| Also Known As: Le,Lusago,Lei,Lukhai,Whelngo,Lusai,Duhlian Twang,Lusei,Sailau,Lushei,Hualngo,Dulien,Mizo,Lushai
Description:
The Mizo language is spoken in Mizoram, known as the Lushai Hills District till 1954, and which is now a state in the Indian Union. The word Mizo is a generic term (some educated historians think it is specific term refering to a nation) applying to all Mizos living in Mizoram and its adjoining areas of Manipur, Tripura, the Chittagong Hill tracts and Chin Hills. Mizo literally means "Highlander" (mi = "people", zo = "highland"). But, the literal meaning of Mizo as Highlander is doubted by the Study Group of Mizo History and Cultural Heritage, Art & Culture Dept., Government of Mizoram, in the book they published in 2001. The language is also known as Lushai (by the British).
The language of the Mizo comes under the Kuki-Chin branch of Tibeto-Burman. The numerous clans of the Mizo had respective dialects, amongst which the Mizo dialect, originally known as Duhlian or Lusei (by the Mizo themselves), was most common, and which subsequently became the lingua franca of the State and the Kuki-Chin people.
Christian missionaries started developing a script for the language adopting the Roman alphabet with a phonetic form of spelling based on the Hunterian system of transliteration. The..... full article at Wikipedia |
