Thadou–Kuki | |
---|---|
Thado Chin, Thadou, Kuki | |
Thadoupao | |
Native to | India |
Region | Manipur |
Ethnicity | Kuki people, natively to the Thadou tribe. |
Native speakers | 350,000 (2011–2017) [1] |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 |
tcz |
Glottolog |
thad1238 |
ELP | Thado Chin |
Thadou or Thado Chin is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Northern Kuki-Chin sub-branch. It is spoken by the Thadou people in Northeast India (specifically in Manipur and Assam). [2] The speakers of this language use Meitei language as their second language (L2) according to the Ethnologue. [3]
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). [1] 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]
Thadou is spoken in the following locations ( Ethnologue).
Ethnologue lists the following dialects of Thadou, the names of which mostly correspond to clan names. There is high mutual intelligibility among dialects.
The Saimar dialect is only spoken by 4 people in one village, which is located in Tripura. [6]
Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plosive | voiceless | p | t | k | ʔ | |
aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | ||||
voiced | b | d | ɡ | |||
Affricate | ts | |||||
Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||
Fricative | voiceless | s | x | h | ||
voiced | v | z | ||||
lateral | ɬ | |||||
Approximant | w | l | j |
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i | u | |
Mid | e | ə | o |
Open | a |
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