Paite is a Sino-Tibetan language belonging to the northern sub-branch of Kuki-Chin branch. It is spoken by the

Paite people The Paite people are an ethnic group in Northeast India, mainly living in Manipur and Mizoram. The Paites are recognized as a scheduled tribe in these two states. They are part of the Zo people, but prefer to use the Zomi identity. " Guite" is ...

in India and Tedim Chins in Myanmar. There are different Paite

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

s; some notable Paite dialects are Bukpi, Lousau, Valpau, Dapzal, Tuichiap, Sukte, Dim, Lamzang and Sihzang. The language exhibits mutual intelligibility with the other languages of the region including Thadou, Hmar, Vaiphei, Simte, Kom, Gangte and other languages.

Etymology

The term ''Paithe'' originated in the Lushai Hills region. The Lushais used terms ''Pai'' or ''Poi'' to refer to central and southern Chin tribes, who tie their hair up. ''Paithe'' is said to be the plural of ''Pai''. The Paite themselves did not accept the term originally, but in 1948, the Paite National Council was formed to obtain the recognition of Paites as a Scheduled Tribe in India. Thus the term came to be accepted. ''Paite'' has also the meaning of "people on the move".

Language

This language has simple but long words. One word could mean many more things, if the pronunciation is different. Here are 2 few words :- Thak - New, Spicy Sikha - Servant, Ghost

Sample text

The following is a sample text in Paite of Article 1 of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal D ...

: There are two major dialects of Paite spoken in

Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...

: Lamjang and Dapjal; and 4 minor dialects which are Songtal, Bukpi, Lousau & Kangkap.

Geographical distribution

Paite is spoken mainly in the following locations (''Ethnologue''). *

Churachandpur district Churachandpur District (Meitei language, Meitei pronunciation: ''/tʃʊraːˌtʃaːnɗpʊr/''), is one of the 16 List of districts of Manipur, districts of the Indian state of Manipur populated mainly by Kuki-Zo people. The name honours former M ...

, Pherzawl district, Jiribam district,

Chandel district Chandel district is one of the 16 districts of Manipur state in northeastern India. Its headquarters is the town of Chandel. In December 2016, a part of the district was split to establish the new Tengnoupal district. The district is mainly pop ...

Tengnoupal district Tengnoupal district :/teŋ-nə́u-pəl/) is a district in Manipur, India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the ...

Mizoram Mizoram is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India, with Aizawl as its Capital city, capital and largest city. It shares 722-kilometres (449 miles) of international borders with Bangladesh to the west, and Myanmar t ...

: Aizawl district, Champhai district, Saitual district, Khawzawl district. *

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

: Diphu and villages like Khawnuam, Zawlnuam, Suangsang in Karbi Anglong. *

Chin State Chin State (, ) is a state in western Myanmar. Chin State is bordered by Sagaing Division and Magway Division to the east, Rakhine State to the south, the Chattogram Division of Bangladesh to the west, and the Indian states of Mizoram to th ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

(In Myanmar, the language is also known as Tedim Chin, which in turn is also related to the Tedim Township)

Education and Academic

Paite language can now be taken up as one of the MIL subjects offered in the Three-Year Degree course in

Manipur University Manipur University () is a central university located in Imphal, Manipur, India. It was established on 5 June 1980, under the ''Manipur University Act, 1980'' (Manipur Act 8 of 1980), as a teaching cum-affiliating university with territoria ...

. The Academic Council of the university in its meeting held on April 22, 2004 gave its approval for the inclusion of Paite as one of the MIL subjects after considering recommendation by the Board of Studies of the School of Humanities, and also in recognition of the richness of the language and its literature including creative writing.

References

Bibliography

External links

Paite.org
{{Languages of Northeast India Kuki-Chin languages Languages of Assam Languages of Manipur Languages of Mizoram Languages of Tripura Endangered languages of India