Thado language

Thadou (Thado, Thaadou, Thado-Pao, Thadou-Kuki) is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Northern Kuki-Chin-Mizo linguistic sub branch. It is spoken in the northeastern part of India (specifically in Manipur and Assam). It is spoken by the Thadou people. The Thadou language is known by many names, including Thado, Thado-Pao, Thādo, Thadou-kuki, Thado-Ubiphei, Chin and Thādo-pao. There are several dialects of this language : Hangshing, Khongsai, Kipgen, Saimar, Langiung, Sairang, Thangngeo, Haokip, Sitlhou, Singson (Shingsol).The Saimar dialect was reported in the Indian press in 2012 to be spoken by only four people in one village in the state of Tripura. The variety spoken in Manipur has partial mutual intelligibility with the other Mizo-Kuki-Chin languages varieties of the area including Paite, Hmar, Vaiphei, Simte, Kom and Gangte languages. This language is not utilized as much today.

Thadou culture

The Thadou language comes from the Tibeto-Burman or Kuki-Chin-Mizo languages family of the Sino-Tibetan phylum. The Thadou people were settled in dense jungle sites. The Thadou villages mostly cultivated agriculture and domesticated animals. A unique aspect of the Thadou culture is that men and women shared these cultivation and domestication responsibilities.

Knowing a language connects one to the culture and traditions of the speakers of the language. This was especially the case with the Thadou language. Four important words in this language: , , , and . These terms represent four different forms of marriage. ''Chongmou'' represents the form of marriage where there is a negotiation price of the bride between the parents of the groom as well as the parents of the bride, along with feasting and wrestling. The is a form of marriage where just the negotiation between the parents of the bride and groom take place. The and are both similar forms of marriage, equivalent to eloping. Divorce is allowed and happens often within this culture. Children have a lot of independence in this culture and are encouraged to learn through experience including parental guidance as a stepping stone.

Thadou people consider Pathen the god who has created everything and is thus, the ruler of the universe. They pray to him in times of need and trouble. This culture is very into religious ceremonies. Many of their ceremonies are specific to individual groups or genders. In earlier times, the Thadou also believe in spirits moving on to Mithikho or Mithikhua, which is the village of the dead. As time passed by most of the Thadou people embraced Christianity.

Geographical distribution

Thadou is spoken in the following locations (''Ethnologue'').

* Northeast India
** Manipur
***Chandel district
***Churachandpur district
*** Senapati district
*** Kangpokpi district
*** Tengnoupal district
*** Pherzawl district
** Assam
*** Karbi Anglong (Mikil Hills)
***NC hills ( Dima Hasoa)

Dialects

''Ethnologue'' lists the following dialects of Thadou, the names of which mostly correspond to clan names. There is high mutual intelligibility among dialects.

*Lupho
*Lupheng
*Misao
*Hangsing
*Chongloi
*Khongsai
*Kipgen
*Langiung
*Sairang
*Thangngeo
*Haokip
*Sitlhou
*Touthang
*Haolai
*Singson (Shingsol)
*Hanghal
*Lhouvum
*Mate
*Lhungdim
*Baite

Phonology

Consonants

* /p t k/ are heard unreleased as ̚ t̚ k̚in word-final position.
* is heard as more apical when occurring before front and central vowels.
* can have a cognate of an aspirated velar plosive in the dialect spoken in Burma.
* can have an allophone of in word-medial position.

Vowels

Comparison between Thadou Dialects

The Saimar dialect is only spoken by 4 people in one village, which is located in Tripura. The other dialects, Jangshen, Haokip, Khongsai, Kipgen, Sairang, Thangeo, Langiung, Sitlhou, and Singson have a high mutual intelligibility, which means that speakers, although from different backgrounds and areas, can speak to each other without much effort and with ease.

References

Further reading

*Chin, Thado. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 March 2017, from https://www.ethnologue.com/language/tcz
*Did you know Thado Chin is severely endangered? (n.d.). Retrieved 10 March 2017, from http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/5702
*Haokip, P. (2011). Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. THE LANGUAGES OF MANIPUR: A CASE STUDY OF THE KUKI-CHIN-MIZO LANGUAGES*, 34.1 (April), 85-118. Retrieved 9 March 2017, from https://dx.doi.org/10.15144/LTBA-34.1.85
*History. (n.d.). Retrieved 9 March 2017, from http://thethadou.webs.com/history.htm
*MultiTree: A Digital Library of Language RelationshipsMultiTree: A Digital Library of Language Relationships. (n.d.). Retrieved 8 March 2017, from http://multitree.org/codes/tcz.html
*"Thadou." Encyclopedia of World Cultures. . Retrieved 3 May 2017 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/thadou
*Thado Chin. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 March 2017, from http://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/thad1238
*Thado Chin Rosary Prayers. (n.d.). Retrieved 7 March 2017, from http://www.marysrosaries.com/Chin_Thado_prayers.html
*Thadou Kuki language. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 March 2017, from https://globalrecordings.net/en/language/759
*The Thadou (or Thado). (n.d.). Retrieved 9 March 2017, from http://www.myanmarburma.com/attraction/174/the-thadou-or-thado
*Where on earth do they speak Chin, Thado? (n.d.). Retrieved 10 March 2017, from http://www.verbix.com/maps/language/ChinThado.html
*St George International Ltd. (n.d.). Retrieved 4 May 2017, from http://www.stgeorges.co.uk/blog/learn-english/how-many-people-in-the-world-speak-english

{{Languages of Northeast India

Languages of Manipur
Languages of Tripura
Endangered languages of India