ShivaniSikri: Put up data...

2026-01-02T02:13:54Z

Put up data...

New page

{{Short description|Sino-Tibetan language spoken in India}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Wui
| nativename = tʰa³³weɪ⁵² ma³³lan³¹
| states = [[India]]
| region = Wui village, [[Noklak District]], [[Nagaland]]
| ethnicity = Wui Naga
| speakers = < 1,000
| date = 2023
| ref = <ref name="ICSTLL56"/>
| familycolor = Sino-Tibetan
| fam2 = [[Tibeto-Burman languages|Tibeto-Burman]]
| fam3 = [[Central Tibeto-Burman languages|Central Tibeto-Burman]] (?)
| fam4 = [[Kuki-Chin–Naga languages|Kuki-Chin–Naga]]
| fam5 = [[Central Naga languages|Central Naga]] (?)
| iso3 =
| glotto = wuii1234
| glottorefname =
}}

'''Wui''' (autonym: ''tʰa³³wɛ⁵² ma³³lan⁵²'', lit. 'crab language') is a [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan]] language spoken in [[Wui village]], [[Noklak District]], [[Nagaland]], India ({{coord|26.036|N|95.067|E}}). There are just under 1,000 speakers.<ref name="ICSTLL56">{{cite conference|conference=56th International Conference on Sino-Tibetan Languages and Linguistics, 10–12 October 2023|location=Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok|date=2023|title=Preliminary Report on Wui: An Undocumented Language of Eastern Nagaland|first=Alexander R.|last=Coupe}}</ref>

==Background==
Wui is spoken in the single village of Wui, which has about 150 houses. Wui village is situated 10 km west of the India-Myanmar border on the [[Patsho]] Range in eastern [[Nagaland]]. It is estimated that there are less than 1,000 speakers.<ref name="ICSTLL56"/>

Nearby languages include [[Tikhir language|Tikhir]] (Aoic) and various [[Khiamniungan language|Khiamniunganic]] (Konyakian) varieties. Wui speakers consider themselves to be an ethnic subgroup of the [[Khiamniungan people]] and also speak [[Patsho Khiamniungan]]. Many Wui people are fluent in [[Nagamese language|Nagamese]].<ref name="ICSTLL56"/>

==Classification==
Due to its divergent lexicon and typological features, the classification of Wui is uncertain. Coupe (2023) suggests a divergent [[Central Naga languages|Central Naga]] affiliation. However, Wui lacks rhotics, which are characteristic of most Central Naga languages.<ref name="ICSTLL56"/>

==Phonology==
The phonological inventory of Wui is as follows.<ref name="ICSTLL56"/>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Consonants
|-
! !! labial/<br/>labiodental !! dental !! palatal/<br/>palato-alveolar !! velar !! glottal
|-
! stop, unasiprated
| p || t || || k || ʔ
|-
! stop, aspirated
| pʰ || tʰ || || kʰ ||
|-
! affricate, unaspirated
| || ts || tʃ || ||
|-
! affricate, aspirated
| || tsʰ || tʃʰ || ||
|-
! nasal
| m || n || ɲ || ŋ ||
|-
! nasal, glottalized
| mˀ || nˀ || || ŋˀ ||
|-
! fricative
| (v) || s || ʃ || ||
|-
! approximant
| w || l || j || || h
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Vowels
|-
| i || ʉ || u
|-
| ɛ || || ɔ
|-
| || a ||
|}

There are three phonemic tones in Wui, which are:<ref name="Swadesh"/>

*high level /55/
*mid level /33/
*high falling /52/

==Pronouns==
Wui personal pronouns are as follows.<ref name="ICSTLL56"/>

{| class="wikitable"
! !! singular !! dual !! plural
|-
! 1st person
| ŋa⁵² || i³³tsai⁵² || i³³sɪm³³
|-
! 2nd person
| naŋ⁵² || la³³tsaɪ⁵² || la³³sɪm³³
|-
! 3rd person
| ta³³pau⁵² || tʃaʊ³³ɲɪt³³ || tʃaʊ³³la³³
|}

