Thadou or Thado Chin is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Northern Kuki-Chin-Mizo sub-branch. It is spoken by the Thadou people in Northeast India (specifically in Manipur and Assam). The speakers of this language use Meitei language as their second language (L2) according to the Ethnologue.
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). 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. The variety spoken in Manipur has partial mutual intelligibility with the other Mizo-Kuki-Chin languages varieties of the area including Paite, Hmar, Vaiphei, Simte, Kom and Gangte languages.
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 (Mikil Hills) NC hills (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.
Lupho
Lupheng
Misao
Hangsing
Chongloi
Khongsai
Kipgen
Langiung
Sairang
Thangngeo
Haokip
Sitlhou
Touthang
Haolai
Singson (Shingsol) Hanghal Lhouvum Mate Lhungdim Baite
The Saimar dialect is only spoken by 4 people in one village, which is located in Tripura.
Phonology
Consonants
/p t k/ are heard unreleased as [p̚ t̚ k̚] in word-final position. is heard as more apical when occurring before front and central vowels. can have a cognate of an aspirated velar plosive in the dialect spoken in Burma. can have an allophone of in word-medial position.
Vowels
References
Further reading
Did you know Thado Chin is severely endangered? (n.d.). Retrieved 10 March 2017, from http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/5702 Haokip, P. (2011). Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. THE LANGUAGES OF MANIPUR: A CASE STUDY OF THE KUKI-CHIN-MIZO LANGUAGES*, 34.1 (April), 85-118. Retrieved 9 March 2017, from https://dx.doi.org/10.15144/LTBA-34.1.85 History. (n.d.). Retrieved 9 March 2017, from http://thethadou.webs.com/history.htm MultiTree: A Digital Library of Language RelationshipsMultiTree: A Digital Library of Language Relationships. (n.d.). Retrieved 8 March 2017, from http://multitree.org/codes/tcz.html "Thadou." Encyclopedia of World Cultures. . Retrieved 3 May 2017 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/thadou Thado Chin. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 March 2017, from http://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/thad1238 Thado Chin Rosary Prayers. (n.d.). Retrieved 7 March 2017, from http://www.marysrosaries.com/Chin_Thado_prayers.html Thadou Kuki language. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 March 2017, from https://globalrecordings.net/en/language/759 The Thadou (or Thado). (n.d.). Retrieved 9 March 2017, from http://www.myanmarburma.com/attraction/174/the-thadou-or-thado Where on earth do they speak Chin, Thado? (n.d.). Retrieved 10 March 2017, from http://www.verbix.com/maps/language/ChinThado.html St George International Ltd. (n.d.). Retrieved 4 May 2017, from http://www.stgeorges.co.uk/blog/learn-english/how-many-people-in-the-world-speak-english