Achang language

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Achang
Ngachang အာချန် / ငါချန်
Pronunciation[ŋa˨˩tʂhaŋ˨˩]
Native toChina, Myanmar
EthnicityAchang
Native speakers
(60,000 cited 1990–2007)[1]
Sino-Tibetan
Language codes
ISO 639-3acn
Glottologacha1252
ELPXiandao

The Achang language (Achang: Ngachang; Chinese: 阿昌, Burmese: အာချန်) is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Achang (also known as Maingtha and Ngochang) in Yunnan, China, and northern Myanmar.[1]

Distribution

Achang is spoken in the following locations:

The three main dialects of Achang in China are:[2]

  • Longchuan 陇川方言
  • Lianghe 梁河方言
  • Mangshi 芒市方言 (formerly known as Luxi 潞西方言)

The Xiandao dialect (100 speakers; autonym: Chintaw /kʰan³¹tau³¹/) is spoken in the following two locations in Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture (Xiandaoyu Yanjiu).

  • Xiandaozhai 仙岛寨, Mangmian Village 芒面村, Jiemao Township 姐冒乡[3]
  • Meng'ezhai 勐俄寨, Mangxian Village 芒线村, Jiemao Township 姐冒乡[4]

Phonology

Consonants

Consonant phonemes[5]
Labial Alveolar Post-Alv. Palatal Velar Glottal
plain
sibilant
Stop
aspirated
tsʰ tʃʰ ʔ
voiced
b
d
dz ɟ ɡ
Fricative
s ʃ ç h
Nasal
m
n
ŋ
Approximant
w
l
j

Voiced sounds /b, d, dz, dʒ, ɟ, ɡ/ can also be heard as voiceless [p, t, ts, tʃ, c, k] in free variation among speakers.

Vowels

Monophthongs[5]
Front Central Back
Close i ɯ u
Mid ɛ ɔ
Open a
Syllabic ŋ̩

/i, ɛ, aˑ/ can also have tense vowel counterparts as [ɪ, æ, ʔaˑ].[5]

Syntax

Achang word order is

subject–object–verb. There is no dominant order for nouns and their adjective modifiers.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Achang at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. .
  3. ^ "Yíngjiāng Xiàn Nòngzhāng Zhèn Mángmiǎn Cūn Xiāndǎo Zìráncūn" 盈江县弄璋镇芒缅村仙岛自然村 [Xiandao Natural Village, Mangmian Village, Nongzhang Town, Yingjiang County]. ynszxc.gov.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2016-03-05.
  4. ^ "Yíngjiāng Xiàn Nòngzhāng Zhèn Mángxiàn Cūn Měngé Zìráncūn" 盈江县弄璋镇芒线村勐俄自然村 [Meng'e Natural Village, Mangxian Village, Nongzhang Town, Yingjiang County]. ynszxc.gov.cn (in Chinese). 2016-03-09. Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  5. ^ a b c Inglis & Inglis (2003)
  6. ^ "Language Achang". The World Atlas of Language Structures Online. Retrieved 2019-02-06.

Further reading

External links