Shan language - Wikipedia

Shan language - Wikipedia
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kra–Dai language of Myanmar
"Tai Yai language" redirects here. Not to be confused with
Tai Ya language
or
Tayal language
Shan
Tai Yai
ၵႂၢမ်းတႆး
kwáam tái
),
လိၵ်ႈတႆး
līk tái
Pronunciation
[kwáːm
táj]
[lik
táj]
Native to
Myanmar
Region
Shan State
Ethnicity
Shan
Dai
Kula
Native speakers
4.7 million (2017)
Language family
Kra–Dai
Tai
Southwestern
Northwestern (Shan)
Shan
Dialects
Standard (Eastern)
Khün
Tai Nuea
Khamti
Tai Laing
Aiton
Phake
Khamyang
Turung
Writing system
Mon–Burmese
Shan alphabet
Official status
Recognised minority
language in
Myanmar
Language codes
ISO 639-2
shn
ISO 639-3
shn
Glottolog
shan1277
This article contains
IPA
phonetic symbols.
Without proper
rendering support
, you may see
question marks, boxes, or other symbols
instead of
Unicode
characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see
Help:IPA
This article contains
Burmese script
Without proper
rendering support
, you may see
question marks, boxes, or other symbols
instead of
Burmese script
Shan paper manuscript bound with a patterned cotton cloth cover and a felt binding ribbon,
Shan State
, first half of the 20th century.
British Library
Shan
is the native language of the
Shan people
and is mostly spoken in
Shan State
Myanmar
. It is also spoken in pockets in other parts of Myanmar, in
Northern Thailand
, in
Yunnan
, in
Laos
, in
Cambodia
, in
Vietnam
and decreasingly in
Assam
and
Meghalaya
. Shan is a member of the
Kra–Dai language family
and is related to
Thai
. It has five tones, which do not correspond exactly to Thai tones, plus a sixth tone used for emphasis. The term Shan is also used for related Northwestern Tai languages, and it is called
Tai Yai
or
Tai Long
in other Tai languages. Standard Shan, which is also known as Tachileik Shan, is based on the dialect of the city of
Tachileik
citation needed
In 2019, Ethnologue estimated there were 3.3 million Shan speakers, including 3.2 million in Myanmar.
The
Mahidol University
Institute for Language and Culture estimates there are gave the number of Shan speakers in Thailand as 95,000 in 2006.
citation needed
Many Shan speak local dialects as well as the language of their trading partners.
History
edit
Further information:
Tai peoples
and
Shan people
Historically, the dominance of Shan as a regional lingua franca made it the source of many loanwords in other regional languages, especially
Jingpo
and
Palaung
Influence from Burmese
edit
By the same token, Shan has been significantly influenced by Burmese, mediated by centuries of historical and ongoing contact and exchange between Burmese and Shan speakers, especially between the Burmese royal court and Shan principalities.
For instance, the lack of a
/f/
sound in most Shan dialects is attributed to Burmese influence; this sound is present in the closely related
Khün
and
Northern Thai languages
. Shan vocabulary has been significantly enriched by Burmese contact, with Burmese loan words appearing throughout the Shan lexicon,
including loanwords borrowed from
Pali
via Burmese. Burmese appears to have also influenced Shan grammar, with respect to the use of complex prepositions and certain word patterns that do not exist in closely related Tai languages.
Due to Shan's status as a lingua franca in the region, it has served as an intermediary, passing loanwords from
Burmese
into other regional languages.
Influence from Thai
edit
Due to labour migration in recent decades, one million ethnic Shan now live in Thailand.
As a result of ongoing language contact,
Thai
has increasingly become a competing source of loanwords into Shan, especially for scientific and political concepts.
These Thai loanwords are often more difficult to detect, because of phonetic and structural similarities between Shan and Thai.
Some recent phonological developments, like the reversal of the historical
/f/
pʰ
shift especially among younger Shan speakers, is attributed to contact with Thai.
Names
edit
The Shan language has a number of names in different
Tai languages
and
Burmese
In Shan, the spoken language is commonly called
kwam tai
ၵႂၢမ်းတႆး
[kwáːm.táj]
lit.
Tai
language
). The written language is called
lik tai
လိၵ်ႈတႆး
[lik
táj]
).
In
Burmese
, it is called
hram: bhasa
ရှမ်းဘာသာ
[ʃáɰ̃
bàðà]
), whence the English word "Shan". The term "Shan," which was formerly spelt
hsyam:
သျှမ်း
) in Burmese, is an
exonym
believed to be a Burmese derivative of "Siam" (an old term for
Thailand
).
