Social:Tai Lue language
| Tai Lue | |
|---|---|
| Template:Script/New Tai Lue, Template:Script/Tai Tham kam tai lue | |
| Native to | China , Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, United States |
| Region | Yunnan, China |
| Ethnicity | Tai Lue |
Native speakers | 550,000 (2000–2013)[1] |
Kra–Dai
| |
| Tai Tham alphabet, Thai alphabet, New Tai Lue alphabet | |
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in |  China Laos Thailand Myanmar Vietnam United States |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | khb |
| Glottolog | luuu1242[2] |
 |
Tai Lue language test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator |
Tai Lue (Tai Lü: Template:Script/New Tai Lue, kam tai lue, Template:IPA-khb, Tai Tham: Template:Script/Tai Tham) or Tai Lɯ, Tai Lü, Thai Lue, Tai Le, Xishuangbanna Dai (Chinese: 傣仂语; pinyin: Dǎilèyǔ; Burmese: လူးရှမ်း, romanized: luu Shan; Lao: ພາສາໄຕລື້; Thai: ภาษาไทลื้อ, phasa thai lue, pronounced [pʰāː.sǎː.tʰāj.lɯ́ː]; Vietnamese: tiếng Lự or tiếng Lữ), is a Tai language of the Lu people, spoken by about 700,000 people in Southeast Asia. This includes 280,000 people in China (Yunnan), 200,000 in Burma, 134,000 in Laos, 83,000 in Thailand and 4,960 in Vietnam.[3] The language is similar to other Tai languages and is closely related to Kham Mueang or Tai Yuan, which is also known as Northern Thai language. In Yunnan, it is spoken in all of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, as well as Jiangcheng Hani and Yi Autonomous County in Pu'er City.
In Vietnam, Tai Lue speakers are officially recognised as the Lự ethnic minority, although in China they are classified as part of the Dai people, along with speakers of the other Tai languages apart from Zhuang.
Phonology
Tai Lue has 21 syllable-initial consonants, 9 syllable-finals and six tones (three different tones in checked syllables, six in open syllables).
Consonants
Initials
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain | labial | ||||||
| Nasal | [m] | [n] | [ŋ] | ||||
| Plosive | tenuis | [p] | [t] | [k] | [kʷ] | [ʔ] | |
| aspirated | [pʰ] | [tʰ] | |||||
| voiced | [b] | [d] | |||||
| Affricate | [t͡s] | ||||||
| Fricative | voiceless | [f] | [s] | [x] | [xʷ] | [h] | |
| voiced | [v] | ||||||
| Approximant | [l] | [j] | |||||
The initials t͡s- and s- are palatalized before front vowels (which in the language are i, e, and ɛ) and become t͡ɕ- and ɕ-, respectively. For example, /t͡síŋ/ "hard" and /si᷄p/ "ten" are pronounced as [t͡ɕiŋ˥] and [ɕip˧˥] respectively. (Some textbooks denote t͡s as c).
Finals
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | [m] | [n] | [ŋ] | ||
| Plosive | [p] | [t] | [k] | [ʔ] | |
| Approximant | [w] | [j] |
Vowels
| Front | Central-Back | Back |
|---|---|---|
| /i/ | /ɯ/ | /u/ /uː/ |
| /e/ | /ɤ/ | /o/ |
| /ɛ/ | /a/ /aː/ |
/ɔ/ |
Generally, vowels in open syllables (without codas) occur as long whereas ones in closed syllables are short (except /aː/ and /uː/).
Tones
Contrastive tones in unchecked syllables
The table below presents six phonemic tones in unchecked syllables, i.e. closed syllables ending in sonorant sounds such as [m], [n], [ŋ], [w], and [j] and open syllables. There are six tones for unchecked syllables, although only three are allowed in checked syllables (those ending with -p, -t or -k).
| Description | Contour | Transcription | Example | Old Tai Lue | New Tai Lue script | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | 55 | á | /káː/ | Template:Script/New Tai Lue | ᦂ | crow |
| high rising | 35 | a᷄ | /ka᷄ː/ | Template:Script/New Tai Lue | ᦂᧈ | to go |
| low rising | 13 | a᷅ | /ka᷅ː/ | Template:Script/New Tai Lue | ᦂᧉ | rice shoots |
| falling | 51 | â | /kâː/ | Template:Script/New Tai Lue | ᦅ | to be stuck |
| mid | 33 | a (not marked) | /kaː/ | Template:Script/New Tai Lue | ᦅᧈ | price |
| low | 11 | à | /kàː/ | Template:Script/New Tai Lue | ᦅᧉ | to do business |
Contrastive tones in checked syllables
The table below presents two phonemic tones in checked syllables, i.e. closed syllables ending in a glottal stop [ʔ] and obstruent sounds which are [p], [t], and [k].
