Somra language

Last updated
Somra
Tangkhul
Native to Myanmar
Ethnicity Tangkhul Naga
Native speakers
4,000 (2004) [1]
Dialects
  • Somra
Language codes
ISO 639-3 ntx
Glottolog None

Somra (after its literary dialect), also known as Burmese Tangkhul (Tangkhul Naga), is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Myanmar. The two ethnic Tangkhul languages are related, but are not mutually intelligible, being only 30% lexically similar. [1] Somra is closer to Akyaung Ari.

Somra is spoken in Somra tract, Leshi Township and Homalin Township of Sagaing Division, Myanmar.

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Nagas are various ethnic groups native to northeastern India and northwestern Myanmar. The groups have similar cultures and traditions, and form the majority of population in the Indian state of Nagaland and Naga Self-Administered Zone of Myanmar; with significant populations in Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in India; Sagaing Region and Kachin State in Myanmar (Burma).

Ukhrul district District of Manipur in India

Ukhrul District is an administrative district of the state of Manipur in India with its headquarters at Ukhrul, that is Hunphun. The district occupies the north-eastern corner of the state and it extends between latitudes of 24° 29′ and 25° 42′ N and longitudes 94° 30′ and 94° 45′ E approximately. It shares an international boundary with Myanmar (Burma) on its eastern side and is bounded by Nagaland state in the north, Senapati district and Kangpokpi district in the west and Kamjong district in the south. It has the distinction of being the highest hill station of Manipur. The terrain of the district is hilly with a varying heights of 913 m to 3114 m (MSL). Ukhrul, the district HQ., at an altitude of 2020 m (MSL) is linked with Imphal, the state capital by NH 202 which is about 84 kilometres apart. The district covers an area of 4,544 square kilometres including Kamjong district making it the second largest district of the state after Churachandpur district and has a population of almost 1,83,998 according to Census of India 2011 comprising about 6.44 per cent of the total state population. The Tangkhul Naga tribe constitute the major bulk of the population with other communities such as Kukis, Nepalese and other non-tribals constituting a small percentage of the district population. Administratively, the district which comprises around 200 villages was divided into five sub-divisions, where their boundaries were coterminous with that of the Tribal Development Blocks. There was no statutory town in the district except one census town which was formed in 2011 Census. Recently, Kamjong district was carved out from Ukhrul District as a separate district. Ukhrul District has three assembly constituencies before the bifurcation of the district which are Phungyar Assembly Constituency (43-ST), Ukhrul Assembly Constituency (44-ST) and Chingai Assembly Constituency. The district is best introduced by its rare Shirui Lily,. Also, the district has provided two of Manipur's chief ministers and the only from amongst the hill districts of Manipur, Yangmaso Shaiza the first tribal chief minister of Manipur and Rishang Keishing who is also the first MP from Outer Manipur. William Pettigrew (missionary), an educationist and a Scottish-British Christian Missionary pioneered the western system of education and introduced the Christianity faith among the Tangkhal Naga tribe. Phungyo Baptist Church, Tangrei, Ukhrul, the oldest and the first Christian church of Manipur which still stands today is a testament to his passion for missionary work.

Tangkhul Naga

The Tangkhuls are a major ethnic group living in the Indo-Burma border area occupying the Ukhrul and Kamjong district in Manipur, India and the Somra tract hills, Layshi township, Homalin township and Tamu Township in Burma. Despite this international border, many Tangkhul have continued to regard themselves as "one nation". Tangkhuls living in Burma are also known as Hogo Naga/Eastern Tangkhul/Somra Tangkhul. Also Kokak Naga and Akyaung Ari Naga are included tribally within Tangkhul Naga tribe but their language are quite distinct. The Tangkhul (Somra/Hogo) language in Myanmar is very different from Tangkhul (Ukhrul) spoken in India. The villages in the north like Jessami, Soraphung and Chingjaroi (swimi) have quite a different culture than the main Tangkhul group but have more cultural ties with that of the Chakhesang poumai tribes.

Languages of Myanmar Languages of the country and its peoples

There are approximately a hundred languages spoken in Myanmar. Burmese, spoken by two-thirds of the population, is the official language.

The Kuki-Chin–Naga languages are a geographic clustering of languages of the Sino-Tibetan family in James Matisoff's classification used by Ethnologue, which groups it under the non-monophyletic "Tibeto-Burman". Their genealogical relationship both to each other and to the rest of Sino-Tibetan is unresolved, but Matisoff lumps them together as a convenience pending further research.

The Naga languages are a geographic and ethnic grouping of languages under the Kuki-Chin-Naga languages, spoken mostly by Naga peoples.

NTX may refer to:

The Tangkhulic and Tangkhul languages are a group of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken mostly in northeastern Manipur, India. Conventionally classified as "Naga," they are not clearly related to other Naga languages, and are conservatively classified as an independent Tangkhul–Maring branch of Tibeto-Burman, pending further research.

Homalin Township Township in Sagaing Region, Burma

Homalin Township is a township in Hkamti District in the Sagaing Region of Burma. The principal town is Homalin. The principal rivers flowing through the township are the Chindwin River form north to south and the Uyu River from east to west, joining the Chindwin near Homalin town.

Leshi Township Township in Sagaing Region, Burma

Leshi Township or Layshi Township is a mountainous township located within the Naga Self-Administered Zone of Sagaing Region, Myanmar. It is also part of the Naga Self-Administered Zone. The principal town is Leshi.

Tangkhul is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Tangkhulic branch. It is spoken in 168 villages of Ukhrul district, Manipur, India, with speakers scattered in Nagaland and Tripura as well.

Lhao Vo also known as Maru (မရူ) and Langsu, is a Burmish language spoken in Burma and by a few thousand speakers in China.

Shö is a Kuki-Chin language dialect cluster of Burma and Bangladesh. There are perhaps three distinct dialects, Asho (Khyang), Chinbon, and Shendu.

Sorbung is a recently discovered Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Manipur, northeastern India. Although the speakers are ethnically Tangkhul, it appears to be a non-Tangkhulic Kuki-Chin language, as it shows strong links with what was called 'Southern Tangkhul' in Brown (1837), which was also a non-Tangkhulic language spoke by ethnic Tangkhul.

Akyaung Ari, or Ngachan, is a Tangkhulic language spoken in Burma. It is most closely related to Somra. It is spoken in Heinkut, Jagram, and Ngachan villages of Leshi Township, Sagaing Division, Myanmar.

Koki, or Koki Naga, is an unclassified Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Burma. Speakers are included under the wider Naga ethnicity. It has been documented in Shintani (2018).

Makury, or Makury Naga, is a Naga language of India and Myanmar. Shi (2009:3) and Saul (2005:25) suggest that Makury may be an Ao language.

The language of the neighboring villages of Kaachai and Padāng in Manipur, India, constitute a Tangkhulic language. It is spoken by about 3,000 people in Kachai village, west-central Ukhrul District. Phadāng is only attested from 1859.

The Tangkhul–Maring languages are a small family of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in eastern Manipur of northeast India and Southwestern Sagaing in Myanmar. Conventionally classified as "Naga", they are not clearly related to other Naga languages, and are conservatively classified as an independent branch of Sino-Tibetan, pending further research.

References

  1. 1 2 Somra at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)