Achang language

Achang
Ngachang အာချန် / ငါချန်
Pronunciation[ŋa˨˩tʂhaŋ˨˩]
Native toChina, Myanmar
EthnicityAchang
Native speakers
(60,000 cited 1990–2007)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3acn
Glottologacha1252
ELPXiandao

The Achang language (Achang: Ngachang; Chinese: 阿昌, Burmese: အာချန်) is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Achang (also known as Maingtha and Ngochang) in Yunnan, China, and northern Myanmar.[1]

Distribution

[edit]

Achang is spoken in the following locations:

The three main dialects of Achang in China are:[2]

  • Longchuan 陇川方言
  • Lianghe 梁河方言
  • Mangshi 芒市方言 (formerly known as Luxi 潞西方言)

The Xiandao dialect (100 speakers; autonym: Chintaw /kʰan³¹tau³¹/) is spoken in the following two locations in Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture (Xiandaoyu Yanjiu).

  • Xiandaozhai 仙岛寨, Mangmian Village 芒面村, Jiemao Township 姐冒乡[3]
  • Meng'ezhai 勐俄寨, Mangxian Village 芒线村, Jiemao Township 姐冒乡[4]

Phonology

[edit]

Consonants

[edit]
Consonant phonemes[5]
Labial Alveolar Post-Alv. Palatal Velar Glottal
plain sibilant
Stop aspirated pʰ tʰ tsʰ tʃʰ cʰ kʰ ʔ
voiced b d dz dʒ ɟ ɡ
Fricative s ʃ ç h
Nasal m n ŋ
Approximant w l j

Voiced sounds /b, d, dz, dʒ, ɟ, ɡ/ can also be heard as voiceless [p, t, ts, tʃ, c, k] in free variation among speakers.

Vowels

[edit]
Monophthongs[5]
Front Central Back
Close i ɯ u
Mid ɛ ɔ
Open aˑ a
Syllabic ŋ̩

/i, ɛ, aˑ/ can also have tense vowel counterparts as [ɪ, æ, ʔaˑ].[5]

Syntax

[edit]

Achang word order is subject–object–verb. There is no dominant order for nouns and their adjective modifiers.[6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Achang at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Yang, Lu 杨露 (2020). Achangyu yuyin de fangyan dilixue yanjiu 阿昌语语音的方言地理学研究. Beijing: Chinese Social Sciences Press 中国社会科学出版社. OCLC 1232141802.
  3. ^ "Yíngjiāng Xiàn Nòngzhāng Zhèn Mángmiǎn Cūn Xiāndǎo Zìráncūn" 盈江县弄璋镇芒缅村仙岛自然村 [Xiandao Natural Village, Mangmian Village, Nongzhang Town, Yingjiang County]. ynszxc.gov.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2016-03-05.
  4. ^ "Yíngjiāng Xiàn Nòngzhāng Zhèn Mángxiàn Cūn Měngé Zìráncūn" 盈江县弄璋镇芒线村勐俄自然村 [Meng'e Natural Village, Mangxian Village, Nongzhang Town, Yingjiang County]. ynszxc.gov.cn (in Chinese). 2016-03-09. Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  5. ^ a b c Inglis & Inglis (2003)
  6. ^ "Language Achang". The World Atlas of Language Structures Online. Retrieved 2019-02-06.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Inglis, Douglas; Inglis, Connie (2003), A Preliminary Phonology of Ngochang – via Academia.edu
  • Nasaw Sampu; Wilai Jaseng; Thocha Jana; Douglas Inglis (2005), A Preliminary Ngochang – Kachin – English Lexicon (PDF) – via SIL.org
  • Yabu, Shirō 藪 司郎 (1990). "The Achang Language of Burma". In Sakiyama, Osamu 崎山 理 (ed.). Ajia no shogengo to ippan gengogaku アジアの諸言語と一般言語学 [Asian Languages and General Linguistics]. Tokyo: Sanseidō. pp. 124–141.
  • Xie, Hongmei 谢红梅 (2019). Achangyu fangyan cihuiji 阿昌语方言词汇集. Kunming: Yunnan Ethnic Publishing House 云南民族出版社. ISBN 978-7-5367-7568-8. (3,023-item comparative word list of the Longchuan, Lianghe, and Mangshi dialects)
  • Yang, Lu 杨露 (2020). Achangyu yuyin de fangyan dilixue yanjiu 阿昌语语音的方言地理学研究. Beijing: Chinese Social Sciences Press 中国社会科学出版社. OCLC 1232141802.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Achang_language&oldid=1255754419"