This guide outlines the fundamental elements of the Nruanghmei alphabet, sounds, and writing conventions.
1. The Alphabet
The Nruanghmei alphabet is comprised of consonants and vowels, with specific exclusions.
The Nruanghmei alphabet is comprised of consonants and vowels, with specific exclusions.
a) Consonants Bb, Cc, Dd, Gg, Hh, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Pp, Rr, Ss, Tt, Zz
b) Vowels a, e, i, o, u, w, y
c) Excluded Letters The letters f, q, v, x are excluded from the Nruanghmei alphabet.
2. Vowel Sounds
Nruanghmei distinguishes between short, normal short (diphthong), long (diphthong), and long (tripthong) vowel sounds.
a) Short Sound The single vowel 'a' is used to represent an extremely short sound.
Examples:
Word = Lat
You = Nang
b) Diphthongs (Normal Short Sounds) The following diphthongs are used to create normal short vowel sounds: au, ai, ei, ia, iu, ou, ua, ui.
Examples:
Bag = Khau
House = Kai
Council = Pei
Script = Hiak
Buy = Liu
Uncle = Pou
Cup = Buang
Mother = Pui
c) Diphthongs (Long Sounds) The diphthongs aa, ae, ee, ii are used to produce long vowel sounds.
Examples:
Take = Laa
Way = Chaeng
Need = Kagee
Will = Nii
d) Tripthongs (Long Sounds) The tripthongs iau, uai are also used to create long vowel sounds.
Examples:
Cat = Miauna
Egg = Ruaiduih
3. Semi-Vowels
The letters w and y function as semi-vowels, producing heavy and long sounds.
Examples (comparing sound with 'u' and 'i'):
Short = Dwi (Kahiang dwi e), Dui (Dui zang e)
Head = Py (A py suc e), Pi (A kai pic raamv ngam the.)
4. Nasal Sounds
The consonants m and n are used to produce nasal sounds in Nruanghmei.
Examples:
m: Bury = Mbeih - (Bury the dead = Theihmei ta mbeih tho.)
n: Ant = Ntiang - (The ant bites = Ntiang kay e.)
5. Tone Marks
Tone marks (h, c, v) are crucial for conveying the correct meaning of words in Nruanghmei.
a) 'h' - Low and Glottal Tone
Example: To pinch (limh) – (Do not pinch me = Ata limh rio.)
b) 'c' - Rising Tone
Example: To dive (Limc) – (The stone dives = Tauthing dui limc e.
Example: To dive (Limc) – (The stone dives = Tauthing dui limc e.
c) 'v' - Falling Tone
Example: Ambush (Limv) – (Making ambush to attack = Adou khang limv bam the.)
6. Homonyms and Tone Shifting
Nruanghmei features numerous homonyms, where the same spelling can have different meanings based on tone. Tone shifting also occurs to correctly convey meaning.
a) Other Homonyms
lim: To peel – (Peel the fruit = Tingthai tei lim tho.) / Shadow – (He is sitting under the shadow of the tree = Kamei thingbang lim khou dungbam e.) / Lower part of diaphragm – (My abdomen gets pain = A limh suc e.)
lai: pot, to pour, to follow, to gather, intercourse, to chase out
lang: to depart, thread, beam, to hire, part, boil
rei: silent, first, temper, intestine, to pluck, dirty, outcast, to give time, to stay away
nlai: a kind of soft grass
nrei: a kind of insect, to esteem
b) Tone Shifting Sometimes, a glottal tone may shift to a rising tone, a rising tone to a level tone, and a falling tone to a rising tone to ensure correct pronunciation and meaning.
Examples:
Chamcna chaam chamhloumei bam khou cham nchamc bammei nunchamv tei rui chamvdin sw the.
Ka guangv khou kachaek ntuc nlei bammei alau tei rui guangh gwaina guangc maa khou guangc gwang the.
7. Usage of 'j' and 'z'
The letter 'j' is used for a light sound, whereas 'z' is used for a heavy sound.
Examples (j): Love = Jian, Grace = Jaujian, Peace = Chujaenghmei etc.
Examples (z): Wine = Zouh, Darkness = Zinghmei, Night = Zingbang etc.
8. Word Division
Words should be divided in a way that fully conveys the meaning of each part separately.
Examples:
If = ethei, rethei, gethei, (not e the i, re the i, ge the i)
Best = gayliangmei
Mine = atuang, His = Katuang
My home = a kai, (atuang kai)
His home = Ka kai (Katuang kai)
Upon = rukhou, pwkhou (and not ru khou or pw khou)
Remember = Ningtow o (and not ning tow o)
Inn = Ginbangvkai (and not Gin Bangvkai)
9. Orthographic Consistency - Suggestions
a) Suggestion-1: Consistent Original Spelling It is suggested to be consistent in writing the main and original spelling of each word, avoiding confusion by changing the spelling with toning in a sentence.
