Tangsa, also known as Tase and Tase Naga, is a

Sino-Tibetan Sino-Tibetan, also cited as Trans-Himalayan in a few sources, is a family of more than 400 languages, second only to Indo-European in number of native speakers. The vast majority of these are the 1.3 billion native speakers of Chinese languages. ...

language or

language cluster A dialect continuum or dialect chain is a series of language varieties spoken across some geographical area such that neighboring varieties are mutually intelligible, but the differences accumulate over distance so that widely separated vari ...

spoken by the Tangsa people of

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

and north-eastern

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. Some varieties, such as Shangge, are likely distinct languages. There are about 60,000 speakers in Burma and 40,000 speakers in India.

Geographical distribution

Tangsa is spoken in the following locations of

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

(''

Ethnologue ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' (stylized as ''Ethnoloɠue'') is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensi ...

''). *

Hkamti District Hkamti District or Khamti District (sometimes Naga Hills District) is a district in northern Sagaing Division of Burma (Myanmar). Its administrative center is the town of Singkaling Hkamti. Townships The district consists of the two townships ...

Sagaing Division Sagaing Region ( my, စစ်ကိုင်းတိုင်းဒေသကြီး, ; formerly Sagaing Division) is an administrative region of Myanmar, located in the north-western part of the country between latitude 21° 30' north and lo ...

Nanyun Nanyun (, , also spelt Namyun) is a town in the Sagaing Division in Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some Britis ...

, Pangsau, Lahe, and Hkamti townships * Myitkyina District,

Kachin State Kachin State ( my, ကချင်ပြည်နယ်; Jingpho language, Kachin: ), also known by the endonym Kachinland, is the northernmost administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. It is bordered by China to the north and east ...

: Shinbwiyan and

Tanai Danai ( my, တနိုင်းမြို့) is a town in Kachin State, in the northernmost part of Myanmar. Kachin State ( Kachin: ''Wunpawng Mungdan''; Burmese: ကချင်ပြည်နယ်) is the northernmost state of Myanmar. ...

townships In India, Tangsa is spoken in

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares ...

and

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

. Below are locations for some varieties of Tangsa. *Jugli: Kantang, Longlung, and Rangran villages, central Tirap District, Arunachal (Rekhung 1988) *Lungchang: Changlang, Rangkatu, and Kengkhu villages, eastern Tirap District, Arunachal (Rekhung 1988) *Tutsa: Sabban area, Changlang Subdivision, western Changlang District (also in southeastern Tirap District), Arunachal (Rekhung 1992) *Chamchang (Kimsing):Nongtham, Jotinkaikhe, Kharsang, Songking, Injan of Miao Sub-division and Nampong-Jairampur-Nampong sub-division of Changlang district. Chamchang dialect is adopted as lingua-franca by many sub-tribes in Sagaing Division of Myanmar. In India, Nagamese or

Nefamese Nefamese or ''Arunamese'' is a pidgin of Arunachal Pradesh (formerly NEFA), India. Its classification is unclear; ''Ethnologue'' states that it is based on the Assamese language, but also that it is most closely related to the Sino-Tibetan Ga ...

are typically used as a lingua-franca. The first complete Bible of the Tangsas has been translated in Chamchang(Kimsing) by the Bible Society of India. *Mossang:Neotan Village,Old Plone,New Plone,Songking,Namphainong, Nayang village, Miao area & Theremkan village, Nampong circle, Changlang District, Arunachal (Rekhung 1999) ''Ethnologue'' also lists the following languages. *Lao Naga (Law, Loh) (): 1,000 speakers (as of 2012) in Lahe Township. Most similar to Chen-Kayu Naga and the Chuyo and Gakat dialects of Tase Naga. *Chen-Kayu Naga (Kyan-Karyaw Naga) (): 9,000 speakers (as of 2012) in 13 villages of Lahe Township. Dialects are Chen (Kyan) and Kayu (Kahyu, Kaiyaw, Karyaw, Kayaw). Most similar to the Chuyo and Gakat dialects of Tase Naga.

Dialects

There are four principal varieties, * Muklom * Pangwa Naga * Ponthai * Tikhak

Morey (2017)

Within Tangsa, the Pangwa group has about 20 subgroups in India. The Pangwa had migrated from Myanmar to India in the 20th century (Morey 2017). Pangwa subgroups are listed below, with autonyms listed in parentheses, where superscript digits are language-specific tone-marks. The Tikhak group consists of: *Longchang *Tikhak *Nokjah *Yongkuk *Kato (currently extinct) Other subgroups that do not belong to either the Pangwa or Tikhak groups are: *Moklum *Ponthai (Nukta) *Havi (Hawoi) *Hakhun (''haˀkʰun'') *Thamphang (''ʨampaŋ'', Champang) *Thamkok (Chamkok) *Halang (Hehle) Besides Pangwa and Tikhak, other Tangsa groups are: *Muklom (Muklom, Hawoi) *Phong (also known as Ponthai)

Lann (2018)

