StevieJ461261267: Entry

2026-05-04T21:28:03Z

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{{Short description|Sino-Tibetan language of Burma and India}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Zou
| altname = Zo
| image = Shukla Zoulai.svg
| imagescale =
| imagecaption = 'Zo Lai' in Zolai alphabet
| states = Manipur, India
| region = Tonzang: [[Chin State]], [[Chin Hills]]; 
In India: [[Mizoram]] and [[Manipur]], [[Chandel district|Chandel]], [[Singngat]] subdivision and Sungnu area; [[Churachandpur]] districts; [[Assam]].
| ethnicity = [[Zou people|Zou]]
| speakers = {{sigfig|87,500|2}}
| date = 2012
| ref = e25
| familycolor = Sino-Tibetan
| fam2 = [[Kuki-Chin languages]]<ref name=Haokip>{{Cite book|last=Haokip|first=Pauthang|title=Socio-linguistic Situation in North-east India|year=2011|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|isbn=978-8180697609|page=55|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hnYShQ7TryMC&pg=PA55}}</ref>
| fam3 = [[Northeastern Kuki-Chin languages]]
| script = [[Latin script|Latin]], [[Zoulai alphabet]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://omniglot.com/writing/zoulai.htm|title=Zoulai|website=Omniglot.com|access-date=2021-12-28|archive-date=2021-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228173614/https://omniglot.com/writing/zoulai.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
| iso3 = zom
| glotto = zouu1235
| glottorefname = Zo
}}
'''Zou''' (also spelled '''Zo''' and known as '''Zokam''') is a language of the [[Northeastern Kuki-Chin languages|Northeastern]] branch of [[Kuki-Chin languages]]<ref name=Haokip /> originating in western [[Burma]] and spoken also in [[Mizoram]] and [[Manipur]] in northeastern [[India]].

The name Zou is sometimes used as a cover term for the languages of all [[Mizo people]] (Zo people) i.e., [[Kuki people|Kukish]] and [[Chin people]]s, especially the [[Zomi people]].

== Phonology ==

The set of 23 Zou consonantal phonemes can be established on the basis of the following minimal pairs or overlapping words. Besides these 23 Phonemes, 1 consonant is a borrowed phoneme (i.e. /r/), which is found only in loan words, in very rare cases (e.g. /r/ in /rəŋ/ "color"). Along with these consonants, Zou has 7 vowels: i, e, a, ɔ, o, u, ə.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Singh |first1=Yashawanta |first2=Lukram |last2=Himmat |date=February 2013 |title=Zou Phonology |url=http://www.languageinindia.com/feb2013/zouphonologyfinal.pdf |journal=Language in India |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=683–701 |access-date=2019-02-19 |archive-date=2018-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123155118/http://www.languageinindia.com/feb2013/zouphonologyfinal.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Consonant Phonemes
! colspan="2" |
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[Dental consonant|Dental]]/ [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! rowspan="3" |[[Plosive]]
!voiceless
|{{IPA link|p}}
|{{IPA link|t}}
|{{IPA link|c}}
|{{IPA link|k}}
|rowspan="3"|{{IPA link|ʔ}}
|-
![[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]]
|{{IPA link|pʰ}}
|{{IPA link|tʰ}}
|
|{{IPA link|kʰ}}
|-
!voiced
|{{IPA link|b}}
|{{IPA link|d}}
|{{IPA link|ɟ}}
|{{IPA link|g}}
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Affricate]]
|
|
|{{IPA link|tʃ}}
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Fricative]]
!voiceless
|{{IPA link|v}}
|{{IPA link|s}}
|
|
|{{IPA link|h}}
|-
!voiced
|
|{{IPA link|z}}
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|{{IPA link|m}}
|{{IPA link|n}}
|
|{{IPA link|ŋ}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Lateral consonant|Lateral]]
|
|{{IPA link|l}}
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
|({{IPA link|r}})
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Semivowel]]
|{{IPA link|w}}
|
|{{IPA link|j}}
|
|
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Vowels
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[Close vowel|Close]]
|{{IPA link|i}}
|
|{{IPA link|u}}
|-
![[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]]
|{{IPA link|e}}
| rowspan="2" |{{IPA link|ə}}
|{{IPA link|o}}
|-
![[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
|
|{{IPA link|ɔ}}
|-
![[Open vowel|Open]]
|
|{{IPA link|a}}
|
|}

