Ao language

Ao
Central Naga
Geographic distribution	Nagaland, India
Ethnicity	Ao Naga
Linguistic classification	Sino-Tibetan Tibeto-Burman Central Tibeto-Burman (?) Kuki-Chin–Naga Central Naga Ao
Subdivisions	Chungli Ao Mongsen Ao
Language codes
ISO 639-3	njo
Glottolog	aona1235

The Ao language is a Naga language spoken by the Ao Naga in Nagaland of northeast India, whose two varieties are nearly mutually unintelligible. It is written in Latin script.

Ao language cluster

Ethnologue lists the following varieties of Ao.

• Mongsen Khari
• Changki
• Chongli (Chungli)
• Dordar (Yacham)
• Longla

Chongli and Mongsen are nearly mutually unintelligible.

Mills (1926) lists the Ao Naga tribes of Nagaland as speaking three languages: Chungli, Mongsen, and Changki. Chungli Ao and Mongsen Ao are spoken in majority of the Ao villages, whereas Changki speakers form the minor speakers.

Mongsen Ao is spoken primarily in the western part of Ao territory.

Changki Ao is spoken only in 3 villages - Changki, Japu and Longjemdang - which is poorly documented though reportedly related to Mongsen Ao. Some Changki speakers can fluently converse in both Mongsen and Chungli, but a Mongsen Ao cannot speak Changki or understand it, whereas a Chungli can hardly understand or speak Changki. Chungli Ao and Mongsen Ao are not mutually intelligible.

The speech of each Ao village has its own distinctive characteristics. Many villages contain both Chungli and Mongsen speakers.

Phonology

[1] [2]

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
			unrounded	rounded
Close	i		ɯ	u
Mid	e	ə		o
Open		a		ɔ

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Retroflex	Dorsal	Glottal
Nasal		m	n		ŋ
Plosive	plain	p	t		k	ʔ
	voiced	b	d		g
	aspirated	pʰ	tʰ		kʰ
Affricate	voiceless		t͡s		t͡ɕ
	voiced				d͡ʑ
Fricative	voiceless		s		ɕ
	voiced		z	ɭ˔
Tap			ɾ
Approximant		w	l		j

Tones

This language has 3 tones, mid tone ˧ rising tone ˩˥ and falling tone ˥˩.

References

• van Driem, George (2001). Languages of the Himalayas: An Ethnolinguistic Handbook of the Greater Himalayan Region. Leiden: Brill.
• Bruhn, Daniel Wayne. 2014. A Phonological Reconstruction of Proto-Central Naga. Ph.D. dissertation. University of California, Berkeley.
• Saul, J. D. 2005. The Naga of Burma: Their festivals, customs and way of life. Bangkok, Thailand: Orchid Press.
• Barkman, Tiffany. 2014. A descriptive grammar of Jejara (Para Naga) Archived 2019-10-06 at the Wayback Machine. MA thesis, Chiang Mai: Payap University.
• Shi, Vong Tsuh. 2009. Discourse studies of Makuri Naga narratives Archived 2020-05-01 at the Wayback Machine. MA thesis, Chiang Mai: Payap University.
• Language and Social Development Organization (LSDO). 2006. A sociolinguistic survey of Makuri, Para, and Long Phuri Naga in Layshi Township, Myanmar. Unpublished manuscript.
• Mills, J. P (1926). The Ao Nagas. London: MacMillan & Co.