Mara language
Mara | |
---|---|
Mara (Tlosaih) | |
Pronunciation | [məra] |
Native to | Mizoram,India;Burma |
Ethnicity | Mara people |
Native speakers | (ca. 400,000 cited 1994–2011)[1] |
Latin | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | mrh |
Glottolog | mara1382 |
ELP | Mara Chin |
Marais aKuki-Chinlanguage spoken byMara people,mostly theTlosaihtribe living in 30 villages ofChhimtuipui district,southernMizoram,Indiaand the adjacent villages inBurma.
The Mara (Tlosaih) languages belong to theKuki-Chinbranch of theSino-Tibetan language family.The speakers of the languages are also known as Mara (Tlosais).
Mara is a recognised language in theMara Autonomous District Council(MADC) school curriculum. Mara is a compulsory subject for all schools up to class VII (middle school) under the Board of School Education, MADC.
Marais aKuki-Chinlanguage spoken byMara people.
Orthography[edit]
Mara alphabet (capital letters)
A, AW, Y, B, CH, D, E, F, H, I, K, L, M, N, NG, O, Ô, P, R, S, T, U, V, Z
Mara alphabet (lowercase letters)
a, aw, y, b, ch, d, e, f, h, i, k, l, m, n, ng, o, ô, p, r, s, t, u, v, z
Mara diphthongs
ao, yu, ai, ei, ia, ie, ua
Grammar[edit]
Plurals[edit]
The plural form of a noun is formed by affixing one of the following terms to the end of the noun:
- zy(zeu)
- zydua(zeu-dua)
- nawh
- sahlao(sha-hlawh)
Today the Mara language has its own alphabet; words inside brackets show author N.E. Parry's transliterations from 1937.
Interrogative words in Mara[edit]
- What:Khâpa, Khâpa e, Khâpa maw
- Where:Khataih lâ, Khataih liata
- How:kheihta, kheihawhta, Khatluta, Kheihta maw
- How much?:Khazie?
- How long?:Khachâ e, Khachâ maw?
- When:Khatita, Khatita e, Khâpa nota, nota, tita, nahta, pataConj.thlaita, khati nota
- Why:Khazia, Khazia-e, Khazia maw, Khâpa vâta
- Why not:Khazia a châ vei chheih aw
- Whose:Kheihawhpa, Kheihawhpa he, Kheihawhpa-e, Kheihawhpa maw, ahy he maw
- Which:Kheihawhpa, Kheihawhpa he, Kheihawhpa-e, Kheihawhpa maw, ahy he maw
- Friend:Viasa
- Male Friend:Viasa Paw
- Female Friend:Viasa Nô
- Walk/Go:Sie (Phei ta Sie)
- Run:Arâ, â râ
- Sleep:Amô, Azia, Apazawh, â mô, â zia, â pazawh
- See:Mo, hmô
- Sit:Â tyuh, atyuh
- Stand:Â duah, aduah
- Jump:Â pathluah, apathluah
- Hit:Â chô, achô
- Eat:Nie
- Drink:Doh
Pronouns[edit]
Singular
- 1st person:keima,kei-I
- 2nd person:nâma,na-you
- 3rd person:ano,aorama'-he, she, it
Plural
- 1st person:eima-we
- 2nd person:nâmo, nâma-you
- 3rd person:âmo-they
Possessive Pronouns[edit]
Singular
- Keima, ei-my
- Keima eih, kei eih-mine
- Nâma, na-thy (you)
- Nâma eih, na eih-thine (yours)
- Ama, a-him, her, it
- Ama eih, a eih-his, hers, its
Plural
- Keimo-our
- Keimo eih-ours
- Nâmo-your
- Ahyrai-anyone
- Ahy tlyma-someone, a certain one
- A tlâhpi-some... others
- A hropa-another, others
- Ama zydua ta-all
Phonology[edit]
Consonants[edit]
Labial | Dental/ Alveolar |
(Alveolo-) palatal |
Velar | Glottal | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plosive/ Affricate |
voiceless | p | t | tɕ | k | (ʔ) |
aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | tɕʰ | kʰ | ||
voiced | b | d | dʑ | |||
Fricative | voiceless | f | s | h | ||
voiced | v | z | ||||
Nasal | plain | m | n | ŋ | ||
murmured | mʰ | nʰ | ||||
Trill | voiced | r | ||||
voiceless | r̥ | |||||
Lateral | voiced | l | ||||
voiceless | l̥ | |||||
Approximant | w | ɹ̥ | j |
- A glottal stop [ʔ] may occur in onsets as a result of morphological combinations.
- /t/ can be dental as [t̪] before /ɑ/ or /i/.
- /k/ can also be heard as uvular [q] before /ɑ/ or /i/.
- /s, z/ when preceding /i/ can be heard as alveolo-palatal [ɕ, ʑ].
- Pre-aspiration can also be heard among nasals as [ʱm, ʱn].[2]
Vowels[edit]
Front | Central | Back | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Close | i | y | ɨ | u |
i̞ | u̞ | |||
Mid | e | ø | o | |
Open | ɑ̝ | |||
ɑ |
- Sounds /o/ and /ɑ̝/ can be heard in free variation as [ɔ, ɐʊ] and [ʌ].[2]
References[edit]
- ^MaraatEthnologue(18th ed., 2015)(subscription required)
- ^abArden, Michelle J. (2010).A phonetic, phonological, and morphosyntactic analysis of the Mara language.San Jose State University.
External links[edit]
- Maraland: The Home of the Maras on the internet
- A grammar and dictionary of the Lakher language,by Fred W. Savidge (1908) (Scanned atInternet Archive)
- Mara language onEthnologue