Miju language
Sino-Tibetan language spoken in India and China
title: "Miju language" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["miju-languages", "mishmi-languages", "languages-of-tibet", "tonal-languages", "languages-of-arunachal-pradesh", "language-isolates-of-asia", "vulnerable-languages", "endangered-languages-of-china", "endangered-languages-of-india"] description: "Sino-Tibetan language spoken in India and China" topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miju_language" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Sino-Tibetan language spoken in India and China ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox language"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Kaman |
| pronunciation | |
| altname | Geman, Kman |
| nativename | Miju, Kùmán |
| region | Arunachal Pradesh, India |
| ethnicity | Miju Mishmi |
| speakers | |
| date | 2006 |
| ref | e18 |
| familycolor | Sino-Tibetan |
| fam1 | possibly Sino-Tibetan (Midzuish), or a language isolate |
| iso3 | mxj |
| glotto | miju1243 |
| glottorefname | Kman |
| map2 | Lang Status 80-VU.svg |
| mapcaption2 | |
| :: |
| name = Kaman | pronunciation = | altname = Geman, Kman | nativename = Miju, Kùmán | region = Arunachal Pradesh, India | ethnicity = Miju Mishmi | speakers = | date = 2006 | ref = e18 | familycolor = Sino-Tibetan | fam1 = possibly Sino-Tibetan (Midzuish), or a language isolate | iso3 = mxj | glotto = miju1243 | glottorefname = Kman | map2 = Lang Status 80-VU.svg | mapcaption2 = Kaman (Geman, Geman Deng, Kùmán, Kman), or Miju (Miju, Mishmi, Midzu), is a small language of India and China. Long assumed to be a Sino-Tibetan language, it may be a language isolate.
Locations
In China, the Miju are known as the Deng 僜人. The Deng number over 1,000 in Zayü County, Tibet, China, with 1,000 of the Deng having the autonym ** (大让), and 130 having the autonym ** (格曼) (Geman). They are also neighbors with the Idu or ** (义都) people.
In India, Miju is spoken in Hawai Circle and the Parsuram Kund area of Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh (Boro 1978, Dasgupta 1977). Ethnologue reports that Miju is spoken in 25 villages located in high altitude areas to the east of upper Lohit and Dau valleys, which are located east of the Haguliang, Billong, and Tilai valleys.
Phonology
These are the sounds in the Miju/Kaman language.
Consonants
::data[format=table title="Consonant phonemes"] | Labial | Alveolar | Post- alveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | Nasal | Plosive | plain | aspirated | voiced | Affricate | plain | aspirated | voiced | Fricative | plain | voiced | Approximant | Lateral | Flap | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ::
Vowels
::data[format=table title="[[Monophthong]] phonemes"]
| Front | Central | Back | unrounded | rounded | Close | Close-mid | Open-mid | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| () | ||||||||
| :: |
/ɯ/ may also be heard as [ɨ].
Tones
There are three main tones in the Miju language, rising (á), falling (à), and level (ā).
Registers
Kman has various registers that are used in different situations. These include:
Shamanic
Shamanic register is used by Shamans during rituals and is made up of a series of lexical substitutions and periphrasic constructions, the original of these are often speculated to be from an archaic version of the language or another language but this cannot be proven. ::data[format=table]
| Regular Speech | Shamanic Register | English |
|---|---|---|
| ìkū | àbrí ànà, àbí tòmbō, kùbū mə̄yī | dog |
| aya | ìdūmīlī | daughter |
| pàkū | khə̀njé ēndō | agriculture |
| :: |
Hunting
Hunting register is used by hunters and when hunting large and dangerous animals such as takin it is the only form of speech that can be used. Hunting register consists of lexical substitutions of words mostly but not exclusively relating to hunting. ::data[format=table]
| Regular Speech | Hunting Register | English |
|---|---|---|
| khyām | brīmā kāyōŋ | takin |
| dīʔìŋ | yēlkā | ginger |
| sīŋshūl | khūŋzèʔ | gun |
| :: |
Other meters include:
- cursing and scolding
- poetic
- babytalk
- mediation
- mourning
References
References
- (2011). "(De)classifying Arunachal languages: Reconstructing the evidence".
- Boro, A. 1978. ''Miju dictionary''. Shillong: Research Department, Arunachal Pradesh Administration.
- Dasgupta, K. 1977. ''A phrase book in Miju''. Shillong: Director of Information and Public Relations, Arunachal Pradesh.
- (2015). "Kman ethno-ophresiology; characterising taste, smell and texture in a language of Arunachal Pradesh".
- (2015). "Kman Reading and writing Kman".
- Blench, Roger. 2022. ''[https://www.academia.edu/82399458/Why_would_a_language_with_5000_speakers_have_seven_registers_Register_flipping_in_the_isolates_of_Northeast_India_compromises_the_unitary_concept_of_language Why would a language with 5000 speakers have seven registers? Register-flipping in the isolates of Northeast India compromises the unitary concept of language]''. Cambridge: Kay Williamson Education Foundation.
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