Tai Nuea or Tai Nüa (, (Mangshi) or , (Menglian); ; တဲးနိူဝ်, ; ; , ), also called Dehong Tai (; , ) and Chinese Shan, is one of the languages spoken by the Dai people in China, especially in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in the southwest of Yunnan Province. It is closely related to the other Tai languages and could be considered a dialect of Shan. It should not be confused with Tai Lü (Xishuangbanna Dai).
Names Most Tai Nuea people call themselves Tai Le (, ), which means 'Upper Tai' or 'Northern Tai'. However, it is not related to Tai Lue, which is pronounced in Tai Nuea. This similarity occurs as the result of a merger between [l] and [n] on initial position in the Mangshi dialect of Tai Nuea. It is pronounced Tai Ne (, ) in Menglian dialect.
Another autonym is (), where means 'bottom, under, the lower part (of)' and means 'the Hong River' (Luo 1998). Dehong is a transliteration of the term . It should not be confused with the term ( or ) 'Lower Tai' which is a term used by the Tai Nuea people to refer to Shan people.
The language is also known as Tai Mau, Tai Kong and Tai Na (傣那语).
Dialects Zhou (2001:13) classifies Tai Nuea into the Dehong () and Menggeng () dialects. Together, they add up to a total of 541,000 speakers.
Dehong dialect : 332,000 speakers Dehong Prefecture : Mangshi , Yingjiang , Lianghe , Longchuan , Ruili , Wanding Baoshan District : Baoshan , Tengchong , Longling , Shidian Menggeng dialect : 209,000 speakers Pu'er City / Simao District : Menglian , Jinggu , Lancang , Zhenyuan , Ximeng , Jingdong , Simao , Pu'er , Mojiang Baoshan District : Changning Lincang District : Gengma , Lincang , Shuangjiang , Cangyuan , Yongde , Zhenkang , Yunxian , Fengqing . A separate traditional script is still in use in Mengding Township and Lincang . It's identical to old Shan Script but different from the one used in the Dehong area — see Zhou (2001:371).
Phonology Tai Nuea is a tonal language with a very limited inventory of syllables with no consonant clusters. 16 syllable-initial consonants can be combined with 84 syllable finals and six tones.
Consonants
Initials LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottalplainsibilantNasal ᥛ ᥢ ᥒPlosive tenuisᥙᥖ ᥓᥐᥟaspirated ᥚ ᥗ ()*ᥡ ()*ᥠFricative ᥜ ᥔ ᥑ ᥞApproximantᥘᥕᥝ
Notes:
1. * occur in loanwords.
2. The consonant [l] and [n] merged to [l] in the initial position in Mangshi (芒市) dialect but not in Menglian (孟连) dialect.
3. The consonant [pʰ] and [f] merged to [pʰ] in Menglian (孟连) dialect but not in Mangshi (芒市) dialect.
Finals Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Nasal ᥛ ᥢ ᥒ Plosive ᥙ ᥖ ᥐ Approximant ᥝ ᥭ
Vowels Tai Nuea has ten vowels and 13 diphthongs: FrontCentral-BackBackHigh Mid Low ~ (Mangshi) ~ (Menglian)
Diphthong
* Only in Mangshi dialect.
Tones Unchecked syllables Tai Nuea has six tones: Classification Mangshi Menglian Tai Le Tai Le (1963) Number 阴平 35 55 ◌ᥴ ◌́ 1 阳平 55 53 ◌ᥰ ◌̈ 2 阴上 31 11 ◌ᥲ ◌̀ 3 阳上 53 31 ◌ᥳ ◌̇ 4 阴去 11 35 ◌ᥱ ◌̌ 5 阳去 33 ◌ ◌ 6
Checked syllables
Syllables with , and final can have only one of three tones in Mangshi (芒市) Dialect or four tones in Menglian (孟连) Dialect. + Mangshi (芒市) Dialect Description Contour Tai Le Tai Le (1963) Number rising 35 ◌ᥴ ◌́ 7 high falling 53 ◌ᥳ ◌̇ 8 ◌ ◌ low 11 or 21 ◌ᥱ ◌̌ 9
In Mangshi (芒市) Dialect, the high falling tone mark (◌ᥳ) is usually left unmarked.
