Achang language

Achang
Ngachang အာချန် / ငါချန်
Pronunciation[ŋa˨˩tʂhaŋ˨˩]
Native toChina, Myanmar
EthnicityAchang
Native speakers
(60,000 cited 1990–2007)
Language codes
ISO 639-3acn
Glottologacha1252
ELPXiandao

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:

The three main dialects of Achang in China are:

The Xiandao dialect (100 speakers; autonym: Chintaw /kʰan³¹tau³¹/) is spoken in the following two locations in Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture (Xiandaoyu Yanjiu).

Phonology

Consonants

Consonant phonemes
Labial Alveolar Post-Alv. Palatal Velar Glottal
plain sibilant
Stop aspirated pʰ tʰ tsʰ tʃʰ cʰ kʰ ʔ
voiced b d dz dʒ ɟ ɡ
Fricative s ʃ ç h
Nasal m n ŋ
Approximant w l j

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

Monophthongs
Front Central Back
Close i ɯ u
Mid ɛ ɔ
Open aˑ a
Syllabic ŋ̍

/i, ɛ, aˑ/ can also have lax 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

  1. 1 2 Achang at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. ↑ Yang, Lu 杨露 (2020). Achangyu yuyin de fangyan dilixue yanjiu 阿昌语语音的方言地理学研究. Beijing: Chinese Social Sciences Press 中国社会科学出版社. OCLC 1232141802.
  3. ↑ "Yíngjiāng Xiàn Nòngzhāng Zhèn Mángmiǎn Cūn Xiāndǎo Zìráncūn" 盈江县弄璋镇芒缅村仙岛自然村 [Xiandao Natural Village, Mangmian Village, Nongzhang Town, Yingjiang County]. ynszxc.gov.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2016-03-05.
  4. ↑ "Yíngjiāng Xiàn Nòngzhāng Zhèn Mángxiàn Cūn Měngé Zìráncūn" 盈江县弄璋镇芒线村勐俄自然村 [Meng'e Natural Village, Mangxian Village, Nongzhang Town, Yingjiang County]. ynszxc.gov.cn (in Chinese). 2016-03-09. Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  5. 1 2 3 Inglis, Douglas; Inglis, Connie (2003), A Preliminary Phonology of Ngochang – via Academia.edu
  6. ↑ "Language Achang". The World Atlas of Language Structures Online. Retrieved 2019-02-06.

Further reading