Mizo grammar

Mizo grammar is the grammar of the Mizo language, a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by about a million people in Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, Burma and Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. It is a highly inflected language, with fairly complex noun phrase structure and word modifications. Nouns and pronouns are declined, and phrasal nouns also undergo an analogous declension.

Word order

Mizo declarative word order is Object-subject-verb, as in:

Sava
bird
ka
I
hmu
see
Sava ka hmu
I see a bird
Thing
firewood
a
he

carries
Thing a pú
He carries firewood

Nouns

There is no grammatical gender in Mizo language, although some animals, birds etc. have names which contain one of the suffixes -nu, which means female, or -pa which means male. Examples include chingpirinu (a type of big owl), kawrnu (a type of cicada), thangfènpa (a nocturnal bird).[1]

Non-derived nouns

Mizo is an agglutinative language in which it is rare to find morphologically simple, non-derived nouns.[1]:102 However, common everyday objects and domestic animals tend to fall in this category, that is, the category of morphologically simple, non-derived nouns. For example,

vạwkpig
ịpbag/sack
tlángmountain
sǎmhair
árchicken
lụiriver

Derived nouns

The most common form of noun is that of derived, morphologically complex, poly-syllabic nouns. Most abstract nouns belong to this category, and so do wild animals and other less common objects.[1] Examples include

1. sa-
animal
mak
strange
samak
rhinoceros
2. fa-
offspring
nu
female
fanu
daughter
3. süal-
wicked
na
-ness
sùalna
wickedness
4. mäwl-
stupid
na
-ness
màwlna
stupidity

Pluralisation

Nouns are pluralised by the addition of one of the suffixes -te, -ho, -teho and -hote. However, a non-pluralised noun can have the sense of a pluralised noun, and common nouns are usually not pluralised, as in:

SavatamdeuhkahmùSava tam deuh ka hmu
I see a lot of birds
bird/smanyveryIsee

Here sava is not pluralised to savate or savaho; rather, sava functions as a plural.

Declension of nouns

Nouns are declined into cases as follows (here we show the tones in accordance with the usage in Mizo Wiktionary, which is an extension of the common usage in Mizo newspapers such as Vanglaini and monthlies such as Lengzem chanchinbu):[2]

Noun (Nominative case)Genitive caseAccusative caseErgative caseInstrumental case
nụlá
the/a girl
nụla
the/a girl's
nụlá
the/a girl
nụláịn
(by) the/a girl
nụláin
using/with a girl
tǔi
water
tǔi
tǔituiịntuiin

Proper nouns are also declined in the same manner:

Noun (Nominative case)Genitive caseAccusative caseErgative caseInstrumental case
ThangạThangaThangạThangȧ'nThangạ-in/Thangạ hmangin

Nominalisation

Verbs and adjectives are nominalised by suffixing -na, and adjectives can also be nominalised by suffixing -zia. For example:

VerbAdjectiveNominalisation by -naNominalisation by -zia'
kalkạlna
süalsùalna
süalsùalzìa
vùavûakna

When -na is suffixed to a transitive verb then the resulting noun means either the instrument with which the action described by the verb is achieved, or the object/sufferer of the action or the point of action of the verb. For example, vùa means to beat/strike with a stick, and vûakna means a whip, an object with which one can beat, or a point or place where the beating takes place, a point where something is beaten.

When -na is suffixed to an intransitive verb, then the resulting noun means a place etc. through which the action can take place. For example, kal means to go, kalna means where something/someone goes or can go, way, path. For example:

A kalna kan hre loWe do not know where he went/where he has gone.
Hei chu a kalna dik a ni lo tawp mai!This is definitely not the right way.

When -zia is suffixed to an adjective, the resulting noun means the condition of having the quality described by the adjective. For example, süal means evil, sùalzìa' means sinfulness, evilness.

