| Amri Karbi | |
|---|---|
| Region | Assam major in the district Kamrup, Meghalaya in the district Ri-Bhoi |
| Ethnicity | Karbi people |
Native speakers | 125,000 (2003)e27 |
Sino-Tibetan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | ajz |
| Glottolog | amri1238 |
Amri Karbi, also known as Plains Karbi, Dumrali,[1] is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in parts of the states of Assam and Meghalaya in Northeast India.[2] Amri Karbi variously treated as a variety of the Karbi language or as its own language. Amri Karbi is divided into two regional varieties: Upper Amri and Lower Amri.[1][2] It is distinct from the speech of a group also called Amri Karbi in the west of the Karbi Anglong district in Assam, who speak a Hills Karbi dialect.[1][3]
Phonology[edit | edit source]
Consonants[edit | edit source]
Amri has 23 phonemic consonants. Allophones or alternative pronunciations are included in parentheses in the table below.
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | voiceless | unaspirated | p | t | c | k | |
| aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | kʰ | ||||
| voiced | unaspirated | b | d | ɟ | g | ||
| aspirated | bʰ | dʰ | ɟʰ | gʰ | |||
| Fricative | voiceless | (ɸ)i | s | h | |||
| voiced | β | ||||||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | ||||
| Lateral | l | ||||||
| Rhotic | r | ||||||
| Approximant | (j)ii | ||||||
^i Alternative realization of /pʰ/ amongst some members of the younger generation. ^ii Allophone of /ɟ/.
Vowels[edit | edit source]
Amri Karbi has 7 vowels, 2 of which are marginal phonemes (included in parentheses in the table below). In addition, there are the diphthongs /ai/ and /ɔi/.[1]
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Close-mid | (e) | (o) | |
| Open-mid | ɛ | ɔ | |
| Open | a |
Tone[edit | edit source]
Three phonemic tones exist in Amri Karbi: low, mid, and high.[1]
Phonotactics[edit | edit source]
The maximum syllable in Amri Karbi is (C)(C)V(V)(C). A limited number of onset clusters occur, the first element of which is a voiceless stop or the glottal fricative /h/, followed by /l/ or /r/. Depending on the speaker, clusters /hl/ and /hr/ can variably be produced as [h], [l] and [r], or [lh] and [rh]. All consonants but /ŋ/ can appear syllable-initially. The only consonants able to occur syllable-finally are nasals /m n ŋ/, liquids /l r/, and voiceless unaspirated /p t k/. The latter three are realized as unreleased [p̚ t̚ k̚] when syllable-final.[1]
Orthography[edit | edit source]
Latin script is used for institutional practice, both Latin and Assamese script are used in various publications.[citation needed]
Locations[edit | edit source]
Amri (Karbi) language is spoken in the following locations in India (Ethnologue).
- Kamrup district, Assam (south of the Brahmaputra River): Chandubi, Loharghat, Rani block, Jalukbari, Pandu, Basbistha, Panikhaith, Jorabat, Sonapur, Khetri, and Kahi Kusi
- Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya: Nongpoh area, Barni Hat, and Umling
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Philippova, Nailya (2021). A Grammar of Amri Karbi (PhD thesis). Helsinki: University of Helsinki.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Amri Karbi". Ethnologue (27 ed.). Retrieved 29 January 2025.
- ↑ Konnerth, Linda (17 June 2014). A Grammar of Karbi (PhD thesis). University of Oregon. Archived from the original on 29 January 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
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