Apatani language

Apatani
tanw
Native toIndia
RegionArunachal Pradesh
EthnicityApatani people
Native speakers
44,815 (2011 census)[1]
Sino-Tibetan
  • Tani
    • Western Tani
      • Apatani
Language codes
ISO 639-3apt
Glottologapat1240
ELPApatani

Apatani (Apa Tani, Tanw) is a Tani language, a branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages, spoken in India.

Classification

Post & Kanno (2013)[2] and Macario (2015)[3] notes that Apatani has various words that do not reconstruct to Proto-Tani, pointing to a possible non-Tani substratum in Apatani. Macario (2015) lists the following divergent Apatani forms that do not reconstruct to Proto-Tani.

Apatani Proto-Tani[4] Proto-Tibeto-Burman[5] Gloss
puulye *ge *buw, *giian clothes
la- *han *graŋ cold (water)
mɨ- *ryɨ *day do
sar- *put - foam
poteʔ *brɨŋ *brɨŋ full
ʔude *nam *kyim house
-lya *grəŋ - lean against
sar-se *yak - foxtail millet
-ɟii *ɦo-pran - orphan
huʔ- *dan *tur shake
-ko *təŋ *twiy short
-be *pam *kyam, *wal snow
dàa-cáñ *ryok *syam iron
yo (o) *dɨn *sya meat
heñ- *mɨŋ *səm think

Geographical distribution

In Lower Subansiri district, Arunachal Pradesh, Apatani is spoken in 7 villages in Ziro valley, namely Hong, Hari, Biilla, Dutta, Hija, Mudang-Tage, and Bamin Michi (Ethnologue).

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Plosive/
Affricate 		voiceless p t tʃ k ʔ
voiced b d dʒ ɡ
Fricative s x h
Rhotic r
Approximant l j

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i ɨ u
Mid e ə o
Open a

[2]

Writing system

Like many endangered languages, Apatani did not have a standardized orthography until recently, and there was some debate among the Apatanis on which script should be used to transcribe it. In view of this, Tanw Supuñ Dukuñ, the apex Tanii organization, recommended the constitution of the Apatani Language Development Committee (ALDC). The Apatani Cultural and Literary Society (ACLS) constituted the ALDC to recommend a writing system of the language. A year-long discussion and study by ALDC resulted in the recommendation of an alphabet based on Roman script. The recommendation was accepted by the ACLS and the administrative approval for its use was given by the Tanw Supuñ Dukuñ, or the Apatani Apex Council.

Apatani (Tanii) Language Development

Apatani people have been writing Apatani using the Roman alphabet via an English-inspired orthography. What began as a practical means to communicate through writing has now grown into a writing system that has emerged as a means of intergroup communication. Currently, there are initiatives with regard to strengthening the status of the Apatani language in India. The most relevant ones are a revision project by Popi Sarmin Society[6] and LivingDictionaries' Talking Apatani Dictionary.[7]. However, these developments signal a positive momentum to raise public awareness regarding the need for Tanii language development and preservation.

References

  1. ^ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b Post, Mark W.; Kanno, Tage (2013). "Apatani phonology and lexicon, with special attention to tone". Himalayan Linguistics. 12 (1): 17–75.
  3. ^ Macario, Florens Jean-Jacques (2015). "The genetic position of Apatani within Tibeto-Burman". In Konnerth, Linda; Morey, Stephen; Sarmah, Priyankoo; Teo, Amos (eds.). North East Indian Linguistics 7. Asia-Pacific Linguistics. pp. 213–233. hdl:1885/95392. ISBN 9781922185273.
  4. ^ Sun (1993)
  5. ^ Matisoff (2003)
  6. ^ "Apatani-English Dictionary". Archived from the original on 26 June 2017.
  7. ^ "Talking Apatani Dictionary". livingdictionaries.

Tanw Aguñ *[1]

Apatani Talking Dictionary *[2]

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.