Nga La language

Matu
Matupi Chin
Region	Myanmar, India
Ethnicity	Matupi
Native speakers	30,000 (2012) [1]
Language family	Sino-Tibetan Tibeto-Burman Central Tibeto Burman (?) Kuki-Chin-Naga Kuki-Chin Southern Matu
Language codes
ISO 639-3	hlt
Glottolog	ngal1291

Matu, also known as Matu Chin, Batu, or Nga La, is a Kuki-Chin spoken in Matupi township, Chin State, Myanmar, and also in Mizoram, India by the Matu people. Matu is the most commonly spoken language in Matupi Township outside of Burmese language, which is the official language of Myanmar. A written script for Matu was created in 1954 by Rev. Johnson and Rev. Ngai Tim. ^[2]

The Matu dialects share 78%–89% lexical similarity. ^[3] Matu shares 65%–76% lexical similarity with Rawngtu Chin, and 66%–71% with Thaiphum Chin. ^[3]

Dialects

Ethnologue lists the following dialects of Matupi, Chin State. Matu from Mizoram, India is reportedly not intelligible with various tribal ethnicities of Matupi in Myanmar.

• Matu - Language of native citizens/settlers of Matupi(formerly known as Batupuei)
• Ciing - (Langle (Tlamtlaih), Ngalaeng, Phanaeng, Voitu)
• Doem (Valang)
• Nguitu (Leiring)
• Hlangpang (Changpyang-Ramtuem)
• Haltu
• Ta'aw (Daihnan, Luivang)
• Tuivang (Amsoi-Rawkthang)
• Matu Dai (Madu-Weilu)
• Weilaung (Kronam-Leishi)
• Thaiphum

References

1. Matu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. Lian, Salai Van Cung; Salem-Gervais, Nicolas (November 2020). "How Many Chin Languages Should Be Taught in Government Schools? Ongoing developments and structural challenges of language-in-education policy in Chin State". Parami Journal of Education. 1 (1).
3. "Myanmar". Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-10-10.

Bibliography

• Shintani Tadahiko. 2016. The Matu language. Linguistic survey of Tay cultural area (LSTCA) no. 110. Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA).