Mao, also known as Sopvoma, is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Angami–Pochuri linguistic sub-branch.[2] It is spoken primarily in Senapati district, northwestern Manipur and in Nagaland, India. It is similar to Angami.[3] The speakers of this language use Meitei language as their second language (L2) according to the Ethnologue.[4]
| Mao | |
|---|---|
| Sopvoma, Emela, Mao' La | |
 Mao written in Meitei script | |
| Pronunciation | mau |
| Native to | India |
| Region | Nagaland, Manipur |
| Ethnicity | Mao Naga, Poumai Naga |
Native speakers | 240,205 (2011 census)[1] |
Sino-Tibetian
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | India |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:nbi – Maopmx – Poumai |
| Glottolog | naga1397 |
| ELP | Mao Naga |
Phonology
editConsonants
edit| Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | voiceless | p | t̪ | t | k | ||
| aspirated | pʰ | (t̪ʰ) | tʰ | kʰ | |||
| voiced | b | d̪ | (ɡ) | ||||
| Affricate | voiceless | p͡f | t͡s | t͡ʃ | |||
| aspirated | (p͡fʰ) | t͡ʃʰ | |||||
| voiced | b͡v | d͡z | d͡ʒ | ||||
| Fricative | voiceless | f | s | ʃ | h | ||
| voiced | v | z | ʒ | ||||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | ||||
| Trill | voiced | r | |||||
| voiceless | ʰr̥ | ||||||
| Lateral | l | ||||||
| Approximant | (w) | j | |||||
- /t͡ʃʰ/ and /w/ only rarely occur, and with /t͡ʃʰ/ only occurring in word-initial position.
- The pre-aspirated voiceless /ʰr̥/, may have a word-initial allophone of [ʂ], [ʂ] rarely occurs phonemically.
- [ɡ] only occurs marginally from loanwords.
- /t̪, p͡f/ in word-initial position may be heard as [t̪ʰ, p͡fʰ] in free variation, rarely as phonemic.
- /h/ may have an allophone of [x] word-initially, word medially in free variation. [x] rarely occurs as a phoneme.
- /m/ before a central vowel /ɨ/ can have an allophone of a labiodental [ɱ].
- /n/ before high vowel sounds can have an allophone of a palatalized [nʲ].
Vowels
edit| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | ɨ | u |
| Mid | e | (ə) | o |
| Open | a |
- [ə] only occurs inter-morphemically.
- /ɨ/ can be heard as rounded [ʉ] in free variation.
- In word-initial position, /i, u/ can be lowered to [ɪ, ʊ].
- /e, o/ can be lowered to [ɛ, ɔ] in word-final position.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues – 2011". censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- ^ "Mao (Naga) language and alphabet". omniglot.com. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ "Mao (Naga) language and alphabet". omniglot.com. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ "Meitei | Ethnologue". Ethnologue. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ Giridhar, P. P. (1994). Mao Naga Grammar. Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages.
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