Lotha language
Encyclopedia
The Lotha language is spoken by approximately 80,000 people in the northeastern India
n state of Nagaland
. It is centered in the small district of Wokha (capital Wokha). This district has many villages such as Merapani, Englan
, Pakti and others, where the language is widely spoken and studied. It belongs to the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages
, which are primarily concentrated in that region. The language resembles its northern neighbor Ao
, as well as the Meitei language spoken in the state of Manipur
.
Lotha is written in the Latin alphabet
, introduced by the British and American missionaries in the late 19th century. It is a medium of education up to the post-graduate level in the state of Nagaland. It is also the language in which the church sermons are preached. The Bible
has been translated into the Lotha language, adding significantly to its vocabulary, which had already been deeply influenced by Assamese
and Hindi
. The language has been carried to all parts of the country by the waves of emigrants.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Nagaland
Nagaland
Nagaland is a state in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the largest city is Dimapur...
. It is centered in the small district of Wokha (capital Wokha). This district has many villages such as Merapani, Englan
Englan
Englan is a small village in the district of Wokha, in the Nagaland state of India. The name literally means The Path of the Sun. It is one of the main centers of the district and is an active center of the Lotha language and culture.-External links:*....
, Pakti and others, where the language is widely spoken and studied. It belongs to the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages
Sino-Tibetan languages
The Sino-Tibetan languages are a language family comprising, at least, the Chinese and the Tibeto-Burman languages, including some 250 languages of East Asia, Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia. They are second only to the Indo-European languages in terms of the number of native speakers...
, which are primarily concentrated in that region. The language resembles its northern neighbor Ao
Ao language
Mongsen Ao is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Ao of Nagaland in northeast India. Conventionally classified as "Naga", the Ao languages are not clearly related to other Naga languages. Gordon estimates that there are 141,000 speakers of Mongsen and Chungli Ao.Missionary grammars from the...
, as well as the Meitei language spoken in the state of Manipur
Manipur
Manipur is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Burma to the east. It covers an area of...
.
Lotha is written in the Latin alphabet
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
, introduced by the British and American missionaries in the late 19th century. It is a medium of education up to the post-graduate level in the state of Nagaland. It is also the language in which the church sermons are preached. The Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
has been translated into the Lotha language, adding significantly to its vocabulary, which had already been deeply influenced by Assamese
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...
and Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
. The language has been carried to all parts of the country by the waves of emigrants.