In
Thai
and
Southern Thai
, it is called
phasa thai yai
ภาษาไทใหญ่
[pʰāː.sǎː.tʰāj.jàj]
lit.
big/great
Tai
language
) or more informally or even vulgarly by some
phasa ngiao
ภาษาเงี้ยว
[pʰāː.sǎː.ŋía̯w]
, an outdated term that now sounds like the word for "snake").
In
Northern Thai
, it is called
kam tai
กำไต
[kām.tāj]
, literally "
Tai
language") or more informally or even vulgarly by some
kam ngiao
กำเงี้ยว
[kām.ŋía̯w]
),
lit.
Shan language
).
In
Lao
, it is called
phasa tai yai
ພາສາໄທໃຫຍ່
[pʰáː.sǎː.tʰáj.ɲāj]
lit.
big/great
Tai
language
) or more informally or even vulgarly by some
phasa ngiao
ພາສາງ້ຽວ
[pʰáː.sǎː.ŋîa̯w]
).
In
Tai Lü
, it is called
kam ngio
ᦅᧄᦇᦲᧁᧉ
[kâm.ŋìw]
).
Dialects
edit
The Shan dialects spoken in
Shan State
can be divided into three groups, roughly coinciding with geographical and modern administrative boundaries, namely the northern, southern, and eastern dialects. Dialects differ to a certain extent in vocabulary and pronunciation, but are generally mutually intelligible.
While the southern dialect has borrowed more
Burmese
words, eastern Shan is somewhat closer to
Northern Thai language
and
Lao
in vocabulary and pronunciation, and the northern so-called "
Chinese Shan
" is much influenced by the Yunnan-Chinese dialect.
clarification needed
A number of words differ in initial consonants. In the north, initial
/k/,
/kʰ/
and
/m/
, when combined with certain vowels and final consonants, are pronounced
/tʃ/
(written
ky
),
/tʃʰ/
(written
khy
) and
/mj/
(written
my
). In Chinese Shan, initial
/n/
becomes
/l/
. In southwestern regions
/m/
is often pronounced as
/w/
. Initial
/f/
only appears in the east, while in the other two dialects it merges with
/pʰ/
J. Marvin Brown
divides the three dialects of Shan State as follows:
Northern —
Lashio
, Burma; contains more Chinese influences
Southern —
Taunggyi
, Burma (capital of
Shan State
); contains more Burmese influences
Eastern —
Kengtung
, Burma (in the
Golden Triangle
); closer to Northern Thai and Lao
Prominent divergent dialects are considered separate languages, such as
Khün
(called Kon Shan by the Burmese), which is spoken in
Kengtung
valley. Chinese Shan is also called Tai Mao, referring to the old Shan State of
Mong Mao
. Tai Long is used to refer to the Southern Shan State dialect spoken in southern and central regions west of the
Salween River
the Northern Shan State dialect,
and the dialect spoken in
Laos
. There are also dialects still spoken by a small number of people in
Kachin State
, such as
Tai Laing
, and
Khamti
spoken in northern
Sagaing Region
Phonology
edit
Consonants
edit
Shan has 19 consonants. Unlike
Thai
and
Lao
Isan
) there are no voiced plosives /d/ and /b/.
Labial
Dental
Alveolar
Alveolo-
Palatal
Velar
Glottal
Nasal
Plosive
unaspirated
tɕ
aspirated
pʰ
tʰ
kʰ
Fricative
Trill
Approximant
Lateral
The glottal plosive is implied after a short vowel without final, or the silent 'a' before a vowel.
Initial
[f]
is only found in eastern dialects in words that are pronounced with
[pʰ]
elsewhere.
The trill is very rare and mainly used in Pali and some English loan words, sometimes as a glide in initial consonant clusters. Many Shans find it difficult to pronounce
[r]
, often pronouncing it
[l]
Vowels and diphthongs
edit
Shan has ten vowels and 13 diphthongs:
Front
Central
Back
Close
Mid
Open
aː
[iw],
[ew],
[ɛw];
[uj],
[oj],
[ɯj],
[ɔj],
[ɤj];
[aj],
[aɯ],
[aw];
[aːj],
[aːw]
Shan has less vowel complexity than Thai, and Shan people learning Thai have difficulties with sounds such as "ia," "ua," and "uea"
[ɯa]
. Triphthongs are absent. Shan has no systematic distinction between long and short vowels characteristic of Thai.
