Choni language

Choni
Thewo-Chone
Cone Tibetan
PronunciationChoni pronunciation: [tɕɔᴸnɛ]
Native toChina
RegionGansu, Sichuan
Native speakers
150,000 (2004)
Dialects
  • Thewo
  • Hbrugchu
Language codes
ISO 639-3cda
Glottologchon1285
ELPChoni
Choni is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.

Choni (Jonê) and Thewo are dialects of a Tibetic language spoken in western China in the vicinity of Jonê County.

Phonology

Consonants

Consonant phonemes of Nyinpa Choni
Bilabial Alveolar Retroflex (Alveolo-)
Palatal
Velar Uvular Glottal
plain sibilant
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Plosive/
Affricate
tenuis p t t͡s t͡ʂ t͡ɕ k (q)
aspirated pʰ tʰ t͡sʰ t͡ʂʰ t͡ɕʰ kʰ
voiced b d d͡z d͡ʐ d͡ʑ ɡ
prenasal ᵐb ⁿd ⁿd͡z ⁿd͡ʐ ⁿd͡ʑ ᵑɡ
Fricative tenuis ɬ s ʂ ɕ x (χ) h
aspirated sʰ ʂʰ ɕʰ xʰ
voiced r̝ z (ʐ) ʑ ɣ (ʁ)
Approximant l j w

Vowels

Front Central Back
short long nasal short long short long nasal
Close i iː ĩː ʉ ʉː u uː (ũː)
ɪ ɪː
Close-mid e eː ẽː o oː õː
Mid ə
Open-mid ɛ ɔ
Open æ ã ãː ɑ ɑː

Tone

Choni has two contrasting tones, which are realized differently on long and short vowels. They are word tones, with predictable realizations on the second syllable of a morpheme.

References

  1. ↑ Choni at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ↑ Jacques 2011.
  3. ↑ Jacques 2012.

Bibliography