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The Kuki-Chin languages (also called Kuki-Chin-Mizo, Kukish or South-Central Tibeto-Burman languages) are a branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family spoken in northeastern India, western Myanmar and southeastern Bangladesh. Most notable Kuki-Chin-speaking ethnic groups are referred to collectively as the Zo people which includes: the Mizo of Mizoram, the Kuki of Manipur, Assam, Nagaland, Tripura and Bangladesh and the Chin of Chin State, Myanmar.

Kuki-Chin is alternatively called South-Central Trans-Himalayan (or South Central Tibeto-Burman) by Konnerth (2018), because of negative connotations of the term "Kuki-Chin" for many speakers of languages in this group.

Kuki-Chin is sometimes placed under Kuki-Chin–Naga, a geographical rather than linguistic grouping.

Geographical distribution

• Northwestern: Chandel district of Manipur, India; Tamu Township of Sagaing Region, Myanmar.
• Northern: Chandel district, Churachandpur district, Kangpokpi district, Noney district, Tamenglong district, and Tengnoupal districts of Manipur, India; Tedim Township of Chin State, Myanmar; Tamu Township of Sagaing Region, Myanmar.
• Central: whole state of Mizoram, India; Pherzawl district of Manipur, India; parts of Cachar district and parts of Karbi Anglong district of Assam, India; parts of East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya, India; Falam Township, Hakha Township, and Thantlang Townships of Chin State, Myanmar; Kalay Township and Khampat Townships of Sagaing Region, Myanmar, parts of Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.
• Maraic: majority of Siaha district of Mizoram, India; parts of Matupi Township of Chin State, Myanmar.
• Southern: Kanpetlet Township, Matupi Township, Mindat Township, Paletwa Townships of Chin State, Myanmar; parts of the Arakan Range of Rakhine State, Myanmar; parts of Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.
• Khomic: Paletwa Township of Chin State, Myanmar; parts of Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.

Internal classification

The Karbi languages may be closely related to Kuki-Chin, but Thurgood (2003) and van Driem (2011) leave Karbi unclassified within Sino-Tibetan.

The Kuki-Chin branches listed below are from VanBik (2009), with the Northwestern branch added from Scott DeLancey, et al. (2015), and the Khomic branch (which has been split off from the Southern branch) from Peterson (2017).

• Kuki-Chin
  • Central: Mizo (Duhlian), Bawm (Sunthla and Panghawi), Falam (Hallam, Ranglong, Darlong, Hauhulh, Simpi, Hualngo, Chorei), Thor (Tawr), Hmar, Hrangkhol, Biate (Biete), Hakha (Lai/Pawi, Mi-E, Zokhua), Pangkhua, Saihriem, Laizo/Tlaisun, Khualsim, Zanniat, Zahau, Sim
  • Maraic: Mara (Tlosai {Siaha and Saikao}, Hawthai {Lyvaw, Sizo, and Lochei}, Hlaipao {Zyhno, Heima, and Lialai}), Zophei, Senthang, Zotung (Lungngo, Calthawn, Innmai), Lautu
  • Northern: Suantak-Vaiphei, Zo (Zou), Paite, Tedim, Thado (Kuki), Gangte, Simte, Vaiphei, Sizang, Ralte, Ngawn
  • Southern: Shö (Asho/Khyang, Chinbon), Thaiphum, Daai (Nitu), Mün, Yindu, Matu, Welaung (Rawngtu), Kaang, Laitu, Rungtu, Songlai, Sumtu
  • Khomic: Khumi (Khumi proper and Khumi Awa), Mro, Rengmitca, etc.
  • Northwestern: Monsang, Moyon, Lamkang, Aimol, Anal, Tarao, Koireng (Kolhreng), Chiru, Kom, Chothe, Purum, Kharam,

Darlong and Ranglong are unclassified Kuki-Chin language.

The recently discovered Sorbung language may be mixed language that could classify as either a Kuki-Chin or Tangkhul language (Mortenson & Keogh 2011).

Anu-Hkongso speakers self-identify as ethnic Chin people, although their language is closely related to Mru rather than to Kuki-Chin languages. The Mruic languages constitute a separate Tibeto-Burman branch, and are not part of Kuki-Chin.

