View source for Thadou language

{{Short description|Tibeto-Burman language spoken in India}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Kuki language|Kuki language (Nigeria)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Thadou–Kuki
| altname = Thado Chin, Thadou, Kuki
| nativename = Thadoupao
| states = [[India]]
| region = [[Manipur]]
| ethnicity = [[Kuki people]], natively to the [[Thadou people|Thadou tribe]].
| speakers = {{sigfig|346,100|2}}
| date = 2011–2017 
| ref = e25
| familycolor = Sino-Tibetan
| fam2 = [[Tibeto-Burman languages|Tibeto-Burman]]
| fam3 = [[Kuki-Chin-Naga languages|Kuki-Chin-Naga]]
| fam4 = [[Kuki-Chin languages|Kuki-Chin]]
| fam5 = [[Northeastern Kuki-Chin languages|Northeastern]]
| iso3 = tcz
| glotto = thad1238
| glottorefname = Thado Chin
}}
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Map thado.png|thumb|This map shows in what areas this language is primarily used.]] -->
'''Thadou''', '''Kuki''', or '''Thado Chin'''  is a [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan]] language of the [[Northeastern Kuki-Chin languages|Northeastern]] sub-branch of [[Kuki-Chin languages|Kuki-Chin]]. It is spoken by the [[Thadou people]] in [[Northeast India]] (specifically in [[Manipur]] and [[Assam]]).<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Mahapatra|first1=Bijaya P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UhcLAQAAMAAJ&q=number+of+thadou+speaking+states+in+india|title=The Written Languages of the World: A Survey of the Degree and Modes of Use : Book 2, Non-Constitutional Languages|last2=Padmanabha|first2=P.|date=December 1989|publisher=Pr De L'Universite Laval|isbn=978-2-7637-7196-0|page=1311|language=en|access-date=2 January 2022|archive-date=27 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527015748/https://books.google.com/books?id=UhcLAQAAMAAJ&q=number%20of%20thadou%20speaking%20states%20in%20india|url-status=live}}</ref> 
The speakers of this language use [[Meitei language]] as their [[second language]] (L2) according to the [[Ethnologue]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meitei {{!}} Ethnologue |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mni/ |access-date=2023-05-03 |website=[[Ethnologue]] |language=en |archive-date=24 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724203234/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mni/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The language is known by many names, including '''Thado''', '''Thado-Pao''', '''Thado-Ubiphei''', '''Thādo''', '''Thaadou Kuki''', or just '''Kuki''' or '''Chin'''.

There are several dialects of this language: Hangshing, Khongsai, Kipgen, Saimar, Langiung, Sairang, Thangngeo, Haokip, Sitlhou, Singson (Shingsol).<ref name=e25/> 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]].<ref name="Saimar hindu">{{cite news |url= http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3650421.ece |title= Just 4 people keep a language alive |newspaper= The Hindu |date= 18 July 2012 |access-date= 7 April 2013 |archive-date= 3 January 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130103122507/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3650421.ece |url-status= live }}</ref> The variety spoken in [[Manipur]] has partial mutual intelligibility with the other [[Kuki-Chin languages|Mizo-Kuki-Chin languages]] varieties of the area including [[Paite language|Paite]], [[Hmar language|Hmar]], [[Vaiphei language|Vaiphei]], [[Simte language|Simte]], [[Kom language (India)|Kom]] and [[Gangte language|Gangte]] languages.<ref name=Singh>{{cite journal|last1=Singh|first1=Chungkham Yashawanta|title=The linguistic situation in Manipur|journal=Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area|date=1995|volume=18|issue=1|pages=129–134|url=http://sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf8/singh1995linguistic.pdf|access-date=19 June 2014|archive-date=19 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819085546/http://sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf8/singh1995linguistic.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

==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 district|Karbi Anglong]] (Mikil Hills)
***NC hills ([[Dima Hasao district|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.