| Tone | Example | New Tai Lue | Phonemic | gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| high-risinɡ | Template:Script/New Tai Lue | ᦜᧅᧈ | /la᷄k/ | post |
| mid | Template:Script/New Tai Lue | ᦟᧅᧈ | /lāk/ | steal |
| high-risinɡ | Template:Script/New Tai Lue | ᦜᦱᧅᧈ | /la᷄ːk/ | differ from others |
| mid | Template:Script/New Tai Lue | ᦟᦱᧅᧈ | /lāːk/ | draɡ, pull |
Grammar
Pronouns
| Singular Familiar | Singular | Deferential | Plural Familiar | Plural | Deferential | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | exclusive | Template:Script/New Tai Lue pʰuu3xaa3 |
Template:Script/New Tai Lue xaa3 |
Template:Script/New Tai Lue xaa3nɔj6 |
- | Template:Script/New Tai Lue tuu1 |
Template:Script/New Tai Lue tuu1xɔj3 |
| inclusive | Template:Script/New Tai Lue haw4 |
- | |||||
| 2nd person | Template:Script/New Tai Lue caw3man4 |
Template:Script/New Tai Lue xiŋ4 |
Template:Script/New Tai Lue tun1caw3 |
Template:Script/New Tai Lue suu1 |
Template:Script/New Tai Lue suu1taan5 |
- | |
| 3rd person | Template:Script/New Tai Lue tun1taan5 |
Template:Script/New Tai Lue man4 |
- | Template:Script/New Tai Lue tun1taan5 |
Template:Script/New Tai Lue xaw1 |
Template:Script/New Tai Lue xaw1caw3 | |
Syntax
Word order is usually subject–verb–object (SVO); modifiers (e.g. adjectives) follow nouns.
Interrogatives
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ᦉᧂ (saŋ1) | What |
| ᦌᦹ (sɯɯ4) | Why |
| ᦂᦲᧈ (kii1) | How many |
| ᦺᦕ (pʰaj1) | Who |
| ᦺᦐ (naj1) | Where |
Vocabulary
As in Thai and Lao, Tai Lue has borrowed many Sanskrit and Pali words and affixes. Among the Tai languages in general, Tai Lue has limited intelligibility with Shan and Tai Nua and shares much vocabulary with, the other Southwestern Tai languages. Tai Lue has 95% lexical similarity with Northern Thai (Lanna), 86% with Central Thai, 93% with Shan, and 95% with Khun.[1]
Below, some Thai Lue words are given with standard Central Thai equivalents for comparison. Thai words are shown on the left and Tai Lue words, written in New Tai Lue script, are shown on the right.
Different words
Many words differ from Thai greatly:
- ยี่สิบ → ᨪᩣ᩠ᩅ (/jîː sìp/ → /sâːw/, twenty; cf. Lao: /sáːw/, Northern Thai: /sāw/)
- พูด → ᩋᩪᩢ (/pʰûːt/ → /ʔu᷅ː/, to speak; cf. Northern Thai: /ʔu᷇ː/)
- พี่ชาย → ᩋᩢᩣ᩠ᨿ (/pʰîː t͡ɕʰaːj/ → /ʔa᷅ːj/, older brother; cf. Lao: /ʔâːj/, Northern Thai: /ʔa᷇ːj/)
Similar words
Some words differ in tone only:
- หนึ่ง → ᨶ᩠ᨦᩧ᩵ (/nɯŋ/, one)
- หก → ᩉᩫ᩠ᨠ (/hók/, six)
- เจ็ด → ᩮᨧ᩠ᨯ (/t͡ɕét/, seven)
- สิบ → ᩈᩥ᩠ᨷ (/síp/, ten)
- กิน → ᨠᩥ᩠ᨶ (/kín/, to eat)
Some words differ in a single sound and associated tone. In many words, the initial ร (/r/) in Thai is ฮ (/h/) in Tai Lue, as is also the case in Lao and Tai Yuan:
- ร้อน → ᩁᩢᩬᩁ (/rɔ́n/ → /hɔ̀n/, hot; cf. Lao: /hɔ̂n/, Northern Thai: /hɔ́ːn/)
- รัก → ᩁᩢ᩠ᨠ (/rák/ → /hak/, to love; cf. Lao: /hāk/, Northern Thai: /ha᷇k/)
- รู้ → ᩁᩪᩢ (/rúː/ → /hùː/, to know; cf. Lao: /hûː/, Northern Thai: /húː/)
Aspirated consonants in the low-class consonant group(อักษรต่ำ /ʔàk sɔ̌n tàm/) become unaspirated:
- เชียงราย → ᨩ᩠ᨿᨦᩁᩣ᩠ᨿ (/t͡ɕʰiaŋ raːj/ → /t͡ɕêŋ hâːj/, Chiang Rai city and province)
- คิด → ᨣᩧ᩠ᨯ (/kʰít/ → /kɯt/, to think; cf. Northern Thai: /kɯ́t/)
- พ่อ → ᨻᩳ᩵ (/pʰɔ̂/ → /pɔ/, father; cf. Northern Thai: /pɔ̂ː/)
- ทาง → ᨴᩤ᩠ᨦ (/tʰaːŋ/ → /tâːŋ/, way; cf. Northern Thai: /tāːŋ/)
(Note that the vowels also differ greatly between Tai Lue and Thai in many words, even though they are etymologically related and share the same root.)
