LINGUISTIC AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESOURCES FOR MISHMI

 

The ‘Mishmi’ languages consist of three languages, Kman, Idu and Tawrã, spoken in the Northeast of Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India. Of these, Kman shows no obvious relationship with the other two. Idu and Tawrã have common features, but whether they are genetically related remains unclear. I have argued this is based on a mistaken approach to historical linguistics. Fieldwork has been conducted in this region since 2015. The teams working on individual languages are named on the appropriate pages.

 

Year

Title

Type

2015

The languages and cultures of the Mishmi peoples.Tezu, 6th March, 2015, CALSOM

Powerpoint

2015

Mishmi language development. Tezu, 29th December, 2015, CALSOM

Powerpoint

2017

Kman language development and its relation to Mishmi. Tezu, 2nd February, 2017, CALSOM

Powerpoint

2017

The ‘Mishmi’ languages, Idu, Tawra and Kman: a mismatch between cultural and linguistic relations. La Trobe University, 8-10th February, 2017. Workshop of the International Consortium for the Prehistory of the Eastern Himalayas.

Powerpoint

2017

The ‘Mishmi’ languages, Idu, Tawra and Kman: a mismatch between cultural and linguistic relations. Text for the above workshop

Paper

2017

The register system of the ‘Mishmi’ languages, Idu, Tawra and Kman and the problem of a unitary concept of language. Linguistics seminar University of Bielefeld, 17th May, 2017

Powerpoint

2017

From stone (bowls) to iron without ceramics; questioning narratives of Neolithisation via the ethnohistory of Northeast India. McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, 5th June, 2017

Powerpoint

2018

The journey of the dead in NE India: eschatology of the Idu and Kman. Rajiv Gandhi University, Doimukh 23rd February 2018.

Powerpoint

2018

Assessing the language situation in Arunachal Pradesh  and  policy for developing scripts and their use in education. Research Department, Arunachal Pradesh State Museum. Itanagar, 28th February 2018

Powerpoint

2018

The development of a script for the Mishmi languages: launching of Idu and Kman reading and writing materials. Rajiv Gandhi University, Doimukh 21st February 2018

Powerpoint

 

Pages on individual languages

 

Kman

DSCF2647

Idu

5

 

 

Tawrã

DSCF9075

 

Map showing approximate location of Mishmi peoples

 

Mishmi map

 

 

DSCF2500

Bibliography

Campbell, G. 1874. Specimens of Languages of India: Including Those of the Aboriginal Tribes of Bengal, the Central Provinces, and the Eastern Frontier. Calcutta: Printed at the Bengal secretariat Press.

Konow, Sten 1902.  Note on the languages spoken between the Assam Valley and Tibet. The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, 1902: 127-137.

Mills, J.P. 1952. The Mishmis of the Lohit Valley, Assam. The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 82(1):1-12.

Ouyang, Jueya 1985. A brief introduction to the Luoba language. [in Chinese]. Beijing: Mínzú Chūbǎnshè.

Pulu, Jatan 1978. Idu phrase-book. Shillong: Arunachal Pradesh Directorate of Research.

Pulu, Jimi 2002a. Idu Mishmi proverbs and sayings. Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Directorate of Research.

Pulu, Jimi 2002b. A handbook on Idu Mishmi language. Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Directorate of Research.

Robinson, W. 1856. Notes on the languages spoken by the Mi-Shmis. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 24: 307-324.

Sun, Hongkai 1983a. A brief introduction to Idu (Luoba) language. [In Chinese]. Mínzú Yǔwén 6. Beijing: Mínzú Chūbǎnshè.

Sun, Hongkai 1983b. The languages of the peoples of the Six River Valley Region and their genetic classification. [In Chinese]. Mínzú Xuébào. Kunming: Yunnan People’s Publishing Company.

Sun, Hongkai 1991. Zang Mianyu yuyin he cihui. [In Chinese]. Beijing: Zhōngguó Shèhuì Kēxué Chūbǎnshè.

Sun, Hongkai 1999. On the Himalayan languages of the eastern Himalayan area in China. Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area, 22: 61-72.

Sun, Hongkai et al. 1980. The languages of the Moba, Luoba and Deng people. [In Chinese]. Beijing: Zhōngguó Shèhuì Kēxué Chūbǎnshè.