Hakha-Chin language
Encyclopedia
Hakha Chin is a language spoken in southern Asia by 446,264 people. The total figure includes 2,000 Zokhua, and 60,100 Lai speakers. The speakers are largely concentrated in eastern India
in addition to Burma with a small amount of speakers in Bangladesh
in South Asia and northwestern Southeast Asian region.
Even though there is no official language in Chin State, Lai holh is used as a communication language or lingua franca in most parts of Chin State. It's used as a native language in Hakha and Thantlang area. And it's used as a communication language or lingua franca in Matupi. As Hakha and Falam dialects are from the same Lai dailect and 85% of the phonetic and accent are exactly the same, people from Falam can easily communicate with Hakha language. Strictly speaking, as Hakha is the capital of Chin State; Chins people from many parts of Chin State settle down in Hakha, or serve or work temporarily as a government employee or business men and eventually they including their children learn and speak Hakha. In this way, nowadays Hakha (Lai) dialect is used as a communication or lingua franca in the present day Chin State.
unlike most languages of India and Bangladesh who use Devanagari
script or other southeast-Asian alphabets. Between 1978 and 1999 the Bible
was translated into the language.
. In Burma, the language is also known as Haka, Hakha, Baungshe, and Lai.
. It is taught in primary schools in this nation. In India it is spoken in the Mizoram District
, Chhimtuipui District
and Aizawl district
in addition to Meghalaya
at the southernmost tip of Assam
area.
people and the Hakha-Chin speaking people are largely of the Lai Pawi
tribe of people. In the nation of India, they are a Scheduled Tribe, that is to say they have official government as a separate and distinct community, people, and culture. These people live in the forests and jungles of India. These remote areas are very hilly and mountainous. The livelihoods of most of them are based on swidden agriculture
. The predominant religion in practice by Hakha-Chin speakers is Christianity.
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 addition to Burma with a small amount of speakers in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
in South Asia and northwestern Southeast Asian region.
Even though there is no official language in Chin State, Lai holh is used as a communication language or lingua franca in most parts of Chin State. It's used as a native language in Hakha and Thantlang area. And it's used as a communication language or lingua franca in Matupi. As Hakha and Falam dialects are from the same Lai dailect and 85% of the phonetic and accent are exactly the same, people from Falam can easily communicate with Hakha language. Strictly speaking, as Hakha is the capital of Chin State; Chins people from many parts of Chin State settle down in Hakha, or serve or work temporarily as a government employee or business men and eventually they including their children learn and speak Hakha. In this way, nowadays Hakha (Lai) dialect is used as a communication or lingua franca in the present day Chin State.
Literacy and literature
The literacy rates are lower for the older people and higher in the younger generations. The Hakha-Chin language uses the Roman scriptLatin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
unlike most languages of India and Bangladesh who use Devanagari
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
script or other southeast-Asian alphabets. Between 1978 and 1999 the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
was translated into the language.
Burma
The language is spoken by 100,000 in Burma in 1991 according to UBSUnited Bible Societies
The United Bible Societies is a worldwide association of Bible societies. In 1946 delegates from 13 countries formed the UBS, as an effort to coordinate the activities of the bible societies. The first headquarters were London and in Geneva...
. In Burma, the language is also known as Haka, Hakha, Baungshe, and Lai.
Bangladesh
In 2000 1,264 spoke it in Bangladesh, according to WCD. The language is also known as simply Haka, Baungshe, or Lai here. Bangladesh is where Shonshe is spoken and it may be a language in its own right.India
There were 345,000 speakers in India according to UBS in 1996. It is also known as: Haka, Baungshe, Lai, Lai Pawi, Lai Hawlh. The majority of the youth is literate in IndiaLiteracy in India
Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate grew to 74.04% in 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than sixfold improvement, the level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84%, and India currently has the...
. It is taught in primary schools in this nation. In India it is spoken in the Mizoram District
Mizoram
Mizoram is one of the Seven Sister States in North Eastern India, sharing borders with the states of Tripura, Assam, Manipur and with the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Burma. Mizoram became the 23rd state of India on 20 February 1987. Its capital is Aizawl. Mizoram is located in the...
, Chhimtuipui District
Chhimtuipui District
Chhimtuipui District was one of the original three districts of Mizoram: Aizawl, Lunglei and Chhimtuipui. Chhimtuipui District had an area of 3,957 km2. and its headquarter was at Saiha. Subdivisional headquarters were at Lawngtlai and Chawngte. Chhimtuipui District was divided into four...
and Aizawl district
Aizawl district
Aizawl district is one of the 8 districts of Mizoram state in India. The district is bounded on the north by Kolasib district, on the west by Mamit district, on the south by Serchhip districts and on the east by Champhai district. The district occupies an area of 3576.31 km². The headquarters...
in addition to Meghalaya
Meghalaya
Meghalaya is a state in north-eastern India. The word "Meghalaya" literally means the Abode of Clouds in Sanskrit and other Indic languages. Meghalaya is a hilly strip in the eastern part of the country about 300 km long and 100 km wide, with a total area of about 8,700 sq mi . The...
at the southernmost tip of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
area.
People
The Hakha-ChinChin people
The Chin , known as the Kuki in Assam, are one of the ethnic groups in Burma. The Chins are found mainly in western part of Burma and numbered circa 1.5 million. They also live in nearby Indian states of Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur and Assam. Owing to Mizo influence and Baptist missionaries'...
people and the Hakha-Chin speaking people are largely of the Lai Pawi
Lai (people)
Strictly speaking, Lai are the people belonging to the Lai Autonomous District Council of Mizoram, North-East India. From a historical point of view, Lai is a dominant tribe of the so-called Chin-Kuki–Lushai, the community is scattered in different parts of the world, mainly concentrating in...
tribe of people. In the nation of India, they are a Scheduled Tribe, that is to say they have official government as a separate and distinct community, people, and culture. These people live in the forests and jungles of India. These remote areas are very hilly and mountainous. The livelihoods of most of them are based on swidden agriculture
Shifting cultivation
Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned. This system often involves clearing of a piece of land followed by several years of wood harvesting or farming, until the soil loses fertility...
. The predominant religion in practice by Hakha-Chin speakers is Christianity.