Lann (2018:8) classifies the Tangsa language varieties as follows, and recognizes 11 subgroups. IPA transcriptions for dialect names are also provided (Lann 2018:4-6), where superscript digits are language-specific tone-marks. *Upland Pangva: Shecyü (''ɕe².ȶɯ²''), Chamchang (''ȶəm².ȶəŋ²''), Mungre (''muŋ².ɹe²''), Mueshaungx (''mɯ³.ɕaoŋ³''), Lochang (''lo³.ȶʰaŋ³''), Haqcyeng (''haʔ.ȶeŋ²''), Ngaimong (''ŋaj².moŋ²''), Shangvan (''ɕəŋ².van²''), Joglei (''juk.li²''), Cholim (''ȶo².lim²''), Longri (''loŋ³.ɹi²''), Jöngi (''dʒɵ².ŋi³''), Maitai (''maj³.taj³'') *Eastern Pangva **Eastern Pangva A: Lungkhi (''luŋ².kʰi³''), Khalak (''kʰ.lək''), Gachai (''ɡ.ȶʰaj²'') **Eastern Pangva B: Rinkhu (''ɹin².kʰu²''), Näkkhi (''nək.kʰi²''), Rasi (''ɹa².si²''), Rasa (''ɹa².sa²''), Rera (''ɹe².ɹa²''), Kochung (''ko².ȶʰuŋ²''), Shokra (''ɕok.ɹa²''), Shangthi (''ɕəŋ².tʰi²''), Shanchin (''ɕan².ȶʰin²''), Khangchin, Khangdu, Lawnyung (''lon².juŋ²''), Yangbaivang (''jəŋ².ban².vəŋ²''), Gaqha (''ɡaʔ.ha²''), Raraq (''ɹa².ɹaʔ''), Raqnu (''ɹaʔ.nu²''), Kotlum (''kot.lum²''), Assen (''a.sen²''), Hasa (''ha².sa³'') *Yungkuk-Tikhak: Yungkuk (''joŋ².kuk''), Tikhak (''ti².kʰak''), Longchang (''loŋ³.ȶaŋ²''), Muklum (''mok.lum²''), Havi (''ha².vi''), Kato (''ka².to³''), Nukyaq *Ole: Nahen (''na³.hen³''), Lumnu (''lum².nu³''), Yangno (''jɐŋ².no³''), Kumgaq, Haqpo (''haʔ.po²''), Chamkok (''ȶəm².kok''), Champang (''ȶəm².pəŋ²''), Haqcyum (''haʔ.ȶum''), Tawke (''to².ke³''), Hokuq (''ho³.kuʔ'') *Kon-Pingnan: Yongkon (''kon³''), Chawang, Nukvuk, Miku (''mi².ku²''), Pingku (''piŋ².ku²''), Nansa (''nan³.sa³'', Nyinshao) *Haqte: Haqkhii (''haʔ.kʰɤ²''), Haqman (''haʔ.man²''), Bote (''bo.te²''), Lama (''ku³.ku²''), Haqkhun (''haʔ.kʰun²''),

Nocte The Nocte are an ethnic Naga tribe primarily living in Arunachal. They number about 111,679 (Census 2011), mainly found in the Patkai hills of Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Ethnically related to the Konyak Naga, their origins ca ...

(''nok.te²''), Phong (''pʰoŋ'', Ponthai), Tutsa (''tup.sa³'') *Olo: Haqsik (''haʔ.tsik''), Lajo (''la².jo²'') *Ola: Kaishan (''kaj².ɕan³'') *Sandzik (''san².ðik'') *Cyokat: Chuyo (''ȶu³.jo²''), Gaqkat (''ɡ.kaʔ''), Wancho (''vən³.ȶo²'') *Kunyon: Kuku (''ku³.ku²''), Makyam (''poŋ².ɲon³'', Pongnyuan) Lann (2018:4) lists the Aktung, Angsü-Angsa, Giiyii, Gawngkaq, Khangcyu, Khangdo, Kumgaq, Punlam, Nukyaq, and Vangtak-Vangkaq dialects as being extinct or nearly extinct.

Orthography

In 1990, Mr. Lakhum Mossang from Namphai Nong, Arunachal Pradesh in India created an alphabet for the Tangsa language. He taught the alphabet in public events and festivals, and promoted the script with community organisations and schools. In 2021, there were about 100 people who are using the script. The Tangsa Script Development Committee was founded in 2019 and continues development of the script after the passing of Lakhum Mossang in order ensure accommodation to the wide range of Tangsa varieties spoken in the region. The script has not yet gained widespread adoption. Beyond the use of Lakhum Mossang's script, Tangsa varieties are generally written in the Latin alphabet with multiple different spelling conventions in use. One such Roman orthography is that for Mossang, designed by Reverend Gam Win and used in the Mossang translation of the Bible. Different Roman orthographies are in use among different subtribes, often with considerable variation. These differences tend to follow Christian denominational divisions. The Gam Win Romanization for Mossang is as follows:

Tonal vowels

Each vowel of the Tangsa alphabet notes a combination representing one of 11 phonemic base vowels: modified by one of four distinctive vocalic tones (noted in Latin transcriptions by trailing consonnants appended after the base vowel): As well, the Tangsa alphabet includes a few additional separate letters for distinctive tonal vowels :

Consonants

Unlike Brahmic-derived abugidas most often used for languages in India and Burma, the 31 consonants of the Tangsa alphabet (used to write Sino-Tibetan languages and not Brahmic-based languages) don't carry any inherent vowel:

Unicode

The Tangsa alphabet was added to the

Unicode Unicode, formally The Unicode Standard,The formal version reference is is an information technology standard for the consistent encoding, representation, and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems. The standard, ...

Standard in September, 2021 with the release of version 14.0. The Unicode block for Tangsa is U+16A70–U+16ACF. The 48 base vowels (with tones) are encoded in U+16A70–U+16A9F, the 31 base consonants are encoded in U+16AA0–U+16ABE, and ten decimal digits are encoded in U+16AC0–U+16AC9:

References

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