Agentiviser

The suffix -tu in Mizo ṭawng is equivalent to the suffix -er or -or in English, as in:[1]:137

püan " ṭhuito sew a cloth
püanṭhuitutailor
véngto protect
véngtûprotector

Pronouns

Forms

All Mizo pronouns occur in two forms, namely in free form and clitic form:[1]

Free formClitic form
kei(I)ka (I)
keimah (I)[3]
keini (we)kan (we)
keimahni (we)[3]
nang (you, singular)i (you, singular)
nangmah (you)[3]
nangni (you, plural)in (you, plural)
nangmahni (you, plural)[3]
ani (he, she, it)a (he, she, it)
amah (he, she, it)[3]
anni (they)an (they)
anmahni (they)[3]

The free form is mostly used for emphasis, and has to be used in conjunction with either the clitic form or an appropriate pronominal particle, as shown in the following examples:

  1. Kei (=I free form) ka (=I clitic form)lo tel ve kher a ngai em?. This is a somewhat emphatic way of saying Ka lo tel ve kher a ngai em?
  2. Nangni (=you pl., free form) in (you pl., clitic form) zo tawh em? This is a somewhat emphatic way of saying Nangni in zo tawh em?
  3. Ani (he/she) a (s/he) kal ve chuan a ṭha lo vang.

The clitic form is also used as a genitive form of the pronoun.

Declension

Mizo pronouns, like Mizo nouns, are declined into cases as follows:

Pronoun (Nominative case)Genitive caseAccusative caseErgative case
clitic form
kakami, minkeimahin=keima'n
kankanminkeimahni-in=keimahnin
iichenangmahin=nangma'n
ininche unangmahni-in=nangmahnin
aaamahamahin=ama'n
anananmahnianmahni-in=anmahni'n
free form
keikeimakeimah, keimah minkeimahin=keima'n
keimahkeimakeimah, keimah minkeimahin=keima'n
keinikeinikeini, keini minkeini-in=keini'n
keimahnikeimahnikeimahni, keimahni minkeimahni-in=keimahni'n
annianniannianni'n
anmahnianmahnianmahnianmahni-in=anmahni'n

Adjectives

Attributive

Mizo adjectives (Mizo: hrilhfiahna), when used attributively, follow the nouns they describe, as follows:

1.naupangfel a good child
childgood
2.lehkhabuchhiartlâk a readable book
bookreadable
3.hmasawnnachhenfâkawm sustainable development
developmentsustainable
2.artuipum ruk six eggs
eggsix

Predicative

When used predicatively, Mizo adjectives are syntactically verbs,[1]:107 being usually preceded by the subject pronoun clitics, as in:

A fel
S/he or it is good
A ṭha
It is good

In these two sentences, a is the subject pronoun clitic, and the adjectives fel and ṭha function as verbs (syntactically).

Adjective sequences

When adjectives follow each other, the preferred order is the following:[1]

  1. color
  2. quality or opinion
  3. size
  4. shape

as in

Puan sen (color) mawi (quality) hlai (size) bial (shape) deuh.

Quantifiers

The most common quantifiers in Mizo ṭawng are zawng zawng (all/each and every), ṭhenkhat (some [of a whole]), väi (all/every), (all/every).[1]:111 Some examples are given below:

1. varak
duck
zawng zawng
all
All the ducks
2. kan
we

all
All of us

Verbs

Occurrence

Verbs (Mizo: thiltih) and verb phrases occur last in a sentence. Since adjectives can function as verbs, it is common in sentences to have no true verb, as in:

A fel vek mai ang
A dik vêl vek!

In these two sentences, the adjectives fel and dik function syntactically as verbs, and there are no other verbs in either of them.

Tense

Mizo verbs are not conjugated by changing the desinence. The tense is clarified by the aspect and the addition of conjugating particles, such as

etc.

Adverbs

Occurrence

Adverbs usually follow the verbs or adjectives they describe.

Notes and references

  1. Chhangte, Lalnunthangi, The Grammar of Simple Clauses in Mizo
  2. This usage adapts Zoppen Club's usage.
  3. This form is also used as the accusative.
Others:
  1. Dokhuma, James, Mizo ṭawng kalphung
  2. Zoppen club, Mizo ṭawng thumal thar, 2011.
  3. SCERT, Mizo grammar and composition, cl XI & XII textbooks.
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