Though many aspirated consonants often become unaspirated, when an unaspirated consonant is followed by ร (/r/) the unaspirated consonant becomes aspirated:
- ประเทศ → ᨷᩕᨴᩮ᩠ᩆ (/praʔtʰêːt/ → /pʰaʔtêːt/, country; cf. Northern Thai /pʰa.têːt/)
Other differences:
- ให้ → ᩉᩨᩢ (/hâj/ → /hɯ᷅/, to give, let)
Numbers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 100 | 10,000 | 100,000 | 1,000,000 |
| ᧚ | ᧒ | ᧓ | ᧔ | ᧕ | ᧖ | ᧗ | ᧘ | ᧙ | ᧚᧐ | ᧚᧐᧐ | ᧚᧐᧐᧐᧐ | ᧚᧐᧐᧐᧐᧐ | ᧚᧐᧐᧐᧐᧐᧐ |
| ᦓᦹᧂᧈ | ᦉᦸᧂ | ᦉᧄ | ᦉᦲᧈ | ᦠᦱᧉ | ᦠᦸᧅ | ᦵᦈᧆ | ᦶᦔᧆᧈ | ᦂᧁᧉ | ᦉᦲᧇ | ᦠᦸᦲᧉ | ᦖᦹᧃᧈ | ᦶᦉᧃ | ᦟᧃᧉ |
| ᨶᩧ᩠᩵ᨦ | ᩈᩬᨦ | ᩈᩣ᩠ᨾ | ᩈᩦ᩵ | ᩉᩢᩣ | ᩉᩫ᩠ᨠ | ᩮᨧ᩠ᨯ | ᩯᨸ᩠ᨯ | ᩮᨠᩢᩢᩣ | ᩈᩥ᩠ᨷ | ᩁᩢᩭ | ᩉ᩠ᨾᩨ᩵ᩁ | ᩯᩈ᩠ᨶ | ᩃᩢᩣ᩠ᨶ |
| nɯŋ | sɔ́ŋ | sám | ɕi᷄ː | ha᷅ː | hók | t͡ɕét | pɛ᷄t | ka᷅w | ɕíp | hɔ̀i | mɯ᷄n | ɕɛ́n | làn |
Writing systems
Tai Lue is written in three different scripts. One is the Fak Kham script, a variety of the Thai script of Sukhothai. The second is the Tham script, which was reformed in the 1950s, but is still in use and has recently regained government support. The new script is a simplified version of the old script.
Fak Kham
An ancient script, also used in Kengtung, Northern Thailand and Northern Laos centuries ago.
Tham
The Tham script is called 老傣文 lao dai wen (Old laos script) in Chinese. Readable by the most people in Burma, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
New Tai Lue
_Tai_L%C3%BC_script_in_Mohan,_Yunnan.jpg){kind=logo}
New Tai Lue is a modernization of the Lanna alphabet (also known as the Tai Tham script), which is similar to the Thai alphabet, and consists of 42 initial consonant signs (21 high-tone class, 21 low-tone class), seven final consonant signs, 16 vowel signs, two tone letters and one vowel shortening letter (or syllable-final glottal stop). Vowels signs can be placed before or after the syllable initial consonant.
Similar to the Thai alphabet, the pronunciation of the tone of a syllable depends on the class the initial consonant belongs to, syllable structure and vowel length, and the tone mark.
Related varieties
The Bajia people (八甲人), who number 1,106 individuals in Mengkang Village (勐康村), Meng'a Town (勐阿镇), Menghai County, Yunnan, speak a language closely related to Tai Lue.[citation needed] There are 225 Bajia people living in Jingbo Township 景播乡, Menghai County (You 2013:270).[6] The Bajia are also known as the Chinese Dai 汉傣.
See also
- Tai Nüa language
- Tai Dam language
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tai Lue at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
- ↑ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds (2017). "Lu". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. http://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/luuu1242.
- ↑ "Lü" (in en). http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=khb.
- ↑ Tai Lü Dictionary – Webonary
- ↑ Tai Lü Dictionary – Webonary
- ↑ You, Weiqiong 尤伟琼 (2013) (in zh). Yúnnán mínzú shìbié yánjiū. Beijing: Minzu chubanshe. ISBN 978-7-105-12703-0.
Further reading
- Xishuangbanna Daizu Zizhizhou (2002) (in zh). Dǎi Hàn cídiǎn. Kunming shi: Yunnan minzu chubanshe. – This is a dictionary of Tai Lue in unreformed spelling.
- Yu, Cuirong 喻翠荣; Luo, Meizhen 罗美珍 (2004) (in zh). Dǎilè Hàn cídiǎn. Beijing shi: Minzu chubanshe. ISBN 7-105-05834-X.
- Hanna, William J. (2012) (in en). Dai Lue-English Dictionary. Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books. ISBN 978-616-215-031-9.
External links
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