Mao language (Manipur)

Mao, also known as Sopvoma, is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Angami–Pochuri linguistic sub-branch.^[2] It is spoken primarily in Senapati district, northwestern Manipur and in Nagaland, India. It is similar to Angami.^[3]

Phonology

Consonants

• /t͡ʃʰ/ and /w/ only rarely occur, and with /t͡ʃʰ/ only occurring in word-initial position.
• The pre-aspirated voiceless /ʰr̥/, may have a word-initial allophone of [ʂ], [ʂ] rarely occurs phonemically.
• [ɡ] only occurs marginally from loanwords.
• /t̪, p͡f/ in word-initial position may be heard as [t̪ʰ, p͡fʰ] in free variation, rarely as phonemic.
• /h/ may have an allophone of [x] word-initially, word medially in free variation. [x] rarely occurs as a phoneme.
• /m/ before a central vowel /ɨ/ can have an allophone of a labiodental [ɱ].
• /n/ before high vowel sounds can have an allophone of a palatalized [nʲ].

Vowels

• [ə] only occurs inter-morphemically.
• /ɨ/ can be heard as rounded [ʉ] in free variation.
• In word-initial position, /i, u/ can be lowered to [ɪ, ʊ].
• /e, o/ can be lowered to [ɛ, ɔ] in word-final position.^[4]

References

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