Phom is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Phom Nagas of Nagaland, Northeast India. Its speakers are primarily found in Longleng District and in few parts of bordering districts. The Phom language is written in Latin script and consists of 27 letters.
| Phom | |
|---|---|
| Native to | India |
| Region | Nagaland |
Native speakers | 54,416 (2011 estimation)[1] |
Sino-Tibetan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | nph |
| Glottolog | phom1236 |
| ELP | Phom Naga |
Alternate names for Phom language includes Phom, Phom shah. "Shah" is the Phom word for language. A Morung is called Pang in Phom language and log drums are referred as Shem.
Phonology
editAll phonological charts are from Burling (1998).
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | ʈ͡ʂʰ | kʰ | ||
| unaspirated | p | t | ʈ͡ʂ | k | |||
| Fricative | voiceless | ʂ | h | ||||
| voiced | ʐ | ||||||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |||
| Approximant | w | l | j | ||||
Vocabulary
editA large part of the vocabulary of Phom is inherited from proto-Sino-Tibetan.
| Meaning | Old Chinese | Written Tibetan | Written Burmese | Phom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "I" | 吾 *ŋa | nga | ŋa | ngei |
| "you" | 汝 *njaʔ | – | naŋ | nüng |
| "not" | 無 *mja | ma | ma' | |
| "two" | 二 *njijs | gnyis | hnac < *hnit | nyi |
| "three" | 三 *sum | gsum | sûm | jem |
| "five" | 五 *ŋaʔ | lnga | ŋâ | nga |
| "six" | 六 *C-rjuk | drug | khrok < *khruk | vok |
| "sun", "day" | 日 *njit | nyi-ma | ne < *niy | nyih |
| "name" | 名 *mjeŋ | ming | ə-mañ < *ə-miŋ | men |
| "eye" | 目 *mjuk | mig | myak | mük |
| "fish" | 魚 *ŋja | nya | ŋâ | nyah |
| "dog" | 犬 *kʷʰenʔ | khyi | khwe < *khuy | shi |
References
edit- ^ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 7 July 2018.