Tangkhul language

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Tangkhul
Luhupa
Tangkhul written in Meitei script
Native toIndia
RegionManipur, Nagaland
EthnicityTangkhul people
Native speakers
140,000 (2001)[1]
Sino-Tibetan
  • Tangkhulic
    • Tangkhul
Dialects
  • Ukhrul
  • Kupome (Luhupa)
  • Phadang
Language codes
ISO 639-3nmf
Glottologtang1336
ELPTangkhul Naga

Tangkhul is a

Tangkhulic branch, spoken in different villages of Ukhrul district, Manipur, India. The term "Tangkhul" is derived from the Meitei language terms, "Tang" (Meitei: ꯇꯥꯡ, romanized: /tāng/) meaning "scarce" and "Khul" (Meitei: ꯈꯨꯜ, romanized: /khūl/) meaning "village" respectively.[2]
According to another theory, the term "Tangkhul" is derived from "Thankhul", meaning "Than village" in Meitei language.[3][4][5]

Tangkhul became a

Christian missionary activities.[6]

The

Department of Language Planning and Implementation of the Government of Manipur offers a sum of 5,000 (equivalent to 8,500 or US$110 in 2023), to every individual who learns Tangkhul language, under certain terms and conditions.[7]

Tangkhul shares 93%–94% lexical similarity with the Somra variety of Tangkhul, 31% with Tangkhul Naga spoken in India, 51%–52% with Akyaung Ari Naga, and 29%–32% with Koki Naga.[8]

Phonology

Consonants

Bilabial Labio-
dental
Dental/
Alveolar
Palatal Velar
Glottal
Plosive
voiceless p
t
k ʔ
aspirated
Affricate
Fricative
voiceless f s h
nasalized
voiced z
Nasal m
n
ŋ
Rhotic
r
Lateral
l
Approximant
w ʋ j
  • Stop sounds /p t tʃ k/ may have voiced allophones [b d dʒ ɡ] in free variation.
  • /m/ may be heard as [ɱ] when preceding /f/ or /ʋ/.
  • /r/ can be heard as [r] or [ɾ] in free variation.

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i ɨ u
Mid e ə o
Open a
  • /i e a u/ can have allophone sounds of [ɪ ɛ ɐ ɯ] in free variation.[9]

References