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Zeme language

{{Short description|Sino-Tibetan language of Northeast India}}

{{for|the parent language branch|Zeme languages}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}

{{Use Indian English|date=December 2018}}

{{Infobox language

| name = Zeme

| nativename = Zeliang

| image = "Zeliang" written in Meitei script.jpg

| imagecaption = "Zeliang" written in Meitei script

| states = India

| region = Assam, Manipur, Nagaland

| ethnicity = Zeme Naga

| speakers = {{sigfig|114,000|2}}

| date = 2011 census

| ref = e25

| familycolor = Sino-Tibetan

| fam2=Tibeto-Burman

| fam3=Central Tibeto-Burman languages (?)

| fam4=Kuki-Chin-Naga

| fam5 = Zemeic

| iso3 = nzm

| glotto = zeme1240

| glottorefname = Zeme Naga

}}

{{Naga people}}

Zeme (also called Empeo, Jeme, Kacha and Zemi) is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in northeastern India. It is one of the dialects spoken by the Zeme Naga, the other being Mzieme.

Geography and demography

Zeme (dialects: Paren, Njauna) is spoken in:

Most Zeme speakers are bi- or multi-lingual in the regional lingua franca of Manipuri and English.{{sfn|Chanu|2017}}

= Classification =

Zeme belongs to the Kuki-Chin section of the Kamarupan group of the Baric sub-division of Tibeto-Burman language family. It is closely related to the neighboring languages of Liangmai and Rongmei.{{sfn|Chanu|2016|p=189}}

Phonology

= Consonants =

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

|+Consonants{{sfn|Chanu|2017|p=17}}

! colspan="2" |

!Labial

!Alveolar

!Palatal

!Velar

!Glottal

rowspan="3" |Plosive/
Affricate

!voiceless

|{{IPAlink|p}}

|{{IPAlink|t}}

|{{IPAlink|tʃ}}

|{{IPAlink|k}}

|

aspirated

|{{IPAlink|pʰ}}

|{{IPAlink|tʰ}}

|

|{{IPAlink|kʰ}}

|

voiced

|{{IPAlink|b}}

|{{IPAlink|d}}

|

|{{IPAlink|ɡ}}

|

colspan="2" |Nasal

|{{IPAlink|m}}

|{{IPAlink|n}}

|

|{{IPAlink|ŋ}}

|

rowspan="2" |Fricative

!voiceless

|

|{{IPAlink|s}}

|

|

|{{IPAlink|h}}

voiced

|

|{{IPAlink|z}}

|

|

|

colspan="2" |Trill

|

|{{IPAlink|r}}

|

|

|

rowspan="2" |Approximant

!lateral

|

|{{IPAlink|l}}

|

|

|

central

|{{IPAlink|w}}

|

|{{IPAlink|j}}

|

|

= Vowels =

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

|+Monophthongs{{sfn|Chanu|2017|p=16}}

!

!Front

!Central

!Back

Close

|{{IPAlink|i}}

|

|{{IPAlink|u}}

Mid

|{{IPAlink|e}}

|{{IPAlink|ə}}

|{{IPAlink|o}}

Open

|

|{{IPAlink|a}}

|

Zeme also has six diphthongs: {{IPA|/ai, ao, oi, əu, ui, əi/}}.{{sfn|Chanu|2017|p=46}}

Like other Tibeto-Burman languages, Zeme is a tonal language. Most of the words in the language are monosyllabic in nature.{{sfn|Chanu|2016|p=190}}

Grammar

Gender and number are not marked on Zeme verbs. The basic word order is SOV, with an alternate order of OSV, making it a verb-final language.

There are 7 categories of numerals in the language: Cardinals, ordinals, fractionals, multiplicatives, distributives, restrictives, and approximates. The following are cardinal numerals:

class="wikitable"

|+ Cardinal numbers{{sfn|Chanu|2016|p=191}}

!Value

!Gloss

!Num

1

|one

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|ə-ket}}

2

|two

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|ke-na}}

3

|three

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|kə-čum}}

4

|four

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|mə-dai}}

5

|five

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|mə-ŋəiyu}}

6

|six

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|sə-rok}}

7

|seven

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|sə-na}}

8

|eight

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|tə-set}}

9

|nine

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|sə-kui}}

10

|ten

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|kə-rəiyu}}

20

|twenty

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|iŋkai}}

30

|thirty

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|him-rəiyu}}

40

|forty

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|he-dai}}

50

|fifty

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|riŋ-ŋəiyu}}

60

|sixty

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|riyak-sərok}}

70

|seventy

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|riyak-səna}}

80

|eighty

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|riyak-təset}}

90

|ninety

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|riyak-səkui}}

100

|one hundred

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|hai}}

1000

|one thousand

|{{lang|nzm-Latn|čəŋ}}

Compound numerals are formed by adding two numerals together, with the bigger numeral, usually a multiple of 10, preceding the smaller one. The decade numerals from 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 are formed by multiplication of decade by basic numerals by 10. The numeral 'ten' in Zeme has four allomorphs: {{lang|nzm-Latn|kərəiyu}}, {{lang|nzm-Latn|he}}, {{lang|nzm-Latn|riŋ}} and {{lang|nzm-Latn|riyak}}.{{sfn|Chanu|2016|p=195}}

Notes

{{reflist}}

References

  • {{Cite journal |last=Chanu |first=Sapam Sangita |date=July 2016 |title=Numerals in Zeme |url=http://www.languageinindia.com/july2016/sangitachanuzemenumerals1.html |journal=Language in India |volume=16 |issue=7 |issn=1930-2940 |pages=189–205}}
  • {{Cite thesis |last=Chanu |first=Sapam Sangita |title=A descriptive grammar of Zeme |location=Silchar |publisher=Assam University |degree=PhD |year=2017 |hdl=10603/293382 |hdl-access=free}}

{{Sino-Tibetan languages}}

{{Kuki-Chin–Naga languages}}

{{Languages of Northeast India}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Languages of Assam

Category:Languages of Manipur

Category:Languages of Nagaland

Category:Languages of Tripura

Category:Zeme languages

Category:Endangered languages of India

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