Mongsen Ao language explained

Mongsen Ao
States:India
Region:Nagaland
Ethnicity:Ao Naga
Speakers:104,003
Date:2011 census
Ref:[1] [2]
Familycolor:Sino-Tibetan
Fam2:Tibeto-Burman
Fam3:Central Tibeto-Burman (?)
Fam5:Central Naga
Fam6:Ao languages
Fam7:Ao language
Script:Latin
Iso3:none
Glotto:mong1332
Glottorefname:Mongsen
Notice:IPA

Mongsen Ao is a member of the Ao languages, a branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages, predominantly spoken in central Mokokchung district of Nagaland, northeast India. Its speakers see the language as one of two varieties of a greater "Ao language," along with the prestige variety Chungli Ao.[2]

A chapter in the anthropological monograph of Mills (1926) provides a grammatical sketch of the variety of Mongsen Ao spoken in Longjang village. Coupe (2003) is one of the few acoustic studies published on a Kuki-Chin-Naga language (only three exist). Coupe (2007) is a reference grammar of the language, based on a revision of his PhD dissertation (Coupe 2004).

Alphabet

The Ao alphabet is based on the Latin script and was developed in the 1880s by the Christian missionary Edward W. Clark for Chungli Ao. The system is not based on phonemic principles and does not represent tone. A Christian Bible was published using the orthography in 1964. Coupe (2003) suggests a more consistent alphabet for Mongsen Ao.

A, B, C, E, I, J, K, L, M, N, Ng, O, P, R, S, T, U, Y, Z, Ü

Phonology

This section describes the sound system of Mongsen Ao as spoken in Mangmetong village and is based on Coupe (2007).

Vowels

Mongsen Ao has 6 vowels:

FrontCentralBack
modalcreaky
Closepronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Midpronounced as /link/
Openpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/

Consonants

Mongsen Ao has 27 consonants:

LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Nasalpronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/
Plosivepronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/
Affricatepronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/
Fricativepronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/  
Approximantpronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/
Lateralpronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/

Tone

Ao is a tonal language with 3 contrasting lexical tones:

All are register tones.

Syllable and phonotactics

The generalized syllable structure of Ao is abbreviated as the following:

(C1)V(G)(C2)+T

(C1)

V

(G)

(C2)

T

All syllables occur with one of the three tones. In a VG sequence, tone only occurs the vowel head.

Syntax

Ao is an SOV language with postpositions. Adjectives, numerals and demonstratives follow the nouns they modify, whilst relative clauses may be either externally or internally headed. Adverbial subordinators are suffixes attached to the verb and the end of the subordinate clause.

See also

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. www.censusindia.gov.in. 2018-07-07.
  2. Book: Coupe, A. R.. A Grammar of Mongsen Ao. 2007-01-01. Walter de Gruyter. 9783110198522. en.