Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Tangkhul, Tagkhul, Thangkhulm, Champhung, Luhuppa, Luppa, Somra, Naga (Tangkhul), Kupome, Luhupa, Central Luhupa, Northern Luhupa, Tangkul, Tśamphung
CLASSIFICATION		Sino-Tibetan, Tangkhul
ORTHOGRAPHY		Latin script
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		nmf
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Khunggoi Kupome Khangoi Ukhrul Phadang
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS		Though usually treated as a single language, Tangkhul Naga is a dialect continuum. Several of these dialects are not mutually intelligible.

Compare Sources (8)

Information from: “South Asia and the Middle East” (289-348 ch. 4) . George Van Driem (2007) , Christopher Mosely · London and NewYork: Routledge

Endangered

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available
58,167
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 1971

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

MORE ON VITALITY

Owing to a rapid shift to Meithei, the language is nearly extinct.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Meithei

PLACES: India

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "Arunachal Pradesh state, west bank of Siang river."

110,000
Native speakers worldwide

Safe

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available
125,000
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 2007

DOMAINS OF USE

MORE ON VITALITY

Taught in Primary schools. Magazines, newspapers and radio program exist in the language.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Meitei
English

Scripts (Writing system)

Latin script

PLACES: India

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Manipur, Ukhrul district, 168 villages; Nagaland; Tripura.

Safe

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
150,000
Native speakers worldwide

DOMAINS OF USE
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: Tangkhuls are bilingual in Meithei and Nagamese ("Naga Pidgin"). They communicate with other residents of Manipur in Meithei. English or Nagamese is used when communicating with the various Naga tribes of Nagaland. The "standardized" Ukhrul dialect of Tangkhul is used as a lingua franca for inter-village communication, and is the preferred dialect used in prayers and rituals.

PLACES: India

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Spoken in 220 villages throughot the Ukhrul District. About 20% of the Tangkhul popultion are scattered outside of Ukhrul District in the surrounding areas of Manipur, Nagaland, and northwest Burma. The most notable concentrations of Tangkhul speakers outside of Ukhrul District are in Kohima and Dimapur Valley in Nagaland, as well as in Imphal (capital of Manipur State).

Threatened

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

"I hear the claim that everyone speaks the language all the time from people in India even while observing young community members in the same locale who in fact do not speak their heritage language."

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

"is not used in government or mass media"

PLACES: India

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
142,035
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 2001

PLACES: India

142,000
Native speakers worldwide

	2001	Census of India: Distribution of the 100 Non-Scheduled Languages of India	Census of India							http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/partb.htm				142,035	2001	100000			At risk (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					India
16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis	SIL International	Dallas, TX			http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	125,000	2007	100000	Meitei, English		Safe (40 percent certain, based on the evidence available)		Taught in Primary schools. Magazines, newspapers and radio program exist in the language.	10		India	Manipur, Ukhrul district, 168 villages; Nagaland; Tripura.
	2007	South Asia and the Middle East	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages	289-348	Christopher Mosely	London and NewYork: Routledge		4			George Van Driem	Driem, George Van. 2007. "South Asia and the Middle East." In Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, edited by Christopher Mosely. 289-348. London and NewYork: Routledge.		58,167	1971	10000-99999	Meithei		Endangered (40 percent certain, based on the evidence available)		Owing to a rapid shift to Meithei, the language is nearly extinct.		15	India	"Arunachal Pradesh state, west bank of Siang river."
3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger				UNESCO Publishing	Paris			http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub	142,000												25.0358, 94.4824
	1997	Tangkhul-Naga Grammar: A study of word formation							Jawaharlal Nehru University		Ahum Victor	Victor, Ahum. 1997. Tangkhul-Naga Grammar: A study of word formation. PhD Dissertation, Jawaharlal Nehru University.		150,000		100000	Meithei, Nagamese, English	Tangkhuls are bilingual in Meithei and Nagamese ("Naga Pidgin"). They communicate with other residents of Manipur in Meithei. English or Nagamese is used when communicating with the various Naga tribes of Nagaland. The "standardized" Ukhrul dialect of Tangkhul is used as a lingua franca for inter-village communication, and is the preferred dialect used in prayers and rituals.	Safe (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	10		10		India	Spoken in 220 villages throughot the Ukhrul District. About 20% of the Tangkhul popultion are scattered outside of Ukhrul District in the surrounding areas of Manipur, Nagaland, and northwest Burma. The most notable concentrations of Tangkhul speakers outside of Ukhrul District are in Kohima and Dimapur Valley in Nagaland, as well as in Imphal (capital of Manipur State).
		Glottolog								http://www.glottolog.org/glottolog/		"Glottolog." Online: http://www.glottolog.org/glottolog/.														25.05, 94.36
	2016	Personal Communication on Tangkhul Naga									Gregory Anderson	Gregory Anderson. 2016. Personal Communication on Tangkhul Naga. July 2.						"is not used in government or mass media"	Threatened (40 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	12	"I hear the claim that everyone speaks the language all the time from people in India even while observing young community members in the same locale who in fact do not speak their heritage language."			India
		World Oral Literature Project								http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.		110,000

Tangkhul Naga

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

58,167

110,000

Safe

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

125,000

Safe

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

150,000

Threatened

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

142,035

142,000

Discussion

Tangkhul Naga

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

58,167

110,000

Safe

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

125,000

Safe

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

150,000

Threatened

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

142,035

142,000

Discussion

Suggest information or improvement

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Sources of information

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