Mara language
{{Short description|Sino-Tibetan language spoken in India and Burma}}
{{hatnote|Not to be confused with the Aboriginal Australian Marra language (also spelt Mara)}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Mara
| nativename = Mara (Tlosai)
| pronunciation = {{IPA|mrh|mərà|}}
| states = Mizoram, India; Myanmar (Burma)
| ethnicity = Mara people
| speakers = ca. 400,000
| date = 1994–2011
| ref = e18
| familycolor = Sino-Tibetan
| fam2 = Kuki-Chin
| fam3 = Maraic
| script = Latin
| iso3 = mrh
| glotto = mara1382
| glottorefname = Mara
}}
Mara ({{Lang|mrh|Mara reih}}; {{IPA|mrh|mərà reɪ|pron}}, {{Lang|my|မရာဘာသာစကား}}; {{IPA|my|mərà bàθàzəɡá|pron}}) is a Kuki-Chin language spoken by Mara people, mostly the Tlosai tribe living in 30 villages of Chhimtuipui district, southern Mizoram, India and the adjacent villages in Myanmar (Burma).
The Mara (Tlosai) languages belong to the Kuki-Chin branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. The speakers of the languages are also known as Mara (Tlosais).
Mara is a recognised language in the Mara 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.
Written script
A written script for Mara was first created in 1852 by Captain S.R. Tickell.{{Cite journal |last=Lian |first=Salai Van Cung |last2=Salem-Gervais |first2=Nicolas |date=November 2020 |title=How Many Chin Languages Should Be Taught in Government Schools? Ongoing developments and structural challenges of language-in-education policy in Chin State |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345667190_How_Many_Chin_Languages_Should_Be_Taught_in_Government_Schools_Ongoing_developments_and_structural_challenges_of_language-in-education_policy_in_Chin_State |journal=Parami Journal of Education |volume=1 |issue=1}} Further scripts were invented in 1869 by Captain T.H. Lewin, in 1908 by Rev. F.W. Savidge and by R.A. Lorain.
= 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
=Plurals=
The plural form of a noun is formed by affixing one of the following terms to the end of the noun:
- {{Lang|mrh|zy}} ({{Lang|mrh|zeu}})
- {{Lang|mrh|zydua}} ({{Lang|mrh|zeu-dua}})
- {{Lang|mrh|nawh}}
- {{Lang|mrh|sahlao}} ({{Lang|mrh|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=
{{Div col|colwidth=18em|content=*What: {{lang|mrh|Khâpa, Khâpa e, Khâpa maw}}
- Where: {{lang|mrh|Khataih lâ, Khataih liata}}
- How: {{lang|mrh|kheihta, kheihawhta, Khatluta, Kheihta maw}}
- How much?: {{lang|mrh|Khazie?}}
- How long?: {{lang|mrh|Khachâ e, Khachâ maw?}}
- When: {{lang|mrh|Khatita, Khatita e, Khâpa nota, nota, tita, nahta, pata}} Conj. {{lang|mrh|thlaita, khati nota}}
- Why: {{lang|mrh|Khazia, Khazia-e, Khazia maw, Khâpa vâta}}
- Why not: {{lang|mrh|Khazia a châ vei chheih aw}}
- Whose: {{lang|mrh|Kheihawhpa, Kheihawhpa he, Kheihawhpa-e, Kheihawhpa maw, ahy he maw}}
- Which: {{lang|mrh|Kheihawhpa, Kheihawhpa he, Kheihawhpa-e, Kheihawhpa maw, ahy he maw}}
- Friend: {{lang|mrh|Viasa}}
- Male Friend: {{lang|mrh|Viasa Paw}}
- Female Friend: {{lang|mrh|Viasa Nô}}
- Walk/Go: {{lang|mrh|Sie (Phei ta Sie)}}
- Run: {{lang|mrh|Arâ, â râ}}
- Sleep: {{lang|mrh|Amô, Azia, Apazawh, â mô, â zia, â pazawh}}
- See: {{lang|mrh|Mo, hmô}}
- Sit: {{lang|mrh|Â tyuh, atyuh}}
- Stand: {{lang|mrh|Â duah, aduah}}