VanBik (2009)

Kenneth VanBik's (2009:23) classified the Kuki-Chin languages based on shared sound changes (phonological innovations) from Proto-Kuki-Chin as follows.

• Kuki-Chin
  • Central: *k(ʰ)r-, *p(ʰ)r- > *t(ʰ)r-; *k(ʰ)l-, *p(ʰ)l- > *t(ʰ)l-; *y- > *z-
    • Pangkhua?
    • Lamtuk Thet: Lamtuk, Ruavan
    • Lai
      • Hakha: Hakha, Thantlang, Zokhua
      • Falam: Bawm, Bualkhaw, Laizo, Lente, Khualsim, Khuangli, Sim, Tlaisun, Zanniat
    • Mizo
      • Mizo: Fanai, Hualngo, Lushai, Khiangte
      • Hmar: Khosak, Thiek, Lawitlang, Khawbung, Darngawn, Lungtau, Leiri
  • Maraic: *kr- > *ts-; *-ʔ, *-r, *-l > -Ø; *-p, *-t, *-k > *-ʔ; *θ- > *s-
    • Mara
      • Tlosai
        • Saikao
        • Siaha
      • Hlaipao
        • Heima
        • Lialai
        • Vahapi/Zyhno
      • HawThai
        • Sizo
          • Ngaphepi
          • Sabyu
          • Chapi
        • Lyvaw
          • Lochei
          • Tisih
          • Phybyu
    • Lautu
      • Hnaro
      • Chawngthia
    • Zophei
      • Vytu
      • Sate/Awsa
    • Senthang
      • Khuapi
      • Surkhua
    • Zotung *h- > *f-; *kr- > *r-; *khl- > *kh-, *l-; *c()- > *t()-/*s-; *y- > *z-/*z()-; *w- > *v-
      • Calthawng
      • Innmai
      • Lungngo/Tinpa
  • Peripheral: *r- > *g-
    • Northern: *θ- > *ts-; *kl- > *tl-; *-r > *-k
      • Thado/Kuki, Tedim, Khuangsai, Paite Vuite, Chiru
      • Sizang, Guite, Vaiphei, Ralte,
    • Southern (Southern Plains): *-r > *-y
      • Khumi: Khomi, Wakung
      • Cho-Asho
        • Asho
        • Cho: Matu; Chinpon; Daai, Nghmoye, Ngmuun, Mkaang

Peterson (2017)

David A. Peterson's (2017:206) internal classification of the Kuki-Chin languages is as follows.

• Kuki-Chin
  • Northwestern: Purum (Naga), Koireng, Monsang (Naga), etc.
  • Central
    • Core Central
    • Maraic
  • Peripheral
    • Northeastern
    • Khomic: Khami/Khumi, Mro-Khimi, Lemi, Rengmitca, etc.
    • Southern
      • Cho
      • Daai
      • Hyow/Asho

Peterson's Northeastern branch corresponds to VanBik's Northern branch, while Peterson's Northwestern corresponds to the Old Kuki branch of earlier classifications.

See also

• Lai languages
• Pau Cin Hau script
• Kuki-Chin Swadesh lists (Wiktionary)

References

1. VanBik, Kenneth (2009). Proto-Kuki-Chin: a reconstructed ancestor of the Kuki-Chin languages (PDF). Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus Project, Dept. of Linguistics research unit in Univ. of California, Berkeley. ISBN 0-944613-47-0.
2. Burling, Robbins (2003). "The Tibeto-Burman languages of Northeastern India". In Graham Thurgood; Randy J. LaPolla (eds.). The Sino-Tibetan Languages. pp. 169–191.
3. Konnerth, Linda. 2018. The historical phonology of Monsang (Northwestern South-Central/"Kuki-Chin"): A case of reduction in phonological complexity. Himalayan Linguistics, Vol. 17(1): 19-49, note : "...many language activists among the speakers of languages of the South-Central branch has made it clear to me that using the "Kuki-Chin" label is very insensitive."
4. Thurgood, Graham (2003) "A subgrouping of the Sino-Tibetan languages: The interaction between language contact, change, and inheritance." In G. Thurgood and R. LaPolla, eds., The Sino-Tibetan languages, pp. 13–14. London: Routledge, ISBN 978-0-7007-1129-1.
5. van Driem, George L. (2011a), "Tibeto-Burman subgroups and historical grammar", Himalayan Linguistics Journal, 10 (1): 31–39, archived from the original on 12 January 2012.
6. DeLancey, Scott; Krishna Boro; Linda Konnerth1; Amos Teo. 2015. Tibeto-Burman Languages of the Indo-Myanmar borderland. 31st South Asian Languages Analysis Roundtable, 14 May 2015.
7. ^ Peterson, David. 2017. "On Kuki-Chin subgrouping." In Picus Sizhi Ding and Jamin Pelkey, eds. Sociohistorical linguistics in Southeast Asia: New horizons for Tibeto-Burman studies in honor of David Bradley, 189-209. Leiden: Brill.
8. David Mortenson and Jennifer Keogh. 2011. "Sorbung, an Undocumented Language of Manipur: its Phonology and Place in Tibeto-Burman", in JEALS 4, vol 1.

