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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Mongsen Ao
|states=[[India]]
|region=[[Nagaland]]
|ethnicity=[[Ao Naga]]
|speakers=104,003
|date=2011 census
|ref=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/Language_MTs.html|title=Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|website=www.censusindia.gov.in|access-date=2018-07-07}}</ref><ref name="grammar">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1mZVhbG7TtYC&q=mongsen+ao&pg=PR1|title=A Grammar of Mongsen Ao|last=Coupe|first=A. R.|date=2007-01-01|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=9783110198522|language=en}}</ref>
|familycolor=Sino-Tibetan
|fam2=[[Ao languages]]
|fam3=[[Ao language]]
|script=[[Latin script|Latin]]
|iso3=none
|glotto=mong1332
|glottorefname=Mongsen
|notice=IPA
}}

[[File:WIKITONGUES- Imtimeren speaking Mongsen and English.webm|thumb|A Mongsen Ao speaker speaking Mongsen and English.]]

'''Mongsen Ao''' is a member of the [[Ao languages]], a branch of the [[Sino-Tibetan languages]], predominantly spoken in central [[Mokokchung District|Mokokchung district]] of [[Nagaland]], northeast [[India]]. Its speakers see the language as one of two varieties of a greater "[[Ao language]]," along with the prestige variety [[Chungli Ao language|Chungli Ao]].<ref name="grammar"/>

A chapter in the anthropological monograph of Mills (1926) provides a grammatical sketch of the variety of Mongsen Ao spoken in Longjang village. Coupe (2003) is one of the few [[Acoustic phonetics|acoustic]] studies published on a Kuki-Chin-Naga language (only three exist). Coupe (2007) is a reference grammar of the language, based on a revision of his PhD dissertation (Coupe 2004).

==Alphabet==
The Ao alphabet is based on the [[Latin script]] and was developed in the 1880s by the Christian [[missionary]] Edward W. Clark for Chungli Ao. The system is not based on phonemic principles and does not represent tone. A Christian Bible was published using the orthography in 1964. Coupe (2003) suggests a more consistent alphabet for Mongsen Ao.

'''A''', '''B''', '''Ch''', '''E''', '''I''', '''J''', '''K''', '''L''', '''M''', '''N''', '''Ng''', '''O''', '''P''', '''R''', '''S''', '''T''', '''U''', '''Y''', '''Z'''

==Phonology==
This section describes the sound system of Mongsen Ao as spoken in Mangmetong village and is based on Coupe (2007).

===Vowels===
Mongsen Ao has 6 [[vowel]]s:

{| class="wikitable IPA" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" |[[Front vowel|Front]]
! colspan="2" |[[Central vowel|Central]]
! rowspan="2" |[[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[Phonation#Types of phonation|modal]]
![[Creaky voice|creaky]]
|-
![[Close vowel|Close]]
|{{IPA|i}}
|{{IPA|ʉ}}
|
|{{IPA|u}}
|-
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|
|{{IPA|ə}}
|
|
|-
![[Open vowel|Open]]
|
|{{IPA|a}}
|{{IPA|a̰}}
|
|}

* The [[Close central rounded vowel|high central]] {{IPA|/ʉ/}} is [[roundedness|rounded]].
* The two low vowels {{IPA|/a, a̰/}} differ in terms of [[phonation]] type. {{IPA|/a/}} has modal voice (i.e. normal phonation); {{IPA|/a̰/}} has [[creaky voice]] (also known as ''vocal fry'', ''laryngealization''). Coupe (2003) argues that this is a separate vowel [[phoneme]] and not a [[tone (linguistics)|tone]], a [[glottal stop]], or resulting from [[prosodic]] effects.

===Consonants===
Mongsen Ao has 26 [[consonant]]s:

{|class="wikitable IPA" style="text-align:center"
!
!colspan=2|[[Labial consonant|Labial]]
!colspan=2|[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
!colspan=2|[[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
!colspan=2|[[Velar consonant|Velar]]
!colspan=2|[[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
![[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|style=border-right:0|m̥||style=border-left:0|m
|style=border-right:0|n̥||style=border-left:0|n
|colspan=2|
|style=border-right:0|ŋ̊||style=border-left:0|ŋ
|colspan=2|
|-
![[Stop consonant|Stop]]
|style=border-right:0|pʰ||style=border-left:0|p
|style=border-right:0|tʰ||style=border-left:0|t
|colspan=2|
|style=border-right:0|kʰ||style=border-left:0|k
|colspan=2|
|-
! [[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
|colspan=2|
|style=border-right:0|t͡sʰ||style=border-left:0|t͡s
|style=border-right:0|t͡ʃʰ||style=border-left:0|t͡ʃ
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|
|-
![[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
|colspan=2|
|style=border-right:0|s||style=border-left:0|z
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|
|style=border-right:0|h||style=border-left:0|
|-
![[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|colspan=2|
|style=border-right:0|ɹ̥||style=border-left:0|ɹ
|style=border-right:0|j̊||style=border-left:0|j
|style=border-right:0|ʍ||style=border-left:0|w
|colspan=2|
|-
![[Lateral consonant|Lateral]]
|colspan=2|
|style=border-right:0|l̥||style=border-left:0|l
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|
|}

