Paite language
Paite | |
---|---|
Paite | |
Pronunciation | Pai-te |
Native to | India |
Region | Assam, Manipur |
Ethnicity | Paite |
Native speakers | 79,507 (2011 census)[1] |
Roman alphabet/Latin alphabet, Pau Chin Hau script | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 |
pck |
Glottolog |
pait1244 [2] |
Paite is a Zomi-Chin language spoken by the Paite people. There are different Paite dialects. The language exhibits mutual intelligibility with the other languages of the region including Thadou, Hmar, Vaiphei, Simte, Kom, Gangte and other languages.[3] The name Paite literally means 'Go-people' and can be translated as 'Leavers' , 'Marchers' or 'simply the people who went.'
Paite alphabet (Paite laimal)
The alphabet is propounded by Shri T Vialphung in 1903 which is extract from the Roman alphabets and has 18 consonants and 6 vowels. Out of 18 consonant phomemes in Paite, 11 of them are glottal stops, 4 fricatives, 2 nasal and 1 lateral.
This version of the Paite alphabet is called 'Paite Laimal'. This alphabet is used since 1903 to till today.
Letter | a | aw | b | ch | d | e | f | g | ng | h | i | j | k |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Letter | l | m | n | o | p | r | s | t | u | v | z | ||
Consonants | b | ch | d | f | g | ng | h | j | k | l | m | n | p | r | s | t | v | z |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vowels | a | aw | e | i | o | u |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Diphthongs
High-front-oriented | ei | ai | ui | oi |
---|---|---|---|---|
High-back-oriented | au | iu | eu | ou |
---|---|---|---|---|
Low-central-oriented | ia | ua |
---|---|---|
'iai'(yai) and 'uau'(wao) are the Triphthongs of Paite language.
Numbers
Paite | English | Meitei |
---|---|---|
Bial | Zero | Phun |
Khat | One | Ama |
Nih | Two | Ani |
Thum | Three | Ahum |
Li | Four | Mari |
Nga | Five | Manga |
Guk | Six | Taruk |
Sagih | Seven | Taret |
Giat | Eight | Nipal |
Kua | Nine | Mapal |
Sawm | Ten | Tara |
Sawmlehkhat | Eleven | TaraMathoi |
Sawmlehkua | Nineteen | TaraMapal |
Sawmhni | Twenty | Khun |
Sawmthum | Thirty | KhumThra |
Sawmkua | Ninety | MariPhuTara |
Za | Hundred | ChaAma |
Zanga | Five hundred | ChaManga |
Saang(khat) | One thousand | Lishing |
Siing(khat) | Ten thousand | |
Nuai(khat) | Hundred thousand/One lakh | |
Maktaduai | Million | |
Vaibelsia | Ten million | |
Vaibelsetak | Hundred million | |
Tuklehdingawn | Billion | |
Tuklehdingawn sawm | Ten billion | |
Tuklehdingawn za | Hundred billion |
Sample text
The following is a sample text in Paite of the Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Paite pau | English |
---|---|
Mi tengteng zalena piang ihi ua, zahomna leh dikna tanvou ah kibangvek ihi. Sia leh pha theihna pilna neia siam ihihziakun imihingpihte tungah unauna lungsim feltak iputngai ahi. | All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience. Therefore, they should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. |
There are two major dialects of Paite in Manipur, namely Lousau, Lamjang and Dapjar.[4]
Grammar
Paite grammar is fairly complex because of a number of word modification and a bit complex noun structure.
Word order
Paite's declarative word structure is Object-subject-verb.
Vasa bird | ka I | mù see | Vasa Ka mu I see a bird |
Sing firewood | a he | puá carries | Sing a puá He carries wood |
But even if the word order and grammar isn't followed, sentences and phrases do not lose their meaning.
Example: "Lai a gelh", which means "He writes", can also be written as "Gelh a Lai" without losing its meaning.
Five prominent tones in Paite are rising (Tungkal)(á), rising-falling (Tungkal-niamkiak)(â), falling (Niamkiak)(à), falling-rising (Niamkiak-tungkal)(ã), and flat/levelled (Pheipai)(ā). The number of tones varies with variations in region and dialect.
Geographical distribution
Paite is spoken mainly in the following locations (Ethnologue).
- Manipur: CCpur Bazar(Lamka Bazar), Khuga valley(Lamka phaizang), Churachandpur district
- Mizoram: 20 villages of Champhai subdivision, Aizawl district
- Tripura
- Assam
- Meghalaya
- Nagaland
- ChinState , Myanmar
- Nor
References
- ↑ "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 2018-07-07.
- ↑ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Paite Chin". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
- ↑ Singh, Chungkham Yashawanta (1995). "The linguistic situation in Manipur" (PDF). Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. 18 (1): 129–134. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
- ↑ Singh, Naorem Saratchandra Singh (2006). A Grammar of Paite. Mittal Publications. p. xviii. ISBN 978-8183240680. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- Singh, Naorem Saratchandra. 2006. A grammar of Paite. New Delhi: Mittal Publications.
Further reading
- Muivah, Esther T. 1993. English-Paite dictionary. Lamka, Manipur: Paite Tribe Council.
- Tualkhothang, Naulak. 2003. English-Paite dictionary. Lamka, Manipur: The Tualkhothang Naulak Memorial Trust.
- Tawmbing, Chinzam. 2014. English-Paite dictionary. Lamka, Manipur: Hornbill Publication.
- Paite Tribe Council. 2013. Paite customary law & practices / Paite pupa ngeina dan leh a kizatnate. Lamka, Manipur: Paite Tribe Council.
- Thuamkhopau, T. 2009. Paite paunaak leh pau upate. Manipur: Tribal Research Institute.