- Jump: {{lang|mrh|Â pathluah, apathluah}}
- Hit: {{lang|mrh|Â chô, achô}}
- Eat: {{lang|mrh|Nie}}
- Drink: {{lang|mrh|Doh}}}}
=Pronouns=
Singular
- 1st person: {{Lang|mrh|keima}}, {{Lang|mrh|kei}} - I
- 2nd person: {{Lang|mrh|nâma}}, {{Lang|mrh|na}} - you
- 3rd person: {{Lang|mrh|ano}}, {{Lang|mrh|a}} or {{Lang|mrh|ama'}} - he, she, it
Plural
- 1st person: {{Lang|mrh|eima}} - we
- 2nd person: {{Lang|mrh|nâmo, nâma}} - you
- 3rd person: {{Lang|mrh|âmo}} - they
=Possessive Pronouns=
Singular
- {{Lang|mrh|Keima, ei}} - my
- {{Lang|mrh|Keima eih, kei eih}} - mine
- {{Lang|mrh|Nâma, na}} - thy (you)
- {{Lang|mrh|Nâma eih, na eih}} - thine (yours)
- {{Lang|mrh|Ama, a}} - him, her, it
- {{Lang|mrh|Ama eih, a eih}} - his, hers, its
Plural
- {{Lang|mrh|Keimo}} - our
- {{Lang|mrh|Keimo eih}} - ours
- {{Lang|mrh|Nâmo}} - your
- {{Lang|mrh|Ahyrai}} - anyone
- {{Lang|mrh|Ahy tlyma}} - someone, a certain one
- {{Lang|mrh|A tlâhpi}} - some . . . others
- {{Lang|mrh|A hropa}} - another, others
- {{Lang|mrh|Ama zydua ta}} - all
Phonology
= Consonants =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | |
| rowspan="3" |Plosive/ Affricate !voiceless |{{IPA link|p}} |{{IPA link|t}} |{{IPA link|tɕ}} |{{IPA link|k}} |({{IPA link|ʔ}}) |
|---|
| aspirated
|{{IPA link|pʰ}} |{{IPA link|tʰ}} |{{IPA link|tɕʰ}} |{{IPA link|kʰ}} | |
| voiced
|{{IPA link|b}} |{{IPA link|d}} |{{IPA link|dʑ}} | | |
| rowspan="2" |Fricative
!voiceless |{{IPA link|f}} |{{IPA link|s}} | | |{{IPA link|h}} |
| voiced
|{{IPA link|v}} |{{IPA link|z}} | | | |
| rowspan="2" |Nasal
!plain |{{IPA link|m}} |{{IPA link|n}} | |{{IPA link|ŋ}} | |
| murmured
|{{IPA link|mʰ}} |{{IPA link|nʰ}} | | | |
| rowspan="2" |Trill
!voiced | |{{IPA link|r}} | | | |
| voiceless
| |{{IPA link|r̥}} | | | |
| rowspan="2" |Lateral
!voiced | |{{IPA link|l}} | | | |
| voiceless
| |{{IPA link|l̥}} | | | |
| colspan="2" |Approximant
|{{IPA link|w}} |{{IPA link|ɹ̥}} |{{IPA link|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].{{Cite book |last=Arden |first=Michelle J. |title=A phonetic, phonological, and morphosyntactic analysis of the Mara language |publisher=San Jose State University |year=2010 |url=https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4740&context=etd_theses}}
= Vowels =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! ! colspan="2" |Front !Back |
| rowspan="2" |Close
|{{IPA link|i}} |{{IPA link|y}} |{{IPA link|ɨ}} |{{IPA link|u}} |
|---|
| colspan="2" |{{IPA link|i̞}}
| |{{IPA link|u̞}} |
| Mid
|{{IPA link|e}} |{{IPA link|ø}} | |{{IPA link|o}} |
| rowspan="2" |Open
| colspan="2" | | |{{IPA link|ɑ̝}} |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |{{IPA link|ɑ}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{incubator|mrh}}
- [https://mara-people.web.app/ The Mara people]
- [https://www.maraland.net/ Maraland: The Home of the Maras on the internet]
- [https://archive.org/details/agrammaranddict00savigoog A grammar and dictionary of the Lakher language], by Fred W. Savidge (1908) (Scanned at Internet Archive)
- Mara language on [https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mrh/ Ethnologue]
{{Sino-Tibetan languages}}
{{Kuki-Chin–Naga languages}}
{{Languages of Burma}}
{{Languages of Northeast India}}
{{Authority control}}