Mara language (original) (raw)

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Sino-Tibetan language spoken in India and Burma

Not to be confused with the Maran languages of the Pama–Nyungan family, or with the Macro-Gunwinyguan Marra language.

Mara (Mara Chin: Mara reih, pronounced [mərà reɪ]; Burmese: မရာဘာသာစကား, pronounced [mərà bàθàzəɡá]) is a Kuki-Chin language spoken by Mara people, mostly the Tlosai tribe living in 30 villages of Chhimtuipui district, southern Mizoram, India; 9 villages in Thantlang District, Chin State, Burma; and several more in Matupi District, Chin State, Burma.

The Mara (Tlosai) languages belong to the Kuki-Chin branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. The speakers of the languages are also known as Mara (Tlosais). Shendu is a colonial name.

Mara is a recognised language in the Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC) school curriculum. Mara is a compulsory subject for all schools up to class VII (middle school) under the Board of School Education, MADC.

A written script for Mara was first created in 1852 by Captain S.R. Tickell.[2] Further scripts were invented in 1869 by Captain T.H. Lewin, in 1908 by Rev. F.W. Savidge and by R.A. Lorain.[2]

Mara alphabet (capital letters)

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A, AW, Y, B, CH, D, E, F, H, I, K, L, M, N, NG, O, Ô, P, R, S, T, U, V, Z

Mara alphabet (lowercase letters)

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a, aw, y, b, ch, d, e, f, h, i, k, l, m, n, ng, o, ô, p, r, s, t, u, v, z

ao, yu, ai, ei, ia, ie, ua.[3]

The plural form of a noun is formed by affixing one of the following terms to the end of the noun:

• zy (zeu)
• zydua (zeu-dua)
• nawh
• sahlao (sha-hlawh)

Today the Mara language has its own alphabet; words inside brackets show author N.E. Parry's transliterations from 1937.

Interrogative words in Mara

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• What: Khâpa, Khâpa e, Khâpa maw
• Where: Khataih lâ, Khataih liata
• How: kheihta, kheihawhta, Khatluta, Kheihta maw
• How much?: Khazie?
• How long?: Khachâ e, Khachâ maw?
• When: Khatita, Khatita e, Khâpa nota, nota, tita, nahta, pata Conj. thlaita, khati nota
• Why: Khazia, Khazia-e, Khazia maw, Khâpa vâta
• Why not: Khazia a châ vei chheih aw
• Whose: Kheihawhpa, Kheihawhpa he, Kheihawhpa-e, Kheihawhpa maw, ahy he maw
• Which: Kheihawhpa, Kheihawhpa he, Kheihawhpa-e, Kheihawhpa maw, ahy he maw
• Friend: Viasa
• Male Friend: Viasa Paw
• Female Friend: Viasa Nô
• Walk/Go: Sie (Phei ta Sie)
• Run: Arâ, â râ
• Sleep: Amô, Azia, Apazawh, â mô, â zia, â pazawh
• See: Mo, hmô
• Sit: Â tyuh, atyuh
• Stand: Â duah, aduah
• Jump: Â pathluah, apathluah
• Hit: Â chô, achô
• Eat: Nie
• Drink: Doh

Singular

• 1st person: keima, kei - I
• 2nd person: nâma, na - you
• 3rd person: ano, a or ama' - he, she, it

Plural

• 1st person: eima - we
• 2nd person: nâmo, nâma - you
• 3rd person: âmo - they

Possessive Pronouns

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Singular

• Keima, ei - my
• Keima eih, kei eih - mine
• Nâma, na - thy (you)
• Nâma eih, na eih - thine (yours)
• Ama, a - him, her, it
• Ama eih, a eih - his, hers, its

Plural

• Keimo - our
• Keimo eih - ours
• Nâmo - your
• Ahyrai - anyone
• Ahy tlyma - someone, a certain one
• A tlâhpi - some . . . others
• A hropa - another, others
• Ama zydua ta - all

| | Labial | Dental/Alveolar | (Alveolo-)palatal | Velar | Glottal | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Plosive/Affricate | voiceless | p | t | tɕ | k | (ʔ) | | aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | tɕʰ | kʰ | | | | voiced | b | d | dʑ | | | | | Fricative | voiceless | f | s | | | h | | voiced | v | z | | | | | | Nasal | plain | m | n | | ŋ | | | murmured | mʰ | nʰ | | | | | | Trill | voiced | | r | | | | | voiceless | | r̥ | | | | | | Lateral | voiced | | l | | | | | voiceless | | l̥ | | | | | | Approximant | w | ɹ̥ | j | | | |

• A glottal stop [ʔ] may occur in onsets as a result of morphological combinations.
• /t/ can be dental as [t̪] before /ɑ/ or /i/.
• /k/ can also be heard as uvular [q] before /ɑ/ or /i/.
• /s, z/ when preceding /i/ can be heard as alveolo-palatal [ɕ, ʑ].
• Pre-aspiration can also be heard among nasals as [ʱm, ʱn].[4]

| | Front | Central | Back | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Close | i | y | ɨ | u | | i̞ | | u̞ | | | | Mid | e | ø | | o | | Open | | | ɑ̝ | | | | ɑ | | | | |

• Sounds /o/ and /ɑ̝/ can be heard in free variation as [ɔ, ɐʊ] and [ʌ].[4]

1. ^ Mara at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
   Shendu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. ^ a b Lian, Salai Van Cung; Salem-Gervais, Nicolas (November 2020). "How Many Chin Languages Should Be Taught in Government Schools? Ongoing developments and structural challenges of language-in-education policy in Chin State". Parami Journal of Education. 1 (1).
3. ^ In the Mara language, ie is a diphthong and should not be changed to i.e., which is an English abbreviation.
4. ^ a b Arden, Michelle J. (2010). A phonetic, phonological, and morphosyntactic analysis of the Mara language (MA thesis). San Jose State University. doi:10.31979/etd.v36r-dk3u.

• Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC) Official Website
• Mara Language Preservation (MLP)
• The Mara people
• Maraland: The Home of the Maras on the internet
• A grammar and dictionary of the Lakher language, by Fred W. Savidge (1908) (Scanned at Internet Archive)
• Mara language on Ethnologue
• Mara Keyboard on Keyman
• Mara Art & Culture Official Website under Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC)