Achang language
The Achang language (Achang: Ngachang; Chinese: 阿昌, Burmese: အာချန်) is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Achang (also known as Maingtha and Ngochang) in Yunnan, China, and northern Myanmar.
Distribution
Achang is spoken in the following locations:
- Longchuan County, Dehong Prefecture
- Husa 户撒
- Lianghe County, Dehong Prefecture
- Zhedao 遮岛
- Xiangsong 襄宋
- Dachang 大厂
- Luxi City, Dehong Prefecture
- Jiangdong 江东
- Longling County, Baoshan
The three main dialects of Achang in China are:
- Longchuan 陇川方言
- Lianghe 梁河方言
- Mangshi 芒市方言 (formerly known as Luxi 潞西方言)
The Xiandao dialect (100 speakers; autonym: Chintaw /kʰan³¹tau³¹/) is spoken in the following two locations in Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture (Xiandaoyu Yanjiu).
- Xiandaozhai 仙岛寨, Mangmian Village 芒面村, Jiemao Township 姐冒乡
- Meng'ezhai 勐俄寨, Mangxian Village 芒线村, Jiemao Township 姐冒乡
Phonology
Consonants
Voiced sounds /b, d, dz, dʒ, ɟ, ɡ/ can also be heard as voiceless [p, t, ts, tʃ, c, k] in free variation among speakers.
Vowels
/i, ɛ, aˑ/ can also have tense vowel counterparts as [ɪ, æ, ʔaˑ].
Syntax
Achang word order is subject–object–verb. There is no dominant order for nouns and their adjective modifiers.
References
Further reading
External links
- Dryer, Matthew S.; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Achang language". World Atlas of Language Structures Online. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
- Bible in Achang
- Listen to a sample of Achang from Global Recordings Network