Sema language

Sema
Sümi (Naga)
Pronunciation [sɨ˩ mi˧]
Native to India
Region Nagaland
Ethnicity Sumi Naga
Native speakers
104,000 (2001 census)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 nsm
Glottolog sumi1235[2]

Sema, also Sumi or Simi, is an Angami–Pochuri language spoken in Nagaland, India. It is spoken by the Sumi Naga people.[3][4]

Geographical distribution

Sumi is spoken in central and southern Nagaland, in Zunheboto district, Kohima district, Mokokchung district, and Tuensang district, as well as in 7 villages of Tinsukia district, Assam (Ethnologue).

Dialects

Ethnologue lists the following dialects of Sema.

Phonology

The transcriptions in this section use the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Vowels

Monophthongs of Sema, from Teo (2012:368)

The vowels of Sema are as follows:[5][6]

Front Central Back
Close i ɨ u
Mid e o
Open a

Notes:

Consonants

The consonants of Sema are as follows[6][10] (allophones that are represented in the orthographic system are given in parentheses):

Bilabial Labiodental Alveolar Postalveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
Nasal plain m n ŋ
aspirated
Plosive voiceless p t k q
aspirated
voiced b d ɡ
Affricate voiceless (ts) ()
aspirated (tsʰ) tʃʰ
Fricative voiceless f (s) ʃ x h
voiced v (z) ʒ ɣ
Approximant central plain (w) ɹ j
lateral l
aspirated

References

  1. Sema at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Sumi Naga". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
  3. Sreedhar (1976).
  4. Sreedhar (1980).
  5. 1 2 3 Teo (2012), p. 369.
  6. 1 2 Teo (2014), p. 20.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Teo (2012), p. 368.
  8. 1 2 Teo (2014), p. 27.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Teo (2014), p. 28.
  10. Teo (2012), p. 366.

Bibliography


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