Konyak language

Konyak is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Konyak people in the state of Nagaland, north-eastern India. It is written using the Latin script.

Konyak
Native to	India, Myanmar
Ethnicity	Konyak
Native speakers	246,000 (2011)[1]
Language family	Sino-Tibetan Tibeto-Burman Sal Konyak Konyak–Chang Konyak
Language codes
ISO 639-3	nbe
Glottolog	kony1248
ELP	Konyak Naga
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The language has 244,000 speakers in the state (as of the 2011 census); most of these (237,000) are in Mon district, with smaller populations in the districts of Dimapur (2,900), Kohima (2,000), Mokokchung (1,100), and Longleng (900).^[2] There are also an estimated 2,000 speakers in neighbouring Myanmar, specifically in Hkamti District and in Lahe township.^[1]

Dialects

Konyak (2021)

A list of Konyak dialects from Hoipo Konyak (2021:5) is given below.^[3]

• Angphang
• Hopao
• Changnyu
• Chen (8 villages in Lahe Township, Myanmar, and 10 villages in Mon District, Nagaland, India^[4])
• Chingkao
• Chinglang
• Choha
• Gelekidora
• Jakphang
• Kon (spoken in Myanmar)
• Kahyu (spoken in Myanmar)
• Lhongkhai
• Longmein
• Longwa
• Mon
• Mulung
• Nganching
• Sang
• Shanlang
• Shunyuo
• Shenghah
• Sima
• Sowa
• Shamnyuyanga
• Tableang
• Tabu
• Tamkhungnyuo
• Tang
• Tobunyuo
• Tolamleinyua
• Totok

Ethnologue

Ethnologue lists the following dialects of Konyak.

• Angphang
• Hopao
• Changnyu
• Chen
• Chingkao
• Chinglang
• Choha
• Gelekidoria
• Jakphang
• Longching
• Longkhai
• Longmein
• Longwa
• Mon
• Mulung
• Ngangching
• Sang
• Shanlang
• Shunyuo
• Shengha
• Sima
• Sowa
• Shamnyuyanga
• Tableng (Angwangku, Kongon, Mohung, Wakching)
• Tabu
• Tamkhungnyuo
• Tang
• Tobunyuo
• Tolamleinyua
• Totok
• Hongphoi

Tableng is the standard dialect spoken in Wanching and Wakching.

Phonology

There are three lexically contrastive contour tones in Konyak – rising (marked in writing by an acute accent – á), falling (marked by a grave accent – à) and level (unmarked).^[5]

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i	ɨ	u
Mid	e	ə	o
Open		a

The vowels /a/, /o/ and /u/ are lengthened before approximants. /ə/ does not occur finally.

Consonants

	Bilabial	Dental/ Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Plosive	p pʰ	t̪	c	k kʰ	ʔ
Nasal	m	n̪	ɲ	ŋ
Fricative			s		h
Lateral		l
Approximant	w		j

The stops /p/ and /k/ contrast with the aspirated /pʰ/ and /kʰ/. /p/ and /c/ become voiced intervocalically across morpheme boundaries. The dental /t/ is realised as an alveolar if preceded by a vowel with a rising tone. The approximants /w/ and /j/ are pronounced laxer and shorter after vowels; /w/ becomes tenser initially before high vowels. If morpheme-initial or intervocalic, /j/ is pronounced with audible friction.^[6] /pʰ/, /kʰ/, /c/, /ɲ/, /s/, /h/ and /l/ do not occur morpheme-finally, while /ʔ/ does not appear morpheme-initially. Except for morpheme-initial /kp/ and /kʰl/, consonant clusters occur only medially.^[7]