Northern Kuki-Chin languages

Northern Kuki-Chin
Northern Kuki-Chin
Northeastern Kuki-Chin; Northern Chin; Zo
Ethnicity	ZomiandChin
Geographic; distribution	MyanmarandNortheast India
Linguistic classification	Sino-Tibetan Tibeto-Burman Central Tibeto-Burman(?) Kuki-Chin–Naga Kuki-Chin Northern Kuki-Chin; ; ; ; ;
Language codes
Glottolog	nort3179(Northeastern Kuki-Chin)

Northern Kuki-Chin(orNortheastern Kuki-Chin^[1]) is a branch ofKuki-Chin languages.It is calledNortheastern Kuki-Chinby Peterson (2017) to distinguish it from theNorthwestern Kuki-Chin languages.VanBik (2009:31) also calls the branchNorthern ChinorZo.

Except forThadospeakers, most Northern Kuki-Chin speakers self-identify as part of a widerZomiethnic group.

Lingua francas

Tedimis the locallingua francaof northernChin State,Myanmar, whilePaite(also known as Zokam) is the locallingua francaof much of southernManipurState, India.

Languages

VanBik (2009) includes the following languages as Northern Kuki-Chin languages. The positions ofNgawnandRalteare not addressed by VanBik (2009), but they are classified as Northern Kuki-Chin inGlottolog.

Zomi languages

TheZomilanguages refer to most of the Northern Kuki-Chin languages, excludingThado(Kuki) and a few other peripheral languages.Zomiis a cultural cover term that refers to speakers of languages such asTedim,Paite,Simte,Zou,Vaiphei,andRalte.Organizations such as the Zomi Language & Literature Society (ZOLLS) inChurachandpur,Manipur, India are currently working on developing a unified standard "Zomi" language.^[2]

Classification

VanBik (2009:31) divides the Northern Kuki-Chin branch into two majorlanguage clusters,namely theThadocluster andSizangcluster.

Thadocluster:Thado/Kuki,Tedim,Khuangsai,Paite,Vuite,Chiru,Zou,Ralte
Sizangcluster:Sizang/Siyin,Guite/Nguite,Vaiphei,Zou

Sound changes

VanBik (2009) lists the followingsound changesfrom Proto-Kuki-Chin to Proto-Northern Chin.

Proto-Kuki-Chin *-r > Proto-Northern Chin *-k
Proto-Kuki-Chin * θ- > Proto-Northern Chin *ts-
Proto-Kuki-Chin *kl- > Proto-Northern Chin *tl-

References

^Peterson, David. 2017. "On Kuki-Chin subgrouping." In Picus Sizhi Ding and Jamin Pelkey, eds.Sociohistorical linguistics in Southeast Asia: New horizons for Tibeto-Burman studies in honor of David Bradley,189-209. Leiden: Brill.
^S. Dal Sian Pau. 2014.The comparative study of Proto-Zomi (Kuki-Chin) languages.Lamka, Manipur, India: Zomi Language & Literature Society (ZOLLS).

Button, Christopher. 2011.Proto Northern Chin.STEDT Monograph 10.ISBN 0-944613-49-7.
Peterson, David. 2017. "On Kuki-Chin subgrouping." In Picus Sizhi Ding and Jamin Pelkey, eds.Sociohistorical linguistics in Southeast Asia: New horizons for Tibeto-Burman studies in honor of David Bradley,189-209. Leiden: Brill.
VanBik, Kenneth. 2009.Proto-Kuki-Chin: A Reconstructed Ancestor of the Kuki-Chin Languages.STEDT Monograph 8.ISBN 0-944613-47-0.

[1] Peterson, David. 2017. "On Kuki-Chin subgrouping." In Picus Sizhi Ding and Jamin Pelkey, eds.Sociohistorical linguistics in Southeast Asia: New horizons for Tibeto-Burman studies in honor of David Bradley,189-209. Leiden: Brill.

[2] S. Dal Sian Pau. 2014.The comparative study of Proto-Zomi (Kuki-Chin) languages.Lamka, Manipur, India: Zomi Language & Literature Society (ZOLLS).

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