Thadou language
{{Short description|Tibeto-Burman language spoken in India}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Kuki language|Kuki language (Nigeria)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Thadou–Kuki
| altname = Thado Chin, Thadou, Kuki
| nativename = Thadoupao
| states = India
| region = Manipur
| ethnicity = Kuki people, natively to the Thadou tribe.
| speakers = {{sigfig|346,100|2}}
| date = 2011–2017
| ref = e25
| familycolor = Sino-Tibetan
| fam2 = Tibeto-Burman
| fam3 = Kuki-Chin-Naga
| fam4 = Kuki-Chin
| fam5 = Northeastern
| iso3 = tcz
| glotto = thad1238
| glottorefname = Thado Chin
}}
Thadou, Kuki, or Thado Chin is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Northeastern sub-branch of Kuki-Chin. It is spoken by the Thadou people in Northeast India (specifically in Manipur and Assam).{{Cite book|last1=Mahapatra|first1=Bijaya P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UhcLAQAAMAAJ&q=number+of+thadou+speaking+states+in+india|title=The Written Languages of the World: A Survey of the Degree and Modes of Use : Book 2, Non-Constitutional Languages|last2=Padmanabha|first2=P.|date=December 1989|publisher=Pr De L'Universite Laval|isbn=978-2-7637-7196-0|page=1311|language=en|access-date=2 January 2022|archive-date=27 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527015748/https://books.google.com/books?id=UhcLAQAAMAAJ&q=number%20of%20thadou%20speaking%20states%20in%20india|url-status=live}}
The speakers of this language use Meitei language as their second language (L2) according to the Ethnologue.{{Cite web |title=Meitei {{!}} Ethnologue |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mni/ |access-date=2023-05-03 |website=Ethnologue |language=en |archive-date=24 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724203234/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mni/ |url-status=live }}
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). 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.{{cite news |url= http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3650421.ece |title= Just 4 people keep a language alive |newspaper= The Hindu |date= 18 July 2012 |access-date= 7 April 2013 |archive-date= 3 January 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130103122507/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3650421.ece |url-status= live }} 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.{{cite journal|last1=Singh|first1=Chungkham Yashawanta|title=The linguistic situation in Manipur|journal=Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area|date=1995|volume=18|issue=1|pages=129–134|url=http://sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf8/singh1995linguistic.pdf|access-date=19 June 2014|archive-date=19 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819085546/http://sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf8/singh1995linguistic.pdf|url-status=live}}
Geographical distribution
Thadou is spoken in the following locations (Ethnologue).
Dialects
Ethnologue lists the following dialects of Thadou, the names of which mostly correspond to clan names. There is high mutual intelligibility among dialects.
{{div col}}
- Lupho
- Lupheng
- Misao
- Hangsing
- Chongloi
- Khongsai
- Kipgen
- Langiung
- Sairang
- Thangngeo
- Haokip
- Sitlhou
- Touthang
- Haolai
- Singson (Shingsol)
- Hanghal
- Lhouvum
- Mate
- Lhungdim
- Baite
{{div col end}}
The Saimar dialect is only spoken by 4 people in one village, which is located in Tripura.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/just-4-people-keep-a-language-alive/article3650421.ece|title=Just 4 people keep a language alive|date=18 July 2012|work=The Hindu|access-date=12 July 2022|archive-date=13 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240913180145/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/just-4-people-keep-a-language-alive/article3650421.ece|url-status=live}}
Phonology
= Consonants =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | |
| rowspan="3" |Plosive
!voiceless |{{IPA link|p}} |{{IPA link|t}} | |{{IPA link|k}} |{{IPA link|ʔ}} |
|---|
| aspirated
|{{IPA link|pʰ}} |{{IPA link|tʰ}} | | | |
| voiced
|{{IPA link|b}} |{{IPA link|d}} | |{{IPA link|ɡ}} | |
| colspan="2" |Affricate
| |{{IPA link|ts}} | | | |
| colspan="2" |Nasal
|{{IPA link|m}} |{{IPA link|n}} | |{{IPA link|ŋ}} | |
| rowspan="3" |Fricative
!voiceless | |{{IPA link|s}} | |{{IPA link|x}} |{{IPA link|h}} |
| voiced
|{{IPA link|v}} |{{IPA link|z}} | | | |
| lateral
| |{{IPA link|ɬ}} | | | |
| colspan="2" |Approximant
|{{IPA link|w}} |{{IPA link|l}} |{{IPA link|j}} | | |
- /p t k/ are heard unreleased as [p̚ t̚ k̚] in word-final position.
- {{IPAslink|ts}} is heard as more apical {{IPAblink|ts̺}} when occurring before front and central vowels.
- {{IPAslink|x}} can have a cognate of an aspirated velar plosive {{IPAblink|kʰ}} in the dialect spoken in Burma.
- {{IPAslink|ɬ}} can have an allophone of {{IPAblink|l̥}} in word-medial position.{{Cite book|last=Haokip|first=Marykim|title=Grammar of Thadou-Kuki: A Descriptive Study|year=2014|location=New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University}}
= Vowels =
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
{{Incubator|code=tcz}}
- {{Cite journal |last=Haokip |first=Pauthang |date=April 2011 |title=The Languages of Manipur: A Case Study of the Kuki-Chin-Mizo Languages |url=http://sealang.net/archives/ltba/pdf/LTBA-34.1.85.pdf |journal=Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=85-118 |doi=10.15144/LTBA-34.1.85 |access-date=9 March 2017}}
- {{Cite web |title=History |url=http://thethadou.webs.com/history.htm |access-date=9 March 2017 |website=thethadou.webs.com}}
- {{Cite web |title=Thado Chin |url=http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/5702 |access-date=10 March 2017 |website=Endangered Languages Project}}
- {{Cite web |title=Thado Chin |url=http://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/thad1238 |access-date=10 March 2017 |website=Glottolog}}
- {{Cite web |title=Thado Chin Rosary Prayers |url=http://www.marysrosaries.com/Chin_Thado_prayers.html |access-date=7 March 2017 |website=marysrosaries.com}}
- {{Cite encyclopedia |title=Thadou |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of World Cultures |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/thadou |access-date=3 May 2017 |via=Encyclopedia.com}}
- {{Cite web |title=Thadou Kuki language |url=https://globalrecordings.net/en/language/759 |access-date=10 March 2017 |website=globalrecordings.net}}
- {{Cite web |title=The Thadou (or Thado) |url=http://www.myanmarburma.com/attraction/174/the-thadou-or-thado |access-date=9 March 2017}}
- {{Cite web |title=Where on earth do they speak Chin, Thado? |url=http://www.verbix.com/maps/language/ChinThado.html |access-date=10 March 2017 |website=verbix.com}}
{{Sino-Tibetan languages}}
{{Kuki-Chin–Naga languages}}
{{Languages of Burma}}
{{Languages of Northeast India}}