Mising Language
Mising–Padam–Minyong
Plains Miri
RegionAssam
EthnicityMising, Padam, Minyong
Native speakers
629,954 (2011)[1]
Sino-Tibetan
  • Tani
    • East Tani (Adi)
      • Mising Language
Dialects
  • Padam
  • Minyong
  • Mising (Plains Miri)
Language codes
ISO 639-3mrg
Glottologmisi1242
ELP

Miri or Mising, also known as Plains Miri, is a Tani language spoken by the Mising people. There are 629,954 speakers (as per Census of India, 2011), who inhabit mostly the Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Jorhat, Majuli, Golaghat, Tinsukia districts of Assam and also some parts of Arunachal Pradesh. The primary literary body of Mising is known as 'Mising Agom Kébang (Mising Language Society)'.

The Mising, Padam and Minyong speak dialects of the same language.

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Plosive/
Affricate 		voiceless p t (tʃ)[a] k
voiced b d (dʒ)[a] ɡ
Fricative voiceless s (h)[b]
voiced z
Tap ɾ
Approximant (w)[c] l j
  1. ^ a b [tʃ] and [dʒ] are typically rare, and mainly occur as allophones of /t d/ when after fricatives /s z/.[2]
  2. ^ [h] is heard in place of /s/ within variations of a local dialect.
  3. ^ [w] is heard phonetically in different environments if a front or central vowel precedes a back vowel (i.e. /aɔ/ ~ [awɔ]).

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i iː ɨ ɨː u uː
Mid ɛ ɛː ɜ ɜː ɔ ɔː
Open a aː

Geographical distribution

A traditional Mishing house is stilted.
A traditional Mishing house is stilted.

Ethnologue gives the following locations for Mising speakers. The Hill Miri live in Arunachal Pradesh, while the Plains Miri live in Assam.

See also

References

  1. ^ Mising Language at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Doley, Basanta K. A Sociolinguistic Profile of the Mising Language.

External links

Tani languages
Arunachal languages
Languages of Northeast India
Categories