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

The Saimar dialect is only spoken by 4 people in one village, which is located in [[Tripura]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/just-4-people-keep-a-language-alive/article3650421.ece|title=Just 4 people keep a language alive|date=18 July 2012|work=The Hindu|access-date=12 July 2022|archive-date=13 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240913180145/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/just-4-people-keep-a-language-alive/article3650421.ece|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Phonology ==
=== Consonants ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" |
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! rowspan="3" |[[Plosive]]
!<small>voiceless</small>
|{{IPA link|p}}
|{{IPA link|t}}
|
|{{IPA link|k}}
|{{IPA link|ʔ}}
|-
!<small>[[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]]</small>
|{{IPA link|pʰ}}
|{{IPA link|tʰ}}
|
|
|
|-
!<small>voiced</small>
|{{IPA link|b}}
|{{IPA link|d}}
|
|{{IPA link|ɡ}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Affricate]]
|
|{{IPA link|ts}}
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|{{IPA link|m}}
|{{IPA link|n}}
|
|{{IPA link|ŋ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="3" |[[Fricative]]
!<small>voiceless</small>
|
|{{IPA link|s}}
|
|{{IPA link|x}}
|{{IPA link|h}}
|-
!<small>voiced</small>
|{{IPA link|v}}
|{{IPA link|z}}
|
|
|
|-
!<small>[[Lateral fricative|lateral]]</small>
|
|{{IPA link|ɬ}}
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Approximant]]
|{{IPA link|w}}
|{{IPA link|l}}
|{{IPA link|j}}
|
|
|}

* /p t k/ are heard unreleased as [p̚ t̚ k̚] in word-final position.
* {{IPAslink|ts}} is heard as more apical {{IPAblink|ts̺}} when occurring before front and central vowels.
* {{IPAslink|x}} can have a cognate of an aspirated velar plosive {{IPAblink|kʰ}} in the dialect spoken in Burma.
* {{IPAslink|ɬ}} can have an allophone of {{IPAblink|l̥}} in word-medial position.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Haokip|first=Marykim|title=Grammar of Thadou-Kuki: A Descriptive Study|year=2014|location=New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University}}</ref>

=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!
! [[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
! [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
|{{IPA link|i}}
|
|{{IPA link|u}}
|-
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|{{IPA link|e}}
|{{IPA link|ə}}
|{{IPA link|o}}
|-
![[Open vowel|Open]]
|
|{{IPA link|a}}
|
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Incubator|code=tcz}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Haokip |first=Pauthang |date=April 2011 |title=The Languages of Manipur: A Case Study of the Kuki-Chin-Mizo Languages |url=http://sealang.net/archives/ltba/pdf/LTBA-34.1.85.pdf |journal=Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=85-118 |doi=10.15144/LTBA-34.1.85 |access-date=9 March 2017}}
* {{Cite web |title=History |url=http://thethadou.webs.com/history.htm |access-date=9 March 2017 |website=thethadou.webs.com}}
* {{Cite web |title=Thado Chin |url=http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/5702 |access-date=10 March 2017 |website=Endangered Languages Project}}
* {{Cite web |title=Thado Chin |url=http://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/thad1238 |access-date=10 March 2017 |website=[[Glottolog]]}}
* {{Cite web |title=Thado Chin Rosary Prayers |url=http://www.marysrosaries.com/Chin_Thado_prayers.html |access-date=7 March 2017 |website=marysrosaries.com}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia |title=Thadou |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of World Cultures |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/thadou |access-date=3 May 2017 |via=Encyclopedia.com}}
* {{Cite web |title=Thadou Kuki language |url=https://globalrecordings.net/en/language/759 |access-date=10 March 2017 |website=globalrecordings.net}}
* {{Cite web |title=The Thadou (or Thado) |url=http://www.myanmarburma.com/attraction/174/the-thadou-or-thado |access-date=9 March 2017}}
* {{Cite web |title=Where on earth do they speak Chin, Thado? |url=http://www.verbix.com/maps/language/ChinThado.html |access-date=10 March 2017 |website=verbix.com}}

{{Sino-Tibetan languages}}
{{Kuki-Chin–Naga languages}}
{{Languages of Burma}}
{{Languages of Northeast India}}

[[Category:Languages of Manipur]]
[[Category:Languages of Tripura]]
[[Category:Endangered languages of India]]