==Orthography==
===Vowels===
* a - [a]
* aw - [ɔ]
* e - [e/ə]
* i - [i~j]
* o - [o]
* u - [u~w]<ref name="omniglot.com">{{cite web |title=Zou language, script, and pronunciation |url=https://www.omniglot.com/writing/zou.htm |website=Omniglot |access-date=2019-07-06 |archive-date=2019-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706155644/https://www.omniglot.com/writing/zou.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Consonants===
* b - [b]
* ch - [c]
* d - [d]
* g - [g]
* h - [h], [ʔ] at the end of a syllable
* j - [ɟ]
* k - [k]
* kh - [kʰ]
* l - [l]
* m - [m]
* n - [n]
* ng - [ŋ]
* p - [p]
* ph - [pʰ]
* r - [r]
* s - [s]
* t - [t]
* th - [tʰ]
* v - [ʋ]
* z - [z]<ref name="omniglot.com"/>

== Types of Zo verbs ==
The Zo verbs can be classified into three types: Stem (1), Stem (2), Stem (3) as given below:<ref>{{cite web |author=Philip Thanglienmang Tungdim |title=A Descriptive Grammar of the Zo Language |url=https://an-in.academia.edu/philipthanglienmangtungdim |website=Academia |access-date=22 March 2019 |date=2012 |archive-date=25 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325112817/http://an-in.academia.edu/philipthanglienmangtungdim |url-status=live }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+Types of Zo Verbs
|Stem 1
|Stem 2
|Stem 3
|Stem 4
|-
|piê-give
|pie?
|pe-
|pieh
|-
|puo-carry
|puo?
|po-
|pua-
|}