Tones
edit
Shan has
phonemic
contrasts among the
tones
of syllables. There are five to six tonemes in Shan, depending on the dialect. The sixth tone is only spoken in the north; in other parts it is only used for emphasis.
Contrastive tones in unchecked syllables
edit
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.
No.
Description
IPA
Description
Transcription
rising (24)
˨˦
Starting rather low and rising pitch
a (not marked)
low (11)
Low, even pitch
a,
mid-falling (32)
˧˨
Medium level pitch, slightly falling in the end
(not marked)
a;
high (55)
High, even pitch
a:
high-falling and creaky (42)
˦˨ˀ
Short, creaky, strongly falling with lax final glottal stop
âʔ
â̰
a.
emphatic (343) or middle (33)
˧˦˧
Starting mid level, then slightly rising, with a drop at the end (similar to tones 3 and 5)
a᷈
a-
The symbol in the first transcription column corresponds to conventions used for other tonal languages; the second is derived from the Shan orthography.
The following table shows an example of the
phonemic
tones:
Tone
Shan
IPA
Transliteration
rising
ၼႃ
/nǎː/
na
thick
low
ၼႃႇ
/nàː/
na,
very
mid-falling
ၼႃႈ
/nà̱ː/
na;
face
high
ၼႃး
/náː/
na:
paddy field
high-falling and creaky
ၼႃႉ
/nâ̰(ː)/
na.
aunt, uncle
emphatic or middle
ၼႃႊ
/nāː/
na-
(for interjection / transcription)
The Shan tones correspond to Thai tones as follows:
The Shan rising tone is close to the Thai rising tone.
The Shan low tone is equivalent to the Thai low tone.
The Shan mid-tone is different from the Thai mid-tone. It falls in the end.
The Shan high tone is close to the Thai high tone. But it is not rising.
The Shan falling tone is different from the Thai falling tone. It is short, creaky and ends with a glottal stop.
Contrastive tones in checked syllables
edit
The table below presents four phonemic tones in checked syllables, i.e. closed syllables ending in a
glottal stop
[ʔ] and
obstruent sounds
such as [p], [t], and [k].
Tone
Shan
Phonemic
Phonetic
Transliteration
high
လၵ်း
/lák/
[lak˥]
lak:
post
creaky
လၵ်ႉ
/la̰k/
[la̰k˦˨ˀ]
lak.
steal
low
လၢၵ်ႇ
/làːk/
[laːk˩]
laak,
differ from others
mid
လၢၵ်ႈ
/lāːk/
[laːk˧˨]
laak;
drag
Syllable structure
edit
The
syllable
structure of Shan is C(G)V((V)/(C)), which is to say the
onset
consists of a consonant optionally followed by a
glide
, and the
rhyme
consists of a monophthong alone, a monophthong with a consonant, or a diphthong alone. (Only in some dialects, a diphthong may also be followed by a consonant)
The glides are: -w-, -y- and -r-.
There are seven possible final consonants:
/ŋ/
/n/
/m/
/k/
/t/
/p/
, and
/ʔ/
Some representative words are:
CV
/kɔ/
also
CVC
/kàːt/
market
CGV
/kwàː/
to go
CGVC
/kwaːŋ/
broad
CVV
/kǎi/
far
CGVV
/kwáːi/
water buffalo
Typical Shan words are monosyllabic. Multisyllabic words are mostly Pali loanwords, or Burmese words with the initial weak syllable
/ə/
Pronouns
edit
Person
Pronoun
IPA
Meaning
first
ၵဝ်
[kǎw]
I/me (informal)
တူ
[tǔ]
I/me (informal)
ၶႃႈ
[kʰaː]
I/me (formal) "servant, slave"
ႁႃး
[háː]
we/us two (familiar/dual)
ႁဝ်း
[háw]
we/us (general)
ႁဝ်းၶႃႈ
[háw.kʰaː]
we/us (formal) "we servants, we slaves"
second
မႂ်း
[máɰ]
you (informal/familiar)
ၸဝ်ႈ
[tɕaw]
you (formal) "master, lord"
ၶိူဝ်
[kʰɤ̂]
you two (familiar/dual)
သူ
[sǔ]
you (formal/singular, general/plural)
သူၸဝ်ႈ
[sǔ.tɕaw]
you (formal/singular, general/plural) "you masters, you lords"
third
မၼ်း
[mán]
he/she/it (informal/familiar)
ၶႃ
[kʰǎː]
they/them two (familiar/dual)
ၶဝ်
[kʰǎw]
he/she/it (formal), or they/them (general)
ၶဝ်ၸဝ်ႈ
[kʰǎw.tɕaw]
he/she/it (formal), or they/them (formal) "they masters, they lords"
ပိူၼ်ႈ
[pɤn]
they/them, others
Resources
edit
Given the present instabilities in Burma, one choice for scholars is to study the Shan people and their language in Thailand, where estimates of Shan refugees run as high as two million, and
Mae Hong Son Province
is home to a Shan majority. The major source for information about the Shan language in English is Dunwoody Press's
Shan for English Speakers
. They also publish a Shan-English dictionary. Aside from this, the language is almost completely undescribed in English.
