Milang language

Last updated

Milang
Holon, Dalbo
Native to India
Region Arunachal Pradesh
Ethnicity4,000
Native speakers
2,150 (2011) [1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 None (mis)
Glottolog mila1245
ELP Milang
Lang Status 60-DE.svg
Milang is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Milang is a Siangic or Tani language of Upper Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India. It is spoken in the 3 villages of Milang (Milang: Holon), Dalbing, and Pekimodi (Milang: Moobuk Ade), located in Mariyang Subdivision, Upper Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh (Tayeng 1976).

Contents

Classification

Milang has traditionally been classified as the most divergent of the Tani languages, hence ultimately Sino-Tibetan. Post & Blench (2011) reclassified it as Siangic, on the basis of clear correspondences with the Koro language in vocabulary that may not ultimately be of Sino-Tibetan origin. The implication is that Milang may, like other Siangic languages, harbour a non-Sino-Tibetan substrate, or may be a non-Sino-Tibetan language with Sino-Tibetan features acquired through prolonged contact, perhaps with the neighbouring and much larger Padam tribe, who speak an Eastern Tani language.

References

  1. Post, Mark W.; Modi, Yankee. "Language contact and the genetic position of Milang (Eastern Himalaya)". 2011. Anthropological Linguistics 53.3: 215-258.