==Numbers==
[[Zomi]] numbers are counted as follows:<ref>{{cite book |first=Philip |last=Thangliènmâng Tungdim |title=Zo-English-Hindi Kizìlna Lȁibú |trans-title=Self-tutor book of Zo-English-Hindi |url=https://www.academia.edu/3715035 |access-date=20 August 2019 |date=2011 |archive-date=21 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621013852/https://www.academia.edu/3715035 |url-status=live |isbn=978-81-920282-0-0 |publisher=Zou Cultural-cum-Literature Society India |location=New Delhi}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Numeral!!Zou!!English!!Hindi
|-
!0
|{{lang|zom|be̋m}} || zero || {{lang|hi|शून्य}} {{translit|hi|śūnya}}
|-
!1
|{{lang|zom|khàt}} || one|| {{lang|hi|एक}} {{translit|hi|ek}}
|-
!2
|{{lang|zom|nì:}} || two ||{{lang|hi|दो}} {{translit|hi|do}}
|-
!3
|{{lang|zom|thum}} || three ||{{lang|hi|तीन}} {{translit|hi|tīn}}
|-
!4
|{{lang|zom|li:}}|| four || {{lang|hi|चार}} {{translit|hi|cār}}
|-
!5
|{{lang|zom|nga:}} || five || {{lang|hi|पाँच}} {{translit|hi|pā̃c}}
|-
!6
|{{lang|zom|gùh}} || six || {{lang|hi|छह}} {{translit|hi|chah}}
|-
!7
|{{lang|zom|sagí}} || seven || {{lang|hi|सात}} {{translit|hi|sāt}}
|-
!8
|{{lang|zom|giét}} || eight ||{{lang|hi|आठ}} {{translit|hi|āṭh}}
|-
!9
|{{lang|zom|kuó}} || nine || {{lang|hi|नौ}} {{translit|hi|nau}}
|-
!10
|{{lang|zom|sàwm}}, {{lang|zom|sôm}} || ten|| {{lang|hi|दस}} {{translit|hi|das}}
|-
!11
|{{lang|zom|sàwm leh khàt}} || eleven ||{{lang|hi|ग्यारह}} {{translit|hi|gyārah}}
|-
!12
|{{lang|zom|sàwm leh nì}} || twelve || {{lang|hi|बारह}} {{translit|hi|bārah}}
|-
!13
|{{lang|zom|sàwm leh thum}} || thirteen ||{{lang|hi|तेरह}} {{translit|hi|terah}}
|-
!14
|{{lang|zom|sàwm leh li:}}|| fourteen || {{lang|hi|चौदह}} {{translit|hi|caudah}}
|-
!15
|{{lang|zom|sàwm leh nga:}} || fifteen || {{lang|hi|पंद्रह}} {{translit|hi|pandrah}}
|-
!16
|{{lang|zom|sàwm leh gùh}} || sixteen || {{lang|hi|सोलह}} {{translit|hi|solah}}
|-
!17
|{{lang|zom|sàwm leh sagí}} || seventeen || {{lang|hi|सत्रह}} {{translit|hi|satrah}}
|-
!18
|{{lang|zom|sàwm leh giét}} || eighteen ||{{lang|hi|अठारह}} {{translit|hi|aṭhārah}}
|-
!19
|{{lang|zom|sàwm leh kuó}} || nineteen || {{lang|hi|उन्नीस}} {{translit|hi|unnīs}}
|-
!20
|{{lang|zom|sàwmnì}} || twenty || {{lang|hi|बीस}} {{translit|hi|bīs}}
|-
!30
|{{lang|zom|sàwmthum}} || thirty || {{lang|hi|तीस}} {{translit|hi|tīs}}
|-
!40
|{{lang|zom|sàwmli:}} || forty || {{lang|hi|चालीस}} {{translit|hi|cālīs}}
|-
!50
|{{lang|zom|sàwmnga:}} || fifty || {{lang|hi|पचास}} {{translit|hi|pacās}}
|-
!60
|{{lang|zom|sàwmgùh}} || sixty || {{lang|hi|साठ}} {{translit|hi|sāṭh}}
|-
!70
|{{lang|zom|sàwmsagí}} || seventy || {{lang|hi|सत्तर}} {{translit|hi|sattar}}
|-
!80
|{{lang|zom|sàwmgiét}} || eighty || {{lang|hi|अस्सी}} {{translit|hi|assī}}
|-
!90
|{{lang|zom|sàwmkuò}} || ninety || {{lang|hi|नव्वे}} {{translit|hi|navve}}
|-
!100
| {{lang|zom|zȁ}} || hundred || {{lang|hi|सौ}} {{translit|hi|sau}}
|-
!1,000
|{{lang|zom|sa̋ng}}, {{lang|zom|tȕl}} || one thousand || {{lang|hi|हज़ार}} {{translit|hi|hazār}}
|-
!10,000
| {{lang|zom|si̋ng}}, {{lang|zom|tȕlsàwm}}, {{lang|zom|sa̋ngsàwm}} || ten thousand ||{{lang|hi|दस हज़ार}} {{translit|hi|das hazār}}
|-
!100,000
|{{lang|zom|nuòi}}, {{lang|zom|tȕlzà}}, {{lang|zom|sa̋ngzà}} || one hundred thousand, one lakh || {{lang|hi|लाख}} {{translit|hi|lākh}}
|-
!1,000,000
|{{lang|zom|nuòisàwm}}, {{lang|zom|sa̋ngtȕl}}, {{lang|zom|tȕltȕl}} || one million || {{lang|hi|दस लाख}} {{translit|hi|das lākh}}
|-
!10,000,000
|{{lang|zom|thȅn}}, {{lang|zom|vâibêlsié}}, {{lang|zom|kráwl}} || ten million, one crore ||{{lang|hi|करोड़}} {{translit|hi|karoṛ}}
|-
!100,000,000
|{{lang|zom|thȅnzà}}, {{lang|zom|kráwl sàwm}} || one billion, ten crore || {{lang|hi|अरब}} {{translit|hi|arab}}
|}