citation needed
References
edit
Shan
at
Ethnologue
(25th ed., 2022)
"Shan"
Ethnologue
. 2019. Archived from
the original
on 2019-06-29.
Jenny, Mathias (Autumn 2016).
"Tai identity in Myanmar and beyond"
(PDF)
IIAS the Newsletter
(75). International Institute for Asian Studies:
32–
33.
Sai Wansai (2020-01-28).
"Refugee Conundrum: Little movement in Myanmar's repatriation schemes"
Burma News International
. Retrieved
2024-12-10
Brown, J. Marvin. 1965.
From Ancient Thai To Modern Dialects and Other Writings on Historical Thai Linguistics
. Bangkok: White Lotus Press, reprinted 1985.
Jirattikorn, Amporn (April 2008).
"Pirated" Transnational Broadcasting: The Consumption of Thai Soap Operas among Shan Communities in Burma"
Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia
23
(1):
30–
62.
doi
10.1355/SJ23-1B
JSTOR
41220059
. Retrieved
21 April
2023
Soh, Jyr Minn (2019).
Serial verb constructions in Tai Long Shan
(M.A. thesis). Nanyang Technological University.
doi
10.32657/10220/47853
hdl
10356/106030
"SEAlang Library Shan Lexicography"
sealang.net
. Retrieved
Apr 27,
2020
Further reading
edit
Sai Kam Mong.
The History and Development of the Shan Scripts
. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Silkworm Books, 2004.
ISBN
974-9575-50-4
The Major Languages of East and South-East Asia
Bernard Comrie
(London, 1990).
A Guide to the World's Languages
Merritt Ruhlen
(Stanford, 1991).
Shan for English Speakers
. Irving I. Glick & Sao Tern Moeng (Dunwoody Press, Wheaton, 1991).
Shan – English Dictionary
. Sao Tern Moeng (Dunwoody Press, Kensington, 1995).
Shan phonology and morphology
. Aggasena Lengtai. (MA thesis, Mahidol University, 2009).
Loss, Daniel (2017).
A Comparison of Grammaticalization in Shan and Thai
. Master's thesis, Payap University.
Available online
An English and Shan Dictionary
. H. W. Mix (American Baptist Mission Press, Rangoon, 1920; Revised edition by S.H.A.N., Chiang Mai, 2001).
Grammar of the Shan Language
. J. N. Cushing (American Baptist Mission Press, Rangoon, 1887).
Myanmar – Unicode Consortium
[1]
External links
edit
Shan edition
of
Wikipedia
, the free encyclopedia
An English-Shan dictionary translator
Shan-language Swadesh vocabulary list of basic words
(from Wiktionary's
Swadesh-list appendix
SIL Padauk Font (Shan Unicode)
SEAlang Library Shan Dictionary
Titles of Shan-foreign language dictionaries
Languages of Myanmar
Official languages
Burmese
Semiofficial language
Indigenous languages
(by
state or region
Chin
Kuki-Chin
Northeastern
Falam
Siyin
Tedim
Thadou
Zo
Central
Bawm
Hakha Chin
Mizo
Ngawn
Tawr
Maraic
Lautu
Mara
Senthang
Zotung
Zyphe
Southern
Daai
Kaang
Khumi
Kʼchò
Nga La
Shö
Songlai
Sumtu
Thaiphum
Welaung
Other
Anu-Hkongso
Kachin
Sino-Tibetan
Achang
Drung
Hpon
Jingpo
Lashi
Lhao Vo
Lisu
Nusu
Rawang
Zaiwa
Other
Khamti
Nùng