==Lexicon==
Below are some [[Swadesh list]] items for Wui as provided in Coupe (2023).<ref name="Swadesh">Coupe, Alexander R. (2023). "Swadesh 100 list comparisons – Wui v. Aoic & Patsho Khiamniungan". Supplementary material in ''Preliminary Report on Wui: An Undocumented Language of Eastern Nagaland''. 56th International Conference on Sino-Tibetan Languages and Linguistics, 10–12 October 2023. Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Gloss !! Wui
|-
| I || ŋa⁵²
|-
| you (sg.) || nâŋ
|-
| we || i³³tsaɪ⁵²
|-
| this || tʃaʊ⁵²
|-
| that || kʰɔ⁵²
|-
| who? || siʊ⁵²
|-
| what? || kaʊ⁵⁵tɔ⁵²
|-
| all || tɛ³³la³³pʊm⁵²
|-
| many || paŋ⁵²nɛ³³
|-
| one || kʰaʔ³³
|-
| two || a³³ɲɪt³³
|-
| big || ta⁵⁵waʔ³³
|-
| long || ʃi⁵⁵nɛ³³
|-
| small || a³³laŋ⁵²
|-
| woman || tʰa³³ɲu³³lia⁵²
|-
| man || ta³³pu³³lia⁵²
|-
| person || maiʔ⁵⁵
|-
| fish || tha³³ŋɔʔ⁵⁵
|-
| bird || u³³lia⁵²
|-
| dog || haɪ⁵²
|-
| louse || tʃʰɪ⁵⁵paɪ⁵²
|-
| tree || sɪn⁵²
|-
| seed || tʃaɪʔ³³
|-
| leaf || taʊ³³ɔ⁵²
|-
| root || ta³³lɪn³³
|-
| bark || siŋ³³kʊap³³
|-
| skin || tsak³³kʊap³³
|-
| flesh || ta³³ma³³tɪn⁵⁵
|-
| blood || tʰaɪʔ³³
|-
| bone || tă³³lɪt³³
|-
| grease || ta³³sɛ⁵²
|-
| egg || vɛ⁵⁵la⁵⁵tai³³
|-
| horn || ta³³la³³tʃaɪ⁵⁵
|-
| tail || ta³³la³³ma⁵⁵
|-
| hair || tă³³kɛ³³ɲɪm³³
|-
| head || tă³³kɛ⁵²
|-
| ear || nʉ³³pʉ³³
|-
| eye || ɲit³³tsaŋ³¹
|-
| nose || thă³³no³³
|-
| mouth || tha³³ɔ⁵²
|-
| tooth || pʰɔ⁵²
|-
| tongue || ma³³la⁵²
|-
| fingernail || mă³³lɪn⁵²
|-
| foot || mă³³pʰɔ⁵²
|-
| knee || ma³³kʰɔk³³
|-
| hand || kʰɛt³³
|-
| belly || han⁵²
|-
| neck || ʉ⁵²
|-
| breasts || la³³ɲʉʔ³³
|-
| heart || tă³³ŋi³³la³³sa⁵²
|-
| drink || ʉʔ⁵⁵
|-
| eat || tsɔ⁵⁵jaʔ⁵²
|-
| bite || ma³³kăk⁵²
|-
| see || a³³tsaʊ⁵⁵pɛʔ³³
|-
| know || ma³³tat³³
|-
| sleep || ip³³
|-
| die || tă³³saɪ³³wa⁵²
|-
| kill || ta³³lɛ³³sat⁵⁵
|-
| swim || tɛɪ³³ la³³tʰak⁵⁵
|-
| walk || a³³pɪaŋ⁵⁵pɛʔ³¹
|-
| come || lɔʔ³³
|-
| sit || nuɪʔ⁵⁵
|-
| stand || jap³³
|-
| give || lɛ⁵⁵paɪʔ³³
|-
| say || hɔʔ³³
|-
| sun || ja⁵⁵ŋaɪ⁵⁵
|-
| moon || ɔ⁵²
|-
| star || tʃɪ⁵⁵nɛ⁵⁵
|-
| water || taɪ⁵²
|-
| rain || tɪn³³taɪ⁵²
|-
| stone || loŋ⁵²
|-
| earth || la³³la³³
|-
| cloud || la³³ma⁵²
|-
| smoke || ma³³ma³³kʰaʊʔ⁵⁵
|-
| fire || ma⁵²
|-
| ash || laʊ⁵⁵ʊt⁵⁵
|-
| path || lam⁵²
|-
| white || ma³³ŋi⁵²
|-
| night || tsi³³ɪn³³
|-
| full || lɛ⁵⁵ta⁵⁵tʃɪ̰n³³
|-
| name || ɲɪn⁵²
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ao languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Nagaland]]

Wui language - Revision history

ShivaniSikri: Put up data...