Nishi language
| Nyishi | |
|---|---|
| Nyishi, Nisi, Nishing | |
| Native to | India |
| Region | Arunachal Pradesh,Assam |
| Ethnicity | Nyishi people |
Native speakers | 280,000 (2011 census)[1] |
Sino-Tibetan
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | njz |
| Glottolog | nyis1236 |
Nyishi(also known as Nishi, Nisi, Nishang, Nissi, Nyising, Leil, Aya, Akang, Bangni-Bangru, Solung) is aSino-Tibetan languageof theTani branchspoken inPapum Pare,Lower Subansiri,Kurung Kumey,Kra Daadi,East Kameng,Pakke Kesang,Kamle districts ofArunachal PradeshandDarrang DistrictofAssaminIndia.According to the 2011census of India,the population of the Nishi speakers is approximately 280,000. Though there are plenty of variations across regions, the dialects of Nishi, such as Akang, Aya, Nyishi (raga), Tagin are easily mutually intelligible, with the exception of the rather small in population Bangni-Bangru and Solung Dialects being very different from the former. 'Nisi' is sometimes used as a cover term for western Tani languages.
Nishi is asubject–object–verblanguage.[2]: 80
Origin
[edit]The main origin of this language has been pointed out by George Abraham Grierson as ‘Dafla’.[3]He included different varieties under a common name which is known as North Assam group. The varieties are Dafla, Miri and Abor according to him. Daflas used to denote them as ‘Nyi-Shi’. these tribes inhabited between the Assam Valley and Tibet. Then they started to spread inLakhimpur,SibsagarandDarrang DistrictsofAssam.Mr. William Robinson in his notes mentioned that Daflas were spread over a region from 92°50’ to 94° north latitude.
The wordnyishiitself means "upland man", and is acompoundofnyi( "man" ) andshi( "highland" ).[4]: 4
They are probably descendants of peoples who separated fromKhasi4,200 years ago.
Phonology
[edit]Nishi is atonal languagethat utilizes three tones: rising, neutral, and falling.[2]: 16 These can be applied to all of itsvowels,and often can change the word's meaning:
- bénam– "to hold"
- benam– "to deliver"
- bènam– "to vomit"
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | ɨ | u |
| Mid | e | ə | o |
| Low | a |
These are the consonants of Nyishi. Where the orthography differs from the IPA, the orthography is bolded. Velar fricative [x] appears in less than ten words in Abraham's vocabulary list, and is regarded as questionably phonemic.[2]
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ⟨ny⟩ | ŋ⟨ng⟩ | ||
| Stop | voiceless | p | t | c | k | |
| voiced | b | d | ɟ⟨j⟩ | g | ||
| Fricative | s | x⟨kh⟩ | h | |||
| Approximant | l | j⟨y⟩ | ||||
| Tap | ɾ⟨r⟩ | |||||
Grammar
[edit]Nyishi distinguishes betweennumber,person,andcase.It does not have a gender system, but special affixes can be added to nouns to denote gender.
Pronouns
[edit]| Person | Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | ŋo | ŋuiɲ | ŋul |
| 2nd | no | nuiɲ | nul |
| 3rd | mɨ | buiɲ | bul |
Vocabulary
[edit]Numerals
[edit]| English | Romanization | Nyishi |
|---|---|---|
| One | akin, aking | akin |
| Two | anyi, enyi | aɲiə |
| Three | om | oum |
| Four | api | |
| Five | ang, ango | aŋ(o) |
The counting system differs when referring to human vs. non-human objects.
References
[edit]- ^"Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011".censusindia.gov.in.Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.Retrieved7 July2018.
- ^abcAbraham, P. T."A Grammar of Nyishi Language"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 22 December 2015.Retrieved14 December2015.
- ^Linguistic Survey Of India, Vol. III part I (Tibeto Burman Family) first published almost a century ago
- ^Lahiri, Bornini (2013)."Noun Cases in Nyishi"(PDF).New Delhi.Retrieved14 December2015.
Further reading
[edit]Post, Mark W. (2013).[1]Paper presented at the 13th Himalayan Languages Symposium. Canberra, Australian National University, Aug 9.