Tai Laing language
Tai Laing | |
---|---|
| |
တႆးလႅင် | |
Native to | Myanmar |
Region | Kachin, Sagaing |
Native speakers | 100,000 (2010)[1] |
Kra–Dai
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | tjl |
Glottolog | tail1248 |
Tai Laing (
Alternate names for Tai Laing are Shan Bamar, Shan Kalee, Tai Laeng, Tai Lang, and Tai Naing.[1]
Distribution and dialects
Tai Laing is spoken in Homalin Township, Sagaing Region, along the Chindwin, Irrawaddy, and Uru rivers. It is also spoken in Kachin State from Bhamo to Myitkyina townships.[1]
There are two subgroups of Tai Laing, namely Tai Nai and Tai Lai. The Tai Nai live along the railway line between Myitkyina and Mandalay. The Tai Lai live along the river south of Myitkyina.[1]
History
The Tai Laing settled in the
Following the 1962 Burmese coup d'état, restrictive language policies were promulgated by the military regime.[2] The Kachin Independence Organization also repressed Tai Laing speakers, who lived in contested territory.[2] In the 1990s, a military ceasefire enabled the Tai Laing to recover manuscripts, publish literacy books, and teach the language in summer schools.[2] During the 2011–2015 Myanmar political reforms, Khin Pyone Yee was appointed Kachin State's Minister of Shan Affairs.[2] She spearheaded a program to institutionalize Tai Laing education materials and curricula.[2]
While Tai Laing is experiencing a linguistic revival driven by youth, many Tai Laing are now bilingual or monolingual in Burmese, due to assimilation and intermarriage with Burmese speakers.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d Tai Laing at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d e f g Lovett, Lorcan (2018-07-30). "Once-taboo language lives again in rural Myanmar". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 2021-11-01.
- ^ hdl:1887/74583.