] ([[endonym]] in [[Mizo languages|Duhlian]] or [[Lushai]] is ''Mizo ṭawng''), the [[lingua franca]] language of [[Mizoram]].{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

Zou as spoken in India is similar to the [[Paite language]] of the [[Paite people|Paite]], though Zou lacks the word-final glottal stops present in Paite.<ref name="bareh">{{cite book|last=Bareh|first=Hamlet|title=Encyclopaedia of North-East India: Manipu|year=2001|publisher=Mittal|isbn=978-81-7099-790-0|pages=260ff|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XScmdGvMf7IC&pg=PA260|access-date=22 November 2010|chapter=Zou}}</ref><ref>"Their language is called Zou which is similar to the language spoken by the Paite. Unlike the Zou, the Paite possess the terminal glottal stop 'h'. For example, a word for 'good' is ''hoih'' in Paite while it changes into ''hoi'' in the Zou language. [[Sannemla]] ([[Zou folksongs]]) are also popular among the Paite, although they are rendered in their individual dialect bearing the characteristic phonetic differences." {{Cite book |author1=Singh, Kumar Suresh |title=People of India: Manipur |author2=Horam, M. |author3=Rizvi, S. H. M. |publisher=Anthropological Survey of India by Seagull Books |year=1998 |isbn=978-81-7154-769-2 |page=253 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref>

==Geographical extent== At its largest extent, the geographic area covered by the language group is a territory of approximately 60,000 square miles (160,000 km2) in size, in [[Burma]], [[India]] and [[Bangladesh]].<ref>Encyclopaedia of South-Asian tribes - Volume 8 - Page 3436 Satinder Kumar - 2000 "According to the 1981 census, 12,515 persons speak the Zou language"</ref> However political boundaries and political debates have distorted the extent of the area in some sources.<ref>{{Cite book |quote=But against the background of all such conflict the Zomi National Congress went a step further in its argument for a Zomi identity by claiming Thado language as Zomi language. In the Kuki-Chin group of tribes, numerical strength has played ... |author=Gopalakrishnan, Ramamoorthy|year=1996|title=Socio-political framework in North-East India|location=New Delhi|publisher=Vikas Publishing House|page=150|oclc=34850808}}</ref>

===In Burma=== It is used in [[Chin State]], [[Tiddim]], and the [[Chin Hills]]. Use of Burmese has increased in the Zo speaking Chin State since the 1950s.<ref>{{cite book |title=Evaluating the Impact of Family Devotions Upon Selected Families from the Zomi Christian Community of Tulsa |oclc= 645086982 |page=7 |author=Nang Khen Khup |type=Thesis |publisher=Oral Roberts University |year=2007 |quote=The Zomi language is descended from the Tibeto-Burman language domain. Though each tribal group speaks its own dialect, Burmese is widely used in Zoland (Chinland) due to Burmanization of military regime for over five decades}}</ref> ''Ethnologue'' reports that Zou is spoken in the following townships of Myanmar.

*[[Chin State]]: [[Tonzang]], [[Hakha]], and [[Tedim]] townships *[[Sagaing Division]]: [[Kalay]], [[Khampat]], and [[Tamu, Burma|Tamu]] townships

===In India=== *[[Manipur]] **[[Chandel district]]: [[Singngat]] subdivision and the Sungnu Sachih / Kana area **[[Churachandpur district]] *[[Mizoram]] *[[Assam]]<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Shyamkishor, Ayangbam|title=In Search of Common Identity: A Study of Chin-Kuki-Mizo Community in India|journal=International Journal of South Asian Studies: A Biannual Journal of South Asian Studies|volume=3|issue=1|page=131–140|url=http://www.qbase.co.in/pu/sites/default/files/ijsas13082010.pdf#page=135|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321194245/http://www.qbase.co.in/pu/sites/default/files/ijsas13082010.pdf#page=135|archive-date=2012-03-21|url-status=dead|access-date=2014-02-03}}</ref>

===In Bangladesh=== In Bangladesh it is used by the [[Bom people|Bawm people]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Loncheu |first=Nathan |year=2013|editor-last=Dena |editor-first=Lal |title=Bawmzos: A Study Of The Chin-Kuki-Zo Tribes Of Chittagong|location=New Delhi|publisher=Akansha Publishing House|isbn=978-81-8370-346-8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Reichle |first=Verena |year=1981|title=Bawm language and lore: Tibeto-Burman area|series=Europäische Hochschulschriften series 21, Linguistik: volume 14|location=Bern, Switzerland|publisher=P. Lang|isbn=978-3-261-04935-3}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{Cite book| last=DeLancey |first=Scott |year=1987 |chapter=Part VIII: Sino-Tibetan languages |editor-last=Comrie |editor-first=Bernard |title=The World's Major Languages |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=797–810 |isbn=978-0-19-520521-3}} * {{Cite thesis |last=Thang |first=Khoi Lam |year=2001 |title=A phonological reconstruction of Proto-Chin |degree=MA |location=Chiang Mai |publisher=Payap University |url=https://inter.payap.ac.th/wp-content/uploads/linguistics_PDF/Khois-Proto-Reconstruction-of-Chin-revised.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902223631/https://inter.payap.ac.th/wp-content/uploads/linguistics_PDF/Khois-Proto-Reconstruction-of-Chin-revised.pdf |archive-date=2018-09-02}} * {{Cite thesis |last=Button |first=Christopher Thomas James |year=2009 |title=A Reconstruction of Proto Northern Chin in Old Burmese and Old Chinese Perspective |type=Ph.D. dissertation |location=London |publisher=University of London |url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/29548/1/10731704.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530204422/https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/29548/1/10731704.pdf |archive-date=2020-05-30}} * {{Cite book |last=Button |first=Christopher Thomas James |year=2011 |title=Proto Northern Chin |series=STEDT monograph |volume=10 |location=Berkeley |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |isbn=978-0-944613-49-8}}

==External links== *[https://www.academia.edu/735120/Zo_Tonology Zo Tonology] *[https://www.omniglot.com/writing/zou.htm Omniglot Zou] *[https://www.tongdot.com Tongdot] {{Incubator|code=zom}}

[[Category:Kuki-Chin languages]] [[Category:Languages of Manipur]]