==Writing systems==
Zou is often written in a Latin script developed by Christian missionary J.H. Cope. In 1952, M. Siahzathang of Churachandpur created an alternative script known as Zolai or Zoulai, an [[alphabet]]ic system with some [[Abugida|alphasyllabic]] characteristics. The user community for the script is growing- Zou cultural, political, and literary organizations began to adopt the script beginning in the 1970s, and more recently, the [[Government of Manipur|Manipur State Government]] has shown support for both Siahzathang and the script.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pandey |first1=Anshuman |title=Introducing the Zou Script |url=http://unicode.org/L2/L2010/10254r2-zou.pdf |access-date=30 December 2019 |date=29 September 2010 |archive-date=18 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718045320/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2010/10254r2-zou.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Ian James |author2=Mattias Persson |title=Script for Zou |url=http://skyknowledge.com/zolai.htm |website=skyknowledge.com |access-date=19 February 2019 |date=March 2012 |archive-date=14 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814232631/http://skyknowledge.com/zolai.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Linguistic relations==
Zou among the [[Northeastern Kuki-Chin languages]] is closely related to the Central languages such as the [[Mizo languages|Duhlian]] (Lusei/Lushai) or [[Mizo language]] ([[endonym]] in [[Mizo languages|Duhlian]] or [[Lushai]] is ''Mizo ṭawng''), the [[lingua franca]] language of [[Mizoram]].{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

Zou as spoken in India is similar to the [[Paite language]] of the [[Paite people|Paite]], though Zou lacks the word-final glottal stops present in Paite.<ref name="bareh">{{cite book|last=Bareh|first=Hamlet|title=Encyclopaedia of North-East India: Manipu|year=2001|publisher=Mittal|isbn=978-81-7099-790-0|pages=260ff|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XScmdGvMf7IC&pg=PA260|access-date=22 November 2010|chapter=Zou}}</ref><ref>"Their language is called Zou which is similar to the language spoken by the Paite. Unlike the Zou, the Paite possess the terminal glottal stop 'h'. For example, a word for 'good' is ''hoih'' in Paite while it changes into ''hoi'' in the Zou language. [[Sannemla]] ([[Zou folksongs]]) are also popular among the Paite, although they are rendered in their individual dialect bearing the characteristic phonetic differences." {{Cite book |author1=Singh, Kumar Suresh |title=People of India: Manipur |author2=Horam, M. |author3=Rizvi, S. H. M. |publisher=Anthropological Survey of India by Seagull Books |year=1998 |isbn=978-81-7154-769-2 |page=253 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref>

==Geographical extent==
At its largest extent, the geographic area covered by the language group is a territory of approximately 60,000 square miles (160,000 km2) in size, in [[Burma]], [[India]] and [[Bangladesh]].<ref>Encyclopaedia of South-Asian tribes - Volume 8 - Page 3436 Satinder Kumar - 2000 "According to the 1981 census, 12,515 persons speak the Zou language"</ref> However political boundaries and political debates have distorted the extent of the area in some sources.<ref>{{Cite book |quote=But against the background of all such conflict the Zomi National Congress went a step further in its argument for a Zomi identity by claiming Thado language as Zomi language. In the Kuki-Chin group of tribes, numerical strength has played ... |author=Gopalakrishnan, Ramamoorthy|year=1996|title=Socio-political framework in North-East India|location=New Delhi|publisher=Vikas Publishing House|page=150|oclc=34850808}}</ref>

===In Burma===
It is used in [[Chin State]], [[Tiddim]], and the [[Chin Hills]]. Use of Burmese has increased in the Zo speaking Chin State since the 1950s.<ref>{{cite book |title=Evaluating the Impact of Family Devotions Upon Selected Families from the Zomi Christian Community of Tulsa |oclc= 645086982 |page=7 |author=Nang Khen Khup |type=Thesis |publisher=Oral Roberts University |year=2007 |quote=The Zomi language is descended from the Tibeto-Burman language domain. Though each tribal group speaks its own dialect, Burmese is widely used in Zoland (Chinland) due to Burmanization of military regime for over five decades}}</ref> ''Ethnologue'' reports that Zou is spoken in the following townships of Myanmar.

