Daai language
| Dai | |
|---|---|
| Region | Burma |
| Ethnicity | Dai Chin |
Native speakers | 37,000 (2010)[1] |
Sino-Tibetan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | dao |
| Glottolog | daai1236 |
Daai (Daai Chin), which borders the Mün and Ütbü language groups, is a Kuki-Chin-Mizo language of Burma. It is spoken in 142 villages in Kanpetlet, Matupi, Mindat, and Paletwa townships in Chin State, Burma (Ethnologue).
Dialects[]
Ethnologue lists the following dialects of Dai Chin.
- Ngxang
- Nghngilo (Yang)
- Ma-Tu
- Shiip
- Duk-Mcang
- Kheng
- Mkui
Phonology[]
Consonants[]
Daai has twenty-four consonant phonemes.
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasals | m̥ m | n̥ n | ŋ̊ ŋ | ||
| Plosives | p pʰ b | t tʰ d | k kʰ | ʔ | |
| Fricatives | s sʰ | x ɣ | h | ||
| Lateral Fricatives | ɬ | ||||
| Approximants | w | l | j |
Vowels[]
Daai has seven vowel phonemes, each with a phonemic length contrast.
| Front | Central | Back | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrounded | Rounded | |||
| High | i iː | ɯ ɯː | u uː | |
| Mid | ɛ ɛː | ə əː | ɔ ɔː | |
| Low | a aː | |||
Grammar[]
Daai is an isolating or analytic language. There is no inflectional morphology at the word level; case, number, and tense are marked by clitics.
Examples[]
| Daai | English |
|---|---|
| mthan | night |
| mpyong | mouth |
| kpyak | to destroy |
| pha | to arrive |
| Nghngaai-ktheih hmin lokti. | The mango fruits became ripe. |
| Mat jah mata i:ma am ngleh-ei ni. | They did not visit each other's houses. |
References[]
- Naing Kheng. 2017. A phonological description of the Mkuui variety of Dai Chin. Master's Thesis.
- Helga So-Hartmann. 2009. A Descriptive Grammar of Daai Chin. The Regents University of California.
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- Languages of Myanmar
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