Zou language
| Zou | |
|---|---|
| Zo, Zomi | |
| Native to | Burma, India |
| Region |
In Burma: Chin State, Tiddim, Chin Hills; |
| Ethnicity | Zou |
|
Native speakers
|
82,000 (2001–2012) |
|
Sino-Tibetan
|
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | zouu1235 |
In Burma: Chin State, Tiddim, Chin Hills;
Zou (literally "of the hills"), or Zo, Zomi, Yo, Yaw, or Jo, is a Northern Kukish language originating in northwestern Burma and spoken also in Manipur in northeastern India, where the name is spelled Zou.
The name Zou is sometimes used as a cover term for the languages of all Kukish and Chin peoples. (See Zo people.)
As can be seen from the name Zo ("of the hills") and Mizoram ("people hill country"), Zo among the Northern Kukish languages is closely related to the Central Kukish languages such as the Lushai or Mizo language (endonym in Lushai is Mizo ṭawng), the main language of Mizoram.
Zou as spoken in India is similar to the Paite language of the Paite, though Zou does not have the guttural stop W.
At its largest extent, the geographic area covered by the language group is a territory of approximately 60,000 square miles (160,000 km2) in size, in Burma, India and Bangladesh. However political boundaries and political debates have distorted the extent of the area in some sources.
It is used in Chin State, Tiddim, and the Chin Hills. Use of Burmese has increased in the Zo speaking Chin State since the 1950s.Ethnologue reports that Zou is spoken in the following townships of Myanmar.
In Bangladesh it is used by the Bom people.
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Wikipedia