Angami language
Encyclopedia
Angami is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in the Naga Hills
in the northeastern part of India
, in Kohima district
, Nagaland
.
There are several dialects, the most prominent being Khonoma (around Khonoma village), and Tenyidie Kohima (in the state capital of Kohima
). Others include Dzüna, Kehena, Chakroma (Western Angami), Mima, Nali, Mozome. Tenyidie is the prestige dialect
, used for publications and taught in the schools.
Kohima dialect is reported to have five tones. Khonoma has four register tones: /˥ ˧ ˨ ˩/ (with diacritics, /a̋ á ā à/). The lower three are approximately equally spaced in pitch, while the topmost is more distant. Low tone may be accompanied by breathy voice
, especially at the end of an utterance.
Angami has six vowels, /i e̞ a̠ o u̟ ə̝/. Diphthong
s occur, but are rare.
Other dialects also contrast /tʃʰ tʃ dʒ/. [f] only occurs as an allophone of /p/. The velar fricative is in free variation with [h]. The post-alveolar approximants are truly retroflex (sub-apical) [ɻ̊ ɻ] before mid and low vowels, but laminal
[ɹ̠̊ ɹ̠] before high vowels (/i u/).
Angami voiceless nasals are unusual in that, unlike the voiceless nasals of Burmese
, the have a positive rather than negative voice onset time
—that is, they are aspirated
rather than partially voiced. The same is true of the laterals. In both cases, the aspiration has the formants characteristic of Angami h, which is somewhat velar in pronunciation. The other voiceless approximants may not be aspirated, as the h-like formants occur during the entire hold of the consonant.
The labial and labialized consonants have labiodental affricate allophones before /ə/ (but not in /onsonant consonant clusters). In addition, about half the time the rhotic becomes syllabic (a rhotic vowel) in this environment:
Angami syllables may be of the form V
, C
V, or CɻV. Attested clusters are /pʰɻ/, /pɻ/, /kʰɻ/, /kɻ/.
Naga hills
Naga hills, reaching a height of around 3825 metres, lie on the border of India and Burma . These hills are part of a complex mountain system, and the parts of the mountain ranges inside the Indian state of Nagaland and the Burmese region of Sagaing are called the Naga Hills.In British India, the...
in the northeastern part of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, in Kohima district
Kohima district
Kohima district is a district of Nagaland state in India. It is the home of the Angami Naga tribe. As of 2011 it is the second most populous district of Nagaland , after Dimapur.-History:...
, Nagaland
Nagaland
Nagaland is a state in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the largest city is Dimapur...
.
There are several dialects, the most prominent being Khonoma (around Khonoma village), and Tenyidie Kohima (in the state capital of Kohima
Kohima
Kohima is the hilly capital of India's north eastern border state of Nagaland which shares its borders with Burma. It lies in Kohima District and is also one of the three Nagaland towns with Municipal council status along with Dimapur and Mokokchung....
). Others include Dzüna, Kehena, Chakroma (Western Angami), Mima, Nali, Mozome. Tenyidie is the prestige dialect
Prestige dialect
In sociolinguistics, prestige describes the level of respect accorded to a language or dialect as compared to that of other languages or dialects in a speech community. The concept of prestige in sociolinguistics is closely related to that of prestige or class within a society...
, used for publications and taught in the schools.
Phonology
This description covers the Khonoma dialect, which is spoken by 4000 people at the western extreme of Angami territory.Kohima dialect is reported to have five tones. Khonoma has four register tones: /˥ ˧ ˨ ˩/ (with diacritics, /a̋ á ā à/). The lower three are approximately equally spaced in pitch, while the topmost is more distant. Low tone may be accompanied by breathy voice
Breathy voice
Breathy voice is a phonation in which the vocal cords vibrate, as they do in normal voicing, but are held further apart, so that a larger volume of air escapes between them. This produces an audible noise...
, especially at the end of an utterance.
Angami has six vowels, /i e̞ a̠ o u̟ ə̝/. Diphthong
Diphthong
A diphthong , also known as a gliding vowel, refers to two adjacent vowel sounds occurring within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: That is, the tongue moves during the pronunciation of the vowel...
s occur, but are rare.
| Labial | Alveolar | Post- alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labio- velar |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m̥ʰ m | n̥ʰ n | ɲ̊ʰ ɲ | ŋ | ||
| Plosive | pʰ p b | tʰ t d | kʰ k ɡ | kʷʰ kʷ ɡʷ | ||
| Affricate | ts | tʃ | ||||
| Fricative | v | s z | ʃ ʒ~ʝ | x~h | ||
| Approximant | l̥ʰ l | ɻ̊ ɻ | ȷ̊ j | w̥ w |
Other dialects also contrast /tʃʰ tʃ dʒ/. [f] only occurs as an allophone of /p/. The velar fricative is in free variation with [h]. The post-alveolar approximants are truly retroflex (sub-apical) [ɻ̊ ɻ] before mid and low vowels, but laminal
Laminal consonant
A laminal consonant is a phone produced by obstructing the air passage with the blade of the tongue, which is the flat top front surface just behind the tip of the tongue on the top. This contrasts with apical consonants, which are produced by creating an obstruction with the tongue apex only...
[ɹ̠̊ ɹ̠] before high vowels (/i u/).
Angami voiceless nasals are unusual in that, unlike the voiceless nasals of Burmese
Burmese language
The Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the constitution officially recognizes it as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese. Burmese is the native language of the Bamar and related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar, as well as...
, the have a positive rather than negative voice onset time
Voice onset time
In phonetics, voice onset time, commonly abbreviated VOT, is a feature of the production of stop consonants. It is defined as the length of time that passes between when a stop consonant is released and when voicing, the vibration of the vocal folds, or, according to the authors, periodicity begins...
—that is, they are aspirated
Aspiration (phonetics)
In phonetics, aspiration is the strong burst of air that accompanies either the release or, in the case of preaspiration, the closure of some obstruents. To feel or see the difference between aspirated and unaspirated sounds, one can put a hand or a lit candle in front of one's mouth, and say pin ...
rather than partially voiced. The same is true of the laterals. In both cases, the aspiration has the formants characteristic of Angami h, which is somewhat velar in pronunciation. The other voiceless approximants may not be aspirated, as the h-like formants occur during the entire hold of the consonant.
The labial and labialized consonants have labiodental affricate allophones before /ə/ (but not in /onsonant consonant clusters). In addition, about half the time the rhotic becomes syllabic (a rhotic vowel) in this environment:
| Phon. | allophone before /ə/ |
|---|---|
| p | pfə ~ fə ? |
| (b) | (bvə) |
| m̥ʰ | ɱ̊ʰə |
| m | ɱə |
| kʷʰ | kʰfə |
| kʷ | kvə |
| ɡʷ | ɡvə |
| ɻ | ɻ̩ ~ ɚ |
Angami syllables may be of the form V
Vowel
In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as English sh! , where there is a constriction or closure at some...
, C
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
V, or CɻV. Attested clusters are /pʰɻ/, /pɻ/, /kʰɻ/, /kɻ/.