*[[Chin State]]: [[Tonzang]], [[Hakha]], and [[Tedim]] townships
*[[Sagaing Division]]: [[Kalay]], [[Khampat]], and [[Tamu, Burma|Tamu]] townships

===In India===
*[[Manipur]]
**[[Chandel district]]: [[Singngat]] subdivision and the Sungnu Sachih / Kana area
**[[Churachandpur district]]
*[[Mizoram]]
*[[Assam]]<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Shyamkishor, Ayangbam|title=In Search of Common Identity: A Study of Chin-Kuki-Mizo Community in India|journal=International Journal of South Asian Studies: A Biannual Journal of South Asian Studies|volume=3|issue=1|page=131–140|url=http://www.qbase.co.in/pu/sites/default/files/ijsas13082010.pdf#page=135|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321194245/http://www.qbase.co.in/pu/sites/default/files/ijsas13082010.pdf#page=135|archive-date=2012-03-21|url-status=dead|access-date=2014-02-03}}</ref>

===In Bangladesh===
In Bangladesh it is used by the [[Bom people|Bawm people]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Loncheu |first=Nathan |year=2013|editor-last=Dena |editor-first=Lal |title=Bawmzos: A Study Of The Chin-Kuki-Zo Tribes Of Chittagong|location=New Delhi|publisher=Akansha Publishing House|isbn=978-81-8370-346-8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Reichle |first=Verena |year=1981|title=Bawm language and lore: Tibeto-Burman area|series=Europäische Hochschulschriften series 21, Linguistik: volume 14|location=Bern, Switzerland|publisher=P. Lang|isbn=978-3-261-04935-3}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book| last=DeLancey |first=Scott |year=1987 |chapter=Part VIII: Sino-Tibetan languages |editor-last=Comrie |editor-first=Bernard |title=The World's Major Languages |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=797–810 |isbn=978-0-19-520521-3}}
* {{Cite thesis |last=Thang |first=Khoi Lam |year=2001 |title=A phonological reconstruction of Proto-Chin |degree=MA |location=Chiang Mai |publisher=Payap University |url=https://inter.payap.ac.th/wp-content/uploads/linguistics_PDF/Khois-Proto-Reconstruction-of-Chin-revised.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902223631/https://inter.payap.ac.th/wp-content/uploads/linguistics_PDF/Khois-Proto-Reconstruction-of-Chin-revised.pdf |archive-date=2018-09-02}}
* {{Cite thesis |last=Button |first=Christopher Thomas James |year=2009 |title=A Reconstruction of Proto Northern Chin in Old Burmese and Old Chinese Perspective |type=Ph.D. dissertation |location=London |publisher=University of London |url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/29548/1/10731704.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530204422/https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/29548/1/10731704.pdf |archive-date=2020-05-30}}
* {{Cite book |last=Button |first=Christopher Thomas James |year=2011 |title=Proto Northern Chin |series=STEDT monograph |volume=10 |location=Berkeley |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |isbn=978-0-944613-49-8}}

==External links==
*[https://www.academia.edu/735120/Zo_Tonology Zo Tonology]
*[https://www.omniglot.com/writing/zou.htm Omniglot Zou]
*[https://www.tongdot.com Tongdot]
{{Incubator|code=zom}}

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

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kuki-Chin languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Manipur]]

Zou language - Revision history

StevieJ461261267: Entry