LANGUAGE

Sir George Grierson, in his Linguistic Survey of India, places[1] the Lhota language in the central sub-group of Naga languages, together with Ao, Tangsa,[2] Thukumi[3] and Yachumi. The Lhotas have no script of their own, though they have a tradition that they once possessed skins with writing on them. Being hungry they ate the skins and have been illiterate savages ever since.[4]

The grammar of the language has been described by Dr. W. G. Witter of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society in his Outline Grammar of the Lhota Naga Language. I propose to confine myself, therefore, to a brief note founded on that work.

There are two dialects, the Liye and Ndrung, spoken north and south of the Doyang respectively, which differ but little save in the pronunciation of certain consonants. For example, Liye tiing (seven) becomes kiing in Ndrung; similarly otyak (basket) becomes okyak; otyam (needle) becomes opyam, and so on.

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Vowels.

Alphabet.

A long as in “father.”
A short as u in “but.”
E long as a in “pay.”
E short as e in “then.”[[208]]
I long as in “machine.”
I short, a little longer than the i in “sin.”
O long as in “bone.”
O short as in French “dot.”
U long as in oo in “fool.”
U short as in “pull.”
Ü as in “turn.”

Only syllables which are strongly long or short have been so marked.

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