Idu Mishmi language
The Idu Mishmi language (simplified Chinese: 义都语; pinyin: Yìdū yŭ) is a small language spoken by the Mishmi people in Dibang Valley district, Lower Dibang Valley district, Lohit district, East Siang district, Upper Siang district of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and in Zayü County of the Tibet Autonomous Region, China. There were 8569 speakers in India in 1981 and 7000 speakers in China in 1994. It is considered an endangered language.
| Idu Mishmi | |
|---|---|
| Luoba | |
| Region | India:Arunachal Pradesh: Dibang Valley district, Lower Dibang valley, Lohit; East Siang District; Upper Siang. China: southeastern Tibet Autonomous Region: Nyingchi Prefecture: Zayü County; western Yunnan |
| Ethnicity | Mishmi people (categorized as Lhoba and Mishmi) |
Native speakers | 11,000 (2001 census)[1] |
Possibly Sino-Tibetan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | clk |
| Glottolog | idum1241 |
| ELP | Idu-Mishmi[2] |
Locations
In China, Idu Mishmi is spoken in Xiba village 西巴村, which has just over 40 residents and is located at the foot of Xikong Mountain 习孔山. Xiba village is located 10 kilometers from the nearest administrative center, namely Migu village 米古村 (Jiang 2005:4).[3] The Idu live in the Danba River 丹巴江 and E River 额河 watersheds in Zayü County, Tibet. They are officially classified by the Chinese government as ethnic Lhoba people.
In India, the Idu are found in Arunachal Pradesh.
Script
The Idu Mishmi people did not usually have a script of their own. When needed Idu Mishmis tended to use the Tibetan script. Currently the Idu Mishmi have developed a script known as "Idu Azobra".
Alternative names
The Idu Mishmi language is often referred to as:
- Sulikata by the indigenous Assamese people of the Assam Plains.
- Idu in general.
- Yidu may be used in China.
- Midu, Mindri and Mithu (also called Bebejias by the indigenous Assamese ethnicities) are subclassifications within the Idu tribe based on the pitch and pronunciation of certain words. However, Idu people prefer the ethnonym "Kera-Ah" (children of Kera)[4]
Dialects
| Dialect name | Alternative name (if any) | Area spoken |
|---|---|---|
| Mindri | Anini area | |
| Mithu | Bebejia | Hunli, Desali, Koronu, Abango, Bhismaknagar, |
| Midu | Roing, Dambuk, Aohali, Injonu | |
| Mihi | Ahi valley (Anelih) |
References
- Idu Mishmi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
- Endangered Languages Project data for Idu-Mishmi.
- Jiang Huo. 2005. Yiduyu Yanjiu. Beijing: Minzu University Press.
- Idu
Further reading
- Blench, Roger. 2017. A dictionary of Idu, a language of Arunachal Pradesh. Roing, Arunachal Pradesh: Mishmi Publishing House.
- Blench, Roger. 2016. Attempts to write the Idu language and a proposal for a modern orthography.
- Blench, Roger. 2016. Hunting among the Idu, a people of Arunachal Pradesh.
- Blench, Roger, Mite Linggi, Hindu Meme, and Apomo Linggi. 2016. Reading and writing Idu: a book of letters. Roing, Arunachal Pradesh: Idu Language Development Committee.
- Preliminary notes on the phonology of Ida Mishmi
- Discovery - Endangered Languages
- Idu Mishmi alphabet