+ Menglian (孟连) Dialect Description Contour Tai Le Tai Le (1963) Number high 55 ◌ᥴ ◌́ 7 low falling 31 ◌ᥳ ◌̇ 8 rising 35 ◌ᥱ ◌̌ 9 mid 33 ◌ ◌ 10
Comparison
+ Unchecked syllable comparison Tai Le Mangshi (芒市) Menglian (孟连) English fa4 pʰa4 sky laːu6 lau6 star lam4 nɑm4 water xai5 xɑi5 egg la2 na2 field fon1 pʰon1 rain moi1 məi1 frost pa3 taɯ3 pɑ3 tɑ3 under
Checked syllable Due to the irregular checked tones correspondence, the Tai Le used will be written in Mangshi dialect.
+ Checked syllable comparison Tai Le Mangshi (芒市) Menglian (孟连) English tap7 tɑp7 liver lok8 lok8 bird hak8 hɑk8 love mɔk9 mɔk9 flower sop9 sop9 mouth pʰak7 pʰɑk10 vegetable ŋək8 ŋək10 dragon tsək8 tsək10 rope tsep9 tsep10 pain pʰet9 pʰet10 spicy pet9 pet10 duck luk7 luk9 bone hut7 hut9 inhale kaːp8 kap9 bite
Writing system
The Tai Le script is part of the Mon-Burmese family of writing systems and is closely related to the Ahom script. The script is thought to date back to the 14th century.
The original Tai Nuea spelling did not generally mark tones and failed to distinguish several vowels. It was reformed to make these distinctions, and diacritics were introduced to mark tones. The resulting writing system was officially introduced in 1956. In 1988, the spelling of tones was reformed; special tone letters were introduced instead of the earlier Latin diacritics.
The modern script has a total of 35 letters, including the five tone letters.
The transcription below is given according to the Unicode tables.
Consonants
Vowels and diphthongs Consonants that are not followed by a vowel letter are pronounced with the inherent vowel [a]. Other vowels are indicated with the following letters:
Diphthongs are formed by combining some vowel letters with the consonant [w] and some vowel letters with ᥭ [ai]/[j].
Tones In the Thai and Tai Lü writing systems, the tone value in the pronunciation of a written syllable depends on the tone class of the initial consonant, vowel length and syllable structure. In contrast, the Tai Nuea writing system has a very straightforward spelling of tones, with one letter (or diacritic) for each tone.
Tone marks were presented via the third reform (1963) as diacritics. Then the fourth reform (1988) changed them into tone letters. The tone letter is placed at the end of syllable. Examples in the table show the syllable [ta] in different tones.
+ the six tones of Tai Nuea Number New (1988) Old (1963) Pitch 1. mid rise 2. high fall 3. low 4. low fall 5. mid fall 6. mid
Only three tones occur in checked syllables [syllables with a final -p, -t or -k]. The sixth tone (mid level) is not written in open syllables, and the third is not written in checked syllables.