Palaung
Tai Laing
Kayah
Kayaw
Karenni
Kayin
Bwe Karen
Geba Karen
Pwo
Eastern
Western
S’gaw Karen
Magway
Rungtu
(Taungtha)
Mon
Mon
Rakhine
Rakhine
Chakma
Laitu
Mro-Khimi
Mru
Rohingya
Sak
Sagaing
Sal
Khiamniungan
Konyak
Leinong
Makyam
Ponyo
Sak
Tangsa
Other
Akyaung Ari
Anal
Koki
Makury
Long Phuri
Para
Tangkhul
Shan
Austroasiatic
Blang
Danau
Palaung
Riang
Tai Loi
Wa
Sino-Tibetan
Akeu
Akha
Danu
Geko Karen
Intha
Lahta
Lahu
Pa’o
Padaung
Pyen
Taungyo
Southwestern Mandarin
Kra–Dai
Khün
Tai Lue
Shan
Tai Nuea
Hmong–Mien
Hmong Njua
Tanintharyi
Malay
Moken
Moklen
S’gaw
Tavoyan
Non-Indigenous
Immigrant language
Burmese
Hindi
Punjabi
Russian
Vietnamese
Working language
Japanese
Korean
Sign languages
Burmese sign language
Languages of Thailand
Official language
Thai
Other Thais
Lao–Phutai
Isan
Phu Thai
Chiang Saen
Northern Thai
Tai Lü
Phuan
Thai Song
Sukhothai
Southern Thai
Northwestern
Khün
Shan
Tai Nüa
Minority
by languages groups
Austroasiatic
Bru
Chong
Chung
Jahai
Kensiu
Khmer
Northern
Western
Kintaq
Kuy
Mlabri
Mon
Nyah Kur
Palaung
Ten'edn
Thavung
Vietnamese
Austronesian
Cham
Malay
Bangkok Malay
Pattani Malay
Satun Malay
Moken
Moklen
Urak Lawoi’
Hmong–Mien
Hmong
Iu Mien
Sino-Tibetan
Akha
Eastern Pwo
Lisu
Sinitic
Cantonese
Teochew
Hakka
Hokkien
Hainanese
Hokchew
Nuosu
Mpi
Northern Pwo
Phrae Pwo
Red Karen (Eastern Kayah)
S'gaw Karen
Ugong
Non-Indigenous
Immigrant language
Burmese
Hindi
Punjabi
Russian
Southwestern Mandarin
Working language
Japanese
Korean
Sign languages
Thai Sign Language
Ban Khor Sign
Kra–Dai languages
Kra
Laha
Lachi
Paha
Buyang
En
Qabiao
Gelao
Vandu
A'ou
Mulao
Hagei
Telue
Qau
Kam–Sui
Mulam
Kam
(Dong)
Cao Miao
Nuoxi
(Naxi Yao)
Then
Maonan
Chadong
Sui
Mak
Ai-Cham
Biao
Biao
Lakkia
Lakkia
Hlai
Bouhin
Ha Em
Lauhut
Tongzha
Zandui
Baoting
Cun
Nadou
Changjiang
Moyfaw
Baisha
Yuanmen
Jiamao
Jiamao
Be
Jizhao
Be
Jizhao
Tai
Zhuang
, etc.)
Northern
Standard Zhuang
Bouyei
Hezhang Buyi
Yei Zhuang
Longsang Zhuang
Saek
Tai Yo
(Nyaw)
Yoy
Tai Pao
Central
Nong Zhuang
Dai Zhuang
Min Zhuang
Yang Zhuang
Pyang Zhuang
Myang Zhuang
Nùng
Tày
Tsʻün-Lao
Southwestern
(Thai)
Northwestern
Shan
Tai Ya
Tai Nuea
Tai Long
Tai Hongjin
Khamti
Tai Laing
Phake
Aiton
Khamyang
Ahom
Turung
Lao–Phutai
Lao
Phu Thai
Isan
Tai Yo
(Nyaw)
Lao Nyo
Kaloeng
Chiang Saen
Thai
(Siamese)
Northern Thai
Tai Daeng
Tai Meuay
Tai Dón
Tai Hang Tong
Tai Lue
Yong
Tai Dam
Khün
Phuan
Thai Song
Tày Tac
Southern
Southern Thai
(other)
Sapa
Pa Di
Tai Muong Vat
Tai Thanh
Tai Khang
Kuan
mixed
Cao Lan
mixed origins
Hezhang Buyi
Cao Lan
Jiamao
proposed groupings
Kam–Tai
Proto-languages
Proto-Kra–Dai
Proto-Kra
Proto-Tai
Proto-Kam–Sui
Proto-Hlai
Italics
indicate
extinct languages
Authority control databases
International
FAST
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Japan
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