Rongmei language

Sino-Tibetan language spoken in India

Rongmei
Songbu
Ruanglat, "Ruangmei"
Rongmei written in Meitei script
RegionAssam, Manipur and Nagaland
EthnicityRongmei Naga
Native speakers
(undated figure of 350,580[citation needed])
Language family
Sino-Tibetan
  • Tibeto-Burman
    • Central Tibeto-Burman (?)
      • Kuki-Chin-Naga
        • Zemeic
          • Rongmei
Language codes
ISO 639-3nbu
Glottologrong1266
ELPRongmei Naga

Rongmei is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Rongmei Naga community in Northeast India.[1] It has been called Songbu and is close to Zeme and Liangmai. The language has been nomenclatured as "Ruangmei" and studied as a First Language paper from class I to X of Board of Secondary Education, Manipur.[2] Ruangmei is studied as a Minor Indian Language (MIL) in Class XI & XII of Council of Higher Secondary Education Manipur (COHSEM).[3]

Geography

Rongmei is mostly spoken in the three states of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland.[4]

It is the most spoken language in Tamenglong district and Noney district; and the second most spoken language in Imphal West district and Bishnupur district of Manipur.[5]

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive/
Affricate
voiceless p t k
aspirated
voiced b d ɡ
Nasal m n ŋ
Fricative s h
Trill r
Approximant lateral l
central w j

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e ə o
Open a

A lower-mid elongated sound [ɐː] also occurs only in word-medial positions.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Naga, Rongmei". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Board of secondary education manipur- BSEM".
  3. ^ "Welcome to Council of Higher Secondary Education, Manipur".
  4. ^ "Distribution of 99 non schedule languages" (PDF). Census India. MHA, Govt of India. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Census of language in India 2011". MHA, Govt of India.
  6. ^ Tiwari, Surendra K. (1971). A descriptive grammar of Kabui. Poona: Deccan College.
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Sino-Tibetan branches
Western Himalayas
(Himachal, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim)
Greater Magaric
Map of Sino-Tibetan languages
Eastern Himalayas
(Tibet, Bhutan, Arunachal)Myanmar and Indo-Burmese border
"Naga"
Sal
East and Southeast Asia
Burmo-Qiangic
Dubious (possible isolates)
(Arunachal)
Greater Siangic
Proposed groupingsProto-languages
Italics indicates single languages that are also considered to be separate branches.
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Kuki-Chin
Southern Naga
(Northwestern)
Northern
Central
Maraic
Khomic
Southern
Naga
Ao (Central Naga)
Angami–Pochuri
Tangkhulic
Zemeic (Western Naga)
Meitei
Karbic
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Arunachal
Pradesh
Sal
Tani
Other
Assam
Indo-Aryan
Sino-Tibetan
Kuki-Chin
Sal
Tani
Zeme
Other
Kra-Dai
Manipur
Kuki-Chin
Northern
Other
Zeme
Other
Meghalaya
Kuki-Chin
Khasic
Other
Mizoram
Nagaland
Sino-
Tibetan
Angami-
Pochuri
Ao
Sal
Zeme
Other
Other
Sikkim
Tripura
Indo-Aryan
Sino-Tibetan


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