Jingpho | |
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Pronunciation | tɕiŋ˧˩pʰɔʔ˧˩ |
Native to | Burma, China, India |
Region | Kachin State, Yingjiang County |
Ethnicity | Jingpo |
Native speakers
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ca. 940,000 (1999–2001) |
Sino-Tibetan
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Dialects |
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Latin alphabet Mon script (Burmanized Kachin alphabet) |
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Language codes | |
ISO 639-2 |
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ISO 639-3 | Variously: kac – Jingpho sgp – Singpho tcl – Taman |
Glottolog | jing1260 |
Jingpho (Jinghpaw, Chingp'o) or Kachin (Burmese: ကချင်ဘာသာ [kətɕɪ̀ɴ bàðà]) is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Sal branch mainly spoken in Kachin State, Burma and Yunnan, China. The term "Kachin language" can refer either to the Jingpho language or to a group of languages spoken by various ethnic groups in the same region as Jingpo: Lisu, Lashi, Rawang, Zaiwa, Lhao Vo, Achang and Jingpho. These languages are from distinct branches of the highest level of the Sino-Tibetan family. The Jingpho alphabet is based on the Latin script. Now, the Jinghpo language is also widely written in Burmese script.
The ethnic Jingpho (or Kachin) are the primary speakers of Jingpho language, numbering approximately 900,000 speakers. The Turung of Assam in India speak a Jingpho dialect with many Assamese loanwords, called Singpho.
Jingpho syllable finals can consist of vowels, nasals, or oral stops.
There are at least 16 Jingphoish (Kachinic) varieties (Kurabe 2014:59). The demographic and location information listed below is drawn from Kurabe (2014). Standard Jingpho and Nkhum are the best described varieties, whereas the Jingphoish varieties of India have been recently documented by Stephen Morey. Jingphoish varieties in northern Kachin State remain underdescribed.