| Makyam | |
| Also Known As: | Makyan |
| Nativename: | Paung Nyuan |
| States: | Myanmar |
| Speakers: | 4,000 |
| Date: | 2008 |
| Ref: | e18 |
| Familycolor: | Sino-Tibetan |
| Fam2: | Brahmaputran |
| Fam3: | Konyak |
| Fam4: | (unclassified) |
| Iso3: | umn |
| Glotto: | maky1235 |
| Glottorefname: | Makyan Naga |
Makyam Naga (Lasam, Macham Naga, Makyan, Pongnyun, Paung Nyuan) is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Myanmar. The Western Makyam Naga dialects share 99% lexical similarity.[1]
It is closely related to other Konyak languages. Makyam is 31%–35% lexically similar with Ponyo-Gongwang Naga, 29%–36% with Leinong Naga, and 27%–28% with Lao variety of Konyak Naga.
Makyam belongs to the Khiamniungic subgroup within the Konyak–Chang group of languages (Naw Sawu 2016:6).[2] It is closely related to Leinong than to Khiamniungan.
Makyam is spoken in 13 villages of northeast Lahe Township and Hkamti Township, Sagaing Division, Myanmar (Ethnologue). Main dialect variation is between the western Makyan villages and Kuku villages.
Makyam is spoken in the following 18 villages, which are located just to the east of Lahe town in Lahe Township, Sagaing Division, Myanmar. They add up to a total of 1,026 households and 4,994 persons (Naw Sawu 2016:8).[2] Old village names are given in parentheses.
The majority of Makyam speakers can also speak Leinong, as the two languages are spoken in the same area (Naw Sawu 2016:10).
| Plosive | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fricative | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |
| Nasal | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |||
| Approximant | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ |
| Front | Central | Back | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrounded | Rounded | ||||
| High | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||
| Mid-high | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | (pronounced as /link/) | pronounced as /link/ | |
| Mid-low | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |||
| Low | pronounced as /link/ |
Additionally, the following diphthongs have been observed: /ia/, /ua/, /uo/, /oa/, /ue/, /ɔu/, /uɛ/, /ei/, /ea/, /ie/, /iɛ/, /ou/, /au/, /ai/.
Makyam also has five tones:[2]