Bibliography

• George van Driem (2001) Languages of the Himalayas: An Ethnolinguistic Handbook of the Greater Himalayan Region. Brill, ISBN 978-90-04-12062-4.
• VanBik, Kenneth. 2009. Proto-Kuki-Chin: A Reconstructed Ancestor of the Kuki-Chin Languages. STEDT Monograph 8. ISBN 0-944613-47-0.

Further reading

• Button, Christopher. 2011. Proto Northern Chin. STEDT Monograph 10. ISBN 0-944613-49-7. http://stedt.berkeley.edu/pubs_and_prods/STEDT_Monograph10_Proto-Northern-Chin.pdf
• Hill, Nathan W. (2014). "Proto-Kuki-Chin initials according to Toru Ohno and Kenneth VanBik". Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society. 7: 11–30.
• Lam Thang, Khoi (2001). A Phonological Reconstruction of Proto Chin (PDF) (MA thesis). Chiang Mai: Payap University.
• Mann, Noel, and Wendy Smith. 2008. Chin bibliography Archived 23 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Chiang Mai: Payap University.
• S. Dal Sian Pau. 2014. The comparative study of Proto-Zomi (Kuki-Chin) languages. Lamka, Manipur, India: Zomi Language & Literature Society (ZOLLS).
• Smith, Wendy and Noel Mann. 2009. Chin bibliography with selected annotations Archived 30 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Chiang Mai: Payap University.
• VanBik, Kenneth (2009). Proto-Kuki-Chin: A Reconstructed Ancestor of the Kuki-Chin Languages. STEDT Monograph. Vol. 8. ISBN 978-0-944613-47-4.

External links

• Tlângsam: Latest News in Hmar language – Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, NE India
• Recent Advances in Kuki-Chin Linguistics

v t e Sino-Tibetan branches
Western Himalayas (Himachal, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim)	West Himalayish Tamangic Newaric Newar Baram–Thangmi Kiranti Dhimalish Dhimal Toto Lhokpu Lepcha Greater Magaric Magaric Magar Kham Chepangic Chepang Bhujel Raji–Raute Dura–Tandrange
Eastern Himalayas (Tibet, Bhutan, Arunachal)	Bodish Tibetic East Bodish Tshangla Basum Nam? Gongduk ʼOle Tani Chamdo
Myanmar and Indo- Burmese border	Karbi Kuki-Chin Mruic Mru Hkongso Pyu Taman "Naga" Ao Angami–Pochuri Meitei Tangkhulic Zeme Sal Boro–Garo Konyak Jingpho–Luish
East and Southeast Asia	Sinitic Bai Tujia Nungish Karenic Gong Kathu Cai–Long Caijia Longjia Luren Burmo-Qiangic Qiangic Gyalrongic Ersuic Naic Lolo-Burmese Mondzish Burmish Loloish
Dubious (possible isolates) (Arunachal)	Hrusish Hruso Mijiic Kho-Bwa Puroik Miju–Meyor Songlin Greater Siangic Siangic Koro Milang Idu–Taraon
Proposed groupings	Central Tibeto-Burman Kuki-Chin–Naga Macro-Bai Mahakiranti Rung Tibeto-Burman Tibeto-Kanauri
Proto-languages	Proto-Sino-Tibetan Proto-Tibeto-Burman Proto-Loloish Proto-Karenic Proto-Min Proto-Hakka
Italics indicates single languages that are also considered to be separate branches.

• Kuki-Chin languages
• Languages of India
• Languages of Bangladesh