* Dental consonants {{IPA|/t, tʰ, ts, tsʰ, s, z, n, l/}} are [[laminal consonant|laminal]] [[denti-alveolar consonant|denti-alveolar]].
* The post-alveolar approximant {{IPA|/ɹ/}} varies from an [[Apical consonant|apical]] post-alveolar to [[subapical consonant|subapical]] [[retroflex consonant|retroflex]]: {{IPA|[ɹ̠~ɻ]}}.
* The [[glottal stop]] {{IPA|/ʔ/}} occurs only at the end of words. However, in this position it contrasts with words ending in vowels: {{IPA|/āmī/}} 'spear' vs. {{IPA|/āmīʔ/}} 'person'. When a suffix is added to such words, the {{IPA|/ʔ/}} is deleted: {{IPA|/tʃàʔ/}} 'to eat' + {{IPA|/-ʉ̄ʔ/}} CAUS → {{IPA|/tʃàʉʔ/}} 'to cause to eat'. Thus, the glottal stop has a somewhat marginal phonemic status.

===Tone===
Ao is a [[Tone (linguistics)|tonal language]] with 3 contrasting lexical tones:
* high
* mid
* low

All are register tones.

===Syllable and phonotactics===
The generalized [[syllable]] structure of Ao is abbreviated as the following:

:: (C1)V(G)(C2)+T

'''(C1)'''

* Any of the 20 consonants may appear as an optional [[syllable onset]] (excluding the word-final {{IPA|/ʔ/}}).

'''V'''

* All 6 vowels may occur as the syllable nucleus.

'''(G)'''

* The optional [[Semivowel|glide]] elements following the head vowel are essentially non-syllabic offglide realizations of the 4 vowels {{IPA|/i, ʉ, u, a/}}. For example, {{IPA|/jàuŋ/}} → {{IPA|[jàu̯ŋ]}} 'species of centipede'.
* The following are the possible tautsyllabic combinations: {{IPA|[iu̯, ia̯, əʉ̯, əu̯, ai̯, aʉ̯, au̯]}}.

'''(C2)'''

* The following consonants may occur in the optional [[syllable coda]]: unaspirated stops, nasals, and the rhotic {{IPA|/p, t, k, m, n, ŋ, ɹ/}}. The glottal stop with its restricted distribution also occurs but only word-finally.

'''T'''

All syllables occur with one of the three tones. In a VG sequence, tone only occurs the vowel head.

{{Expand section|date=May 2008}}

==Syntax==
Ao is an [[Subject–object–verb|SOV]] language with postpositions. Adjectives, numerals and demonstratives follow the nouns they modify, whilst relative clauses may be either externally or internally headed. [[Adverbial subordinator]]s are [[suffix]]es attached to the verb and the end of the subordinate clause.

==See also==
* [[Ao Naga]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Clark, E. W. (1981). ''The Ao-Naga Grammar with Illustrations, Phrases, and Vocabulary''. Delhi: Gian Publications, Mittal Publishers Distributors. (Original work published 1893).
* Coupe, Alexander R. (2003). ''A Phonetic and Phonological Description of Ao: A Tibeto-Burman Language of Nagaland, North-east India''. Pacific Linguistics (No. 543). Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University. {{ISBN|0-85883-519-3}}.
* Coupe, Alexander R. 2004. ''The Mongsen Dialect of Ao: a language of Nagaland.'' Unpublished PhD dissertation, La Trobe University.
* Coupe, Alexander R. (2007). ''A grammar of Mongsen Ao'' [Mouton Grammar Library 39]. Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter. {{ISBN|978-3-11-019088-5}}.
* Escamilla, R. M. (2012). ''An Updated Typology of Causative Constructions: Form-Function Mappings in Hupa (California Athabaskan), Chungli Ao (Tibeto-Burman), and Beyond.'' Unpublished PhD dissertation, U.C. Berkeley.
* Gowda, K. S. Gurubasave. (1972). ''Ao-Naga Phonetic Reader''. CIIL Phonetic Reader Series (No. 7). Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages.
* Gowda, K. S. Gurubasave. (1975). ''Ao Grammar''. Grammar series (No. 1). Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages.
* Mills, J. P (1926). The Ao Nagas. London: MacMillan & Co.

==External links==
{{Incubator|njo}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080309011200/http://aonaga.com/ Ao Naga Tribe]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050914012710/http://www.iitg.ernet.in/rcilts/ao.htm Ao]
*[http://www.languageinindia.com/sep2001/bibleaonaga.html Bible Translation in Ao Naga] (Language in India)
*[http://www.languageinindia.com/nov2001/aofolktale.html Narrating an Ao Naga Folktale] (Language in India)

{{Sino-Tibetan languages}}
{{Kuki-Chin–Naga languages}}
{{Languages of Northeast India}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mongsen Ao Language}}
[[Category:Ao languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Nagaland]]

Mongsen Ao language - Revision history

Bharatprspecialist: small adjust information per standard format

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