Grammar Pronouns + Personal Pronouns Singular Dual Plural Mangshi Menglian Menglian (formal) Mangshi Mangshi Menglian 1st person ᥐᥝ (kau6) ᥐᥬ (kɑ6) ᥖᥧ ᥑᥬᥲ (tu6 xɑ3) ᥞᥣᥒᥰ ᥞᥫᥴ (haːŋ2 xə1) ᥖᥧ (tu6) ᥖᥧ (tu6) ᥞᥣᥒᥰ ᥞᥣᥰ (haːŋ2 ha2) ᥞᥝᥰ (hau2) ᥞᥝᥰ (hɑu2) 2nd person ᥛᥬᥰ (maɯ2) ᥛᥬᥰ (mɑ2) ᥔᥧᥴ ᥓᥝᥲ (su1 tsɑu3) ᥔᥩᥒᥴ ᥞᥫᥴ (sɔŋ1 xə1) ᥔᥧᥴ (su1) ᥔᥧᥴ (su1) 3rd person ᥛᥢᥰ (man2) ᥛᥢᥰ (mɑn2) ᥔᥩᥒᥴ ᥞᥣᥴ (sɔŋ1 xa1) ᥑᥝᥴ (xau1) ᥑᥬᥴ (xɑ1)
+ Other Pronouns Mangshi Menglian Reflexive ᥙᥪᥴ ᥓᥝᥲ (pɯ1 tsau3) ᥐᥩᥭᥰ ᥘᥥᥝ (kɔi2 leu6) Interrogative ᥚᥬᥴ (pʰaɯ1) ᥙᥧᥱ ᥘᥬ (pu5 lɑ6) Everyone ᥙᥫᥝ (pən6) ᥙᥫᥝ (pən6) Other people ᥖᥒᥰ ᥘᥣᥭᥴ (taŋ2 laːi1) ᥖᥒᥰ ᥘᥣᥭᥴ (tɑŋ2 lai1)
Syntax Tai Nuea word order is usually subject–verb–object (SVO); modifiers (e.g. adjectives) follow nouns.
Demonstrative Mangshi Menglian This ᥘᥭᥳ (lai4) ᥢᥭᥳ (nɑi4) That ᥘᥢᥳ (lan4) ᥢᥢᥳ (nɑn4) Here ᥖᥤ ᥘᥭᥳ (ti6 lai4) ᥖᥤ ᥢᥭᥳ (ti6 nɑi4) There ᥖᥤ ᥘᥢᥳ (ti6 lan4) ᥖᥤ ᥢᥢᥳ (ti6 nɑn4)
Adverb + Interrogative Mangshi Menglian What ᥔᥒᥴ (saŋ1) ᥖᥤ ᥔᥒᥴ (ti6 sɑŋ1) Why ᥐᥩᥙ ᥖᥤ ᥔᥒᥴ (kɔp6 ti6 saŋ1) Who ᥚᥬᥴ (pʰaɯ1) ᥙᥧᥱ ᥘᥬ (pu5 lɑ6) Where (ᥖᥤ) ᥗᥬᥴ (ti6 thaɯ1) ᥖᥤᥴ ᥘᥬ (ti1 lɑ6) Which ᥘᥬ (laɯ6) ᥘᥬ (lɑ6) How much ᥑᥬ (xaɯ6) ᥑᥬ ᥘᥬ (xɑ6 lɑ6) How many ᥐᥤᥱ (ki5) ᥐᥤᥱ (ki5)
Numeral + Numerals Mangshi Menglian 0 ᥘᥤᥢᥳ (lin4) ᥘᥤᥢᥳ (lin4) 1 ᥘᥫᥒ (ləŋ6) ᥢᥫᥒ (nəŋ6) ᥟᥥᥖᥱ (et9) ᥟᥥᥖ (et10) 2 ᥔᥩᥒᥴ (sɔŋ1) ᥔᥩᥒᥴ (sɔŋ1) 3 ᥔᥣᥛᥴ (saːm1) ᥔᥣᥛᥴ (sam1) 4 ᥔᥤᥱ (si5) ᥔᥤᥱ (si5) 5 ᥞᥣᥲ (ha3) ᥞᥣᥲ (ha3) 6 ᥞᥨᥐᥱ (hok9) ᥞᥨᥐ (hok10) 7 ᥓᥥᥖᥱ (tset9) ᥓᥥᥖ (tset10) 8 ᥙᥦᥖᥱ (pɛt9) ᥙᥦᥖᥱ (pɛt9) 9 ᥐᥝᥲ (kau3) ᥐᥝᥲ (kɑu3) 10 ᥔᥤᥙᥴ (sip7) ᥔᥤᥙ (sip10) 11 ᥔᥤᥙᥴ ᥟᥥᥖᥱ (sip7 et9) ᥔᥤᥙ ᥟᥥᥖ (sip10 et10) 20 ᥔᥣᥝᥰ ᥘᥫᥒ (saːu2 ləŋ6) ᥔᥣᥝᥰ ᥢᥫᥒ (sau2 nəŋ6) 21 ᥔᥣᥝᥰ ᥟᥥᥖᥱ (saːu2 et9) ᥔᥣᥝᥰ ᥟᥥᥖ (sau2 et10) 25 ᥔᥣᥝᥰ ᥞᥣᥲ (saːu2 ha3) ᥔᥣᥝᥰ ᥞᥣᥲ (sau2 ha3) 30 ᥔᥤᥙᥴ ᥔᥣᥛᥴ (saːm1 sip7) ᥔᥤᥙ ᥔᥣᥛᥴ (sam1 sip10) 100 ᥙᥣᥐᥱ (paːk9) ᥙᥣᥐᥱ (pak9) 205 ᥔᥩᥒᥴ ᥙᥣᥐᥱ ᥙᥣᥭ ᥞᥣᥲ (sɔŋ1 paːk9 pai6 ha3) ᥔᥩᥒᥴ ᥙᥣᥐᥱ ᥙᥣᥭ ᥞᥣᥲ (sɔŋ1 pak9 pai6 ha3) 1000 ᥞᥥᥒᥴ (heŋ1) ᥞᥥᥒᥴ (heŋ1) 10000 ᥛᥧᥢᥱ (mun5) ᥛᥧᥢᥱ (mun5) 70006 ᥓᥥᥖᥱ ᥛᥧᥢᥱ ᥙᥣᥭ ᥞᥨᥐᥱ (tset9 mun5 paːi6 hok9) ᥓᥥᥖ ᥛᥧᥢᥱ ᥙᥣᥭ ᥞᥨᥐ (tset10 mun5 paːi6 hok10) 1st ᥐᥨᥳ ᥞᥨᥴ (ko4 ho1) ᥗᥨᥢᥲ ᥢᥫᥒ (tʰon3 nəŋ6) 2nd ᥐᥨᥳ ᥖᥛᥰ (ko4 tam2) ᥗᥨᥢᥲ ᥔᥨᥒᥴ (tʰon3 soŋ1) 3rd ᥐᥨᥳ ᥔᥣᥛᥴ (ko4 saːm1) ᥗᥨᥢᥲ ᥔᥣᥛᥴ (tʰon3 sam1) last ᥐᥨᥳ ᥔᥧᥖᥴ (ko4 sut7) ᥗᥨᥢᥲ ᥔᥧᥖ (tʰon3 sut10)
Text sample
Language use
Tai Nuea has official status in some parts of Yunnan (China), where it is used on signs and in education. Yunnan People's Radio Station (Yúnnán rénmín guǎngbō diàntái 云南人民广播电台) broadcasts in Tai Nuea. On the other hand, however, very little printed material is published in Tai Nuea in China. However, many signs of roads and stores in Mangshi are in Tai Nuea.
In Thailand, a collection of 108 proverbs was published with translations into Thai and English.Thawi Swangpanyangkoon and Edward Robinson. 1994. (2537 Thai). Dehong Tai proverbs. Sathaban Thai Suksa, Chulalankorn Mahawitayalai.
References
Bibliography
External links
Tai Dehong Dehong Daiwen jianjie ji zifuji 德宏傣文简介及字符集 (Introduction to Dehong Dai with examples; in Chinese) Daiyu, Daiwen 傣语、傣文 (in Chinese) Yunnan sheng yuyan wenzi wang 云南省语言文字网 (Yunnan province language and writing web; in Chinese)