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The 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 states of Nagaland and Manipur, and Naga Self-Administered Zone of Myanmar (Burma); with significant populations in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in India; Sagaing Region and Kachin State in Myanmar.
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.
The Konyak languages, or alternatively the Konyakian or Northern Naga languages, is a branch of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken by various Naga peoples in southeastern Arunachal Pradesh and northeastern Nagaland states of northeastern India. They are not particularly closely related to other Naga languages spoken further to the south, but rather to other Sal languages such as Jingpho and the Bodo-Garo languages. There are many dialects, and villages even a few kilometers apart frequently have to rely on a separate common language.
The Ao or Central Naga languages are a small family of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken by various Naga peoples of Nagaland in northeast India. 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. There are around 607,000 speakers of the languages in total.
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.
Southern Anung[ɑ31 nuŋ35], is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Nung people in Fugong County, China and Kachin State, Myanmar. The Anong language is closely related to the Derung and Rawang languages. Most of the Anung speakers in China have shifted to Lisu although the speakers are being classified as Nu nationality. The northern Anung people speak a dialect of Derung which is also called Anung actively, but is not the same Anung discussed in this article.
The Ao language is a Naga language spoken by the Ao Naga in Nagaland of northeast India. It is written from Latin Script
Tangkhul is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Tangkhulic branch, spoken in 168 villages of Ukhrul district, Manipur, India. The term "Tangkhul" is derived from the Meitei language terms, "Tang" meaning "scarce" and "Khul" meaning "village" respectively. According to another theory, the term "Tangkhul" is derived from "Thankhul", meaning "Than village" in Meitei language.
Matu, also known as Matu Chin, Batu, or Nga La, is a Kuki-Chin-Mizo language spoken in Matupi township, Chin State, Burma, 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.
Somra, also known as Burmese Tangkhul, 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. Somra is closer to Akyaung Ari.
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. Ngachan shares 52% lexical similarity with Tanghkul Naga of Somra, 23% with Tangkhul Naga of Ukhrul in India, and 23% with Koki Naga.
Leinong Naga, or Htang Ngan, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Burma. Leinong Naga is spoken in about 25 villages of Lahe Township and northwestern Hkamti Township, Naga Self-Administered Zone, Sagaing Division, Myanmar (Ethnologue). Dialects are Yao Dyang and Southern Leinong (Ethnologue).
Ponyo, or Ponyo-Gongwang after its two dialects, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Burma. Ponyo is spoken in 19 villages of Lahe Township, Naga Self-Administered Zone, Sagaing Division, Myanmar (Ethnologue). Dialects are Ponyo and Gongwang, with high mutual intelligibility between the two, both of which share 89% to 91% lexical similarity.
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).
Long Phuri, or Long Phuri Naga, is an unclassified Naga language of Burma. Long Phuri is spoken in 6 villages of Leshi Township, Hkamti District, Sagaing Region, Myanmar.
Para or Para Naga, is an unclassified Naga language of India and Burma. It is not close to other Naga languages which it has been compared to, though Para Naga, Long Phuri Naga, and Makuri Naga may be closest to each other, with Para the most distinct. Barkman (2014) notes that Para Naga could possibly be an Ao or Tangkhulic language. Saul (2005) classifies Para Naga as an Ao language. Hsiu (2021) classifies Para as a sister of the Central Naga (Ao) languages.
Makyam Naga is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Myanmar. The Western Makyam Naga dialects share 99% lexical similarity.
The Makury tribe is one of the Naga tribes that mostly resides in Naga Self-Administered Zone in Myanmar and some in Nagaland, India. They are one of the major Naga tribes of Myanmar and mostly inhabits around Lay Shi Township in Myanmar. However, in India due to lack of official recognition from Government of Nagaland are considered sub-tribe of Yimkhiung Nagas.
References
- ↑ Makury at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- 1 2 "Myanmar". Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 2016. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016.
- ↑ Hsiu, Andrew (2021). "Kuki-Chin-Naga". Sino-Tibetan Branches Project. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
- Saul, Jamie D. 2005. The Naga of Burma: Their festivals, customs and way of life. Bangkok, Thailand: Orchid Press.
- Shi, Vong Tsuh. 2009. Discourse studies of Makuri Naga narratives . MA thesis, Chiang Mai: Payap University.
- Shintani, Tadahiko. 2018. The Makuri language. Linguistic survey of Tay cultural area (LSTCA) no. 117. Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA).
- Language and Social Development Organization (LSDO). 2006. A sociolinguistic survey of Makuri, Para, and Long Phuri Naga in Layshi Township, Myanmar. Unpublished manuscript.
Sino-Tibetan branches | |||||
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| Western Himalayas (Himachal, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim) |
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| Eastern Himalayas (Tibet, Bhutan, Arunachal) | |||||
| Myanmar and Indo-Burmese border |
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| East and Southeast Asia |
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| Dubious (possible isolates) (Arunachal) |
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| Proposed groupings | |||||
| Proto-languages | |||||
Italics indicates single languages that are also considered to be separate branches. | |||||