Rongmei language

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Rongmei
Songbu
Ruanglat, "Ruangmei"
"Rongmei" written in Meitei script.jpg
Rongmei written in Meitei script
Region Assam, Manipur and Nagaland
Ethnicity Rongmei Naga
Native speakers
(undated figure of 350,580[ citation needed ])
Language codes
ISO 639-3 nbu
Glottolog rong1266
ELP Rongmei Naga

Rongmei is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Rongmei Naga community in Northeast India. [1] It has been called Songbu and is close to Zeme and Liangmai. The language has been nomenclatured as "Ruangmei" and studied as a First Language paper from class I to X of Board of Secondary Education, Manipur. [2] Ruangmei is studied as a Minor Indian Language (MIL) in Class XI & XII of Council of Higher Secondary Education Manipur (COHSEM). [3]

Contents

Geography

Rongmei is mostly spoken in the three states of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. [4]

It is the most spoken language in Tamenglong district and Noney district; and the second most spoken language in Imphal West district and Bishnupur district of Manipur. [5]

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive/
Affricate
voicelessptk
aspirated
voicedbdɡ
Nasal mnŋ
Fricative sh
Trill r
Approximant laterall
centralwj

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close iu
Mid eəo
Open a

A lower-mid elongated sound [ɐː] also occurs only in word-medial positions. [6]

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References

  1. "Naga, Rongmei". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  2. "Board of secondary education manipur- BSEM".
  3. "Welcome to Council of Higher Secondary Education, Manipur".
  4. "Distribution of 99 non schedule languages" (PDF). Census India. MHA, Govt of India. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  5. "Census of language in India 2011". MHA, Govt of India.
  6. Tiwari, Surendra K. (1971). A descriptive grammar of Kabui. Poona: Deccan College.