Kaman (Geman, Geman Deng, Kùmán), or Miju (Miju Mishmi, Midzu), is a small language of India and China. Long assumed to be a Sino-Tibetan language, it may be a language isolate.[2]
Kaman | |
---|---|
Geman, Kman | |
Miju, Kùmán | |
Pronunciation | [kɯ˧˩mɑn˧˥] |
Region | Arunachal Pradesh, India |
Ethnicity | Miju Mishmi |
Native speakers | 18,000 (2006)[1] |
Language family | possibly Sino-Tibetan (Midzuish), or a language isolate
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Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | mxj |
Glottolog | miju1243 |
ELP | Miju-Mishmi |
![]() Miju is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger |
In China, the Miju are known as the Deng 僜人. The Deng number over 1,000 in Zayü County, Tibet, China, with 1,000 of the Deng having the autonym tɑ31 ruɑŋ53 (大让), and 130 having the autonym kɯ˧˩mɑn˧˥ (格曼) (Geman). They are also neighbors with the Idu or i53 du31 (义都) people.[citation needed]
In India, Miju is spoken in Hawai Circle and the Parsuram Kund area of Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh (Boro 1978,[3] Dasgupta 1977[4]). Ethnologue reports that Miju is spoken in 25 villages located in high altitude areas to the east of upper Lohit and Dau valleys, which are located east of the Haguliang, Billong, and Tilai valleys.[citation needed]
These are the sounds in the Miju/Kaman language.[5]
Labial | Alveolar | Post- alveolar |
Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ||||
Plosive | plain | p | t | k | ʔ | |||
aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | kʰ | |||||
voiced | b | d | ɡ | |||||
Affricate | plain | ts | tʃ | |||||
aspirated | tʃʰ | |||||||
voiced | dz | dʒ | ||||||
Fricative | plain | f | s | ʃ | h | |||
voiced | v | z | ɦ | |||||
Approximant | ʋ | j | w | |||||
Lateral | l | ɭ | ||||||
Flap | ɾ | ɽ |
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i | (ɨ) | ɯ • u |
Close-mid | o | ||
Open-mid | ɛ | ə | ʌ • ɔ |
Open | a |
/ɯ/ may also be heard as [ɨ].
There are three main tones in the Miju language, rising (á), falling (à), and level (ā).[6]
Sino-Tibetan branches | |||||
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Western Himalayas (Himachal, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim) |
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Eastern Himalayas (Tibet, Bhutan, Arunachal) | |||||
Myanmar and Indo-Burmese border |
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East and Southeast Asia |
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Dubious (possible isolates) (Arunachal) |
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Proposed groupings | |||||
Proto-languages |
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Italics indicates single languages that are also considered to be separate branches. |
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Greater Siangic |
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Hrusish | |||||||||||
Kho-Bwa |
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Miju–Meyor |