The topic of Shö language is one that always generates great interest and debate among experts and the general public. With a history dating back many years, Shö language has been the subject of numerous studies, research and discussions in various disciplines. From its impact on society to its influence on the economy, Shö language has proven to be a topic of great relevance today. In this article, we will explore the different aspects of Shö language, from its origins to its current situation, in order to offer a complete and up-to-date view of this important topic.
Shö | |
---|---|
Native to | Burma, Bangladesh |
Ethnicity | Asho Chin |
Native speakers | (50,000 cited 1983–2011) plus an unknown number of Shendu |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | Variously:cnb – Chinbon Chincsh – Asho Chinshl – Shendu |
Glottolog | chin1478 Chinbon Chinasho1236 Asho Chinshen1247 Shendu |
Shö is a Kuki-Chin language dialect cluster of Burma and Bangladesh. There are perhaps three distinct dialects, Asho (Khyang), Chinbon, and Shendu.
Mayin and Longpaw are not mutually intelligible, but have been subsumed under the ISO code for Chinbon because Mayin-Longpaw speakers generally understand Chinbon. Minkya is similarly included because most Minkya speakers understand Mayin.
Chinbon (Uppu) is spoken in the following townships of Myanmar.
Asho is spoken in Ayeyarwady Region, Bago Region, and Magway Region, and Rakhine State, Myanmar.
VanBik (2009:38) lists the following Asho dialects.
Shendu is spoken in Mizoram, India.
The Asho dialect (K’Chò) has 26 to 30 consonants and ten to eleven vowels depending on the dialect.
Labial | Dental/ Alveolar |
Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plosive | plain | p | t̪ | k | ʔ | |
aspirated | pʰ | t̪ʰ | kʰ | |||
implosive | ɓ | ɗ | ||||
Nasal | voiced | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |
voiceless | m̥ | n̥ | ɲ̊ | ŋ̊ | ||
Fricative | plain | s | ʃ | h | ||
aspirated | sʰ | ɦ | ||||
lateral | ɬ | |||||
Approximant | w | l | j |
Front | Central | Back | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Close | i / ˠi | ʉ | u | ||
Near-close | ɪ | ʏ | ʊ | ||
Close-mid | e | (ə̆) | ɤ | o | |
Open-mid | ɛ | ɔ | |||
Open | a |
Diphthongs: ei, ai, au
Similar to other Kukish languages, many Asho verbs have two distinct stems. This stem alternation is a Proto-Kukish feature, which has been retained to different degrees in different Kukish languages.