Sangtam language

{{Short description|Naga language spoken in northeast India}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}

{{Use Indian English|date=July 2019}}

{{Infobox language

| name = Sangtam

| altname = Thukumi, Sangtam Naga

| nativename = {{lang|nsa|Lophomi}}

| states = Nagaland, India

| region = East-central Nagaland, Tuensang and Khiphire districts

| ethnicity = Sangtam

| speakers = 76,000

| date = 2011 census

| ref = {{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/Language_MTs.html|title=Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|website=www.censusindia.gov.in|access-date=2018-07-07}}

| familycolor = Sino-Tibetan

| fam2 = Tibeto-Burman

| fam3 = Central Tibeto-Burman (?)

| fam4 = Kuki-Chin–Naga

| fam5 = Central Naga

| iso3 = nsa

| glotto = sang1321

| glottorefname = Sangtam Naga

}}

{{Naga people}}

Sangtam, also called Thukumi, Isachanure, or Lophomi, is a Naga language spoken in northeast India. It is spoken in Kiphire District and in the Longkhim-Chare circle in Tuensang district, Nagaland, India.

Dialects

Ethnologue lists the following dialects of Sangtam.

  • Kizare
  • Pirr (Northern Sangtam)
  • Phelongre
  • Thukumi (Central Sangtam)
  • Photsimi
  • Purr (Southern Sangtam)

The standardized dialect of Sangtam is based on the Tsadanger village speech variety.

Phonology

Sangtam is unusual in having two stops with bilabial trilled release, {{IPA|/t̪͡ʙ, t̪͡ʙ̥ʰ/}}.{{cite conference |last=Coupe |first=Alexander |year=2015 |url=https://www.academia.edu/12300720/Prestopped_bilabial_trills_in_Sangtam |title=Prestopped bilabial trills in Sangtam |book-title=Proceedings of the 18th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Glasgow, 10–14 August 2015 |isbn=978-0-85261-941-4 |publisher=University of Glasgow |location=Glasgow |id=Paper no. 0734.1–5}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Consonants

colspan="2" |

! Labial

! Dental

! Alveolar

! Retroflex

! Palatal

! Velar

! Glottal

colspan="2" | Nasal

| {{IPA link|m}}

|

| {{IPA link|n}}

|

| {{IPA link|ɲ}}

| {{IPA link|ŋ}}

|

rowspan=2| Plosive

! plain

| {{IPA link|p}}

| {{IPA link|t̪}}

|

| {{IPA link|ʈ}}

| {{IPA link|c}}

| {{IPA link|k}}

| {{IPA link|ʔ}}

aspirated

| {{IPA link|pʰ}}

| {{IPA link|t̪ʰ}}

|

| {{IPA link|ʈʰ}}

| {{IPA link|cʰ}}

| {{IPA link|kʰ}}

|

rowspan=2| Affricate

! plain

| Trilled affricate

|

| {{IPA link|t͡s}}

|

| {{IPA link|t͡ʃ}}

|

|

aspirated

| {{IPA link|t͡ʙ̥ʰ}}

|

| {{IPA link|t͡sʰ}}

|

| {{IPA link|t͡ʃʰ}}

|

|

rowspan=2| Fricative

! voiceless

| ({{IPA link|f}})

|

| {{IPA link|s}}

|

| {{IPA link|ʃ}}

| {{IPA link|x}}

| {{IPA link|h}}

voiced

| ({{IPA link|v}})

|

| ({{IPA link|z}})

|

|

|

|

colspan=2| Approximant

|

|

| {{IPA link|l}}

| {{IPA link|ɻ}}

| {{IPA link|j}}

|

|

  • All phonemes with /t/ are dental.
  • /ʈ/ is realised like [ʈʵ].

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Vowels

colspan="2" |

! Front

! Back

colspan=2| Close

| {{IPA link|i}}

| {{IPA link|u}}

colspan=2| Close-mid

| {{IPA link|e}}

| {{IPA link|o}}

colspan=2| Open/
Open-mid

| {{IPA link|a}}

| {{IPA link|ʌ}}

All vowels can have high, mid, or low tone

References

{{reflist}}

{{Kuki-Chin–Naga languages}}

{{Languages of Northeast India}}

Category:Ao languages

Category:Languages of Nagaland

Category:Endangered languages of India