Examples:
Read = Pah – (Good to read this script = Mi hiak hei pah gay e, and not pac e.)
Much = Geih – (Too much for me = A khang geih the, and not geic the.)
King = Guangh – (Jesus, king of the Jews = Jisu hei Jihudimei guangh e, and not guangc e.)
Reach = Tangh – (Inform me whether you reached home or not = Kai tangc the tangh mak ge twmei tithai gwanglou dat ro.)
b) Suggestion-2: Apply Tone Marks as Needed Alternatively, maintain the same spelling for each word but apply the tone mark only when necessary to differentiate meaning.
Examples:
Example: Ambush (Limv) – (Making ambush to attack = Adou khang limv bam the.)
6. Homonyms and Tone Shifting
Nruanghmei features numerous homonyms, where the same spelling can have different meanings based on tone. Tone shifting also occurs to correctly convey meaning.
a) Other Homonyms
lim: To peel – (Peel the fruit = Tingthai tei lim tho.) / Shadow – (He is sitting under the shadow of the tree = Kamei thingbang lim khou dungbam e.) / Lower part of diaphragm – (My abdomen gets pain = A limh suc e.)
lai: pot, to pour, to follow, to gather, intercourse, to chase out
lang: to depart, thread, beam, to hire, part, boil
rei: silent, first, temper, intestine, to pluck, dirty, outcast, to give time, to stay away
nlai: a kind of soft grass
nrei: a kind of insect, to esteem
b) Tone Shifting Sometimes, a glottal tone may shift to a rising tone, a rising tone to a level tone, and a falling tone to a rising tone to ensure correct pronunciation and meaning.
Examples:
Chamcna chaam chamhloumei bam khou cham nchamc bammei nunchamv tei rui chamvdin sw the.
Ka guangv khou kachaek ntuc nlei bammei alau tei rui guangh gwaina guangc maa khou guangc gwang the.
7. Usage of 'j' and 'z'
The letter 'j' is used for a light sound, whereas 'z' is used for a heavy sound.
Examples (j): Love = Jian, Grace = Jaujian, Peace = Chujaenghmei etc.
Examples (z): Wine = Zouh, Darkness = Zinghmei, Night = Zingbang etc.
8. Word Division
Words should be divided in a way that fully conveys the meaning of each part separately.
Examples:
If = ethei, rethei, gethei, (not e the i, re the i, ge the i)
Best = gayliangmei
Mine = atuang, His = Katuang
My home = a kai, (atuang kai)
His home = Ka kai (Katuang kai)
Upon = rukhou, pwkhou (and not ru khou or pw khou)
Remember = Ningtow o (and not ning tow o)
Inn = Ginbangvkai (and not Gin Bangvkai)
9. Orthographic Consistency - Suggestions
a) Suggestion-1: Consistent Original Spelling It is suggested to be consistent in writing the main and original spelling of each word, avoiding confusion by changing the spelling with toning in a sentence.
Examples:
Read = Pah – (Good to read this script = Mi hiak hei pah gay e, and not pac e.)
Much = Geih – (Too much for me = A khang geih the, and not geic the.)
King = Guangh – (Jesus, king of the Jews = Jisu hei Jihudimei guangh e, and not guangc e.)
Reach = Tangh – (Inform me whether you reached home or not = Kai tangc the tangh mak ge twmei tithai gwanglou dat ro.)
b) Suggestion-2: Apply Tone Marks as Needed Alternatively, maintain the same spelling for each word but apply the tone mark only when necessary to differentiate meaning.
Examples:
to pour = lai
to follow = lai
to gather = lai
intercourse = lai
to chase out = lai
a kind of soft grass = nlai
to depart = lang
thread = lang
beam = lang
to hire = lang
part = lang
boil = lang
excess = lang
silent = rei
first = rei
temper = rei
intestine = rei
to pluck = rei
dirty = rei
outcast = rei
to give time = rei
to stay away = rei
to esteem = nrei
a kind of insect = nrei
The Language of the Rongmei Naga is lineage as according to <Ethnologue>
Sino-Tibetan (449)
Tibeto-Burman (435)
Kuki-Chin-Naga (80)
Naga (30)
Zeme (8)
Footnotes:
1 According to the linguistic (http://www.ethnologue.com) the Naga, Rongmei [nbu] (India) comes under Zeme (8) but it should rather be under Naga (30). Which would give more a proper hierarchy.
Other Sources