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Article published In: Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area
Vol. 48:2 (2025) ► pp.268–295

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Mergers in Mongsen-Ao

 | The English and Foreign Languages University
Published online: 13 October 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ltba.25007.tem
Abstract
In this paper, I examine two cases of merger, by comparing the fricatives (/s/, /ʃ/) and affricates (/ts/ and /tʃ/) in ten varieties of Mongsen-Ao, including Changki, which is structurally close to Mongsen. Based on the comparison of fricatives and affricates in the ten selected varieties, I show that the merger of /s/ and /ʃ/ as observed by Bruhn, Daniel Wayne. 2014. A phonological reconstruction of Proto-Central Naga. Ph.D dissertation, University of California, Berkeley. and merger of affricates /ts/ and /tʃ/ as proposed by Coupe (Coupe, Alexander Robertson. 2003. A phonetic and phonological description of Ao: A Tibeto-Burman language of Nagaland, north-east India (Pacific Linguistics 543). Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, . 2007. A grammar of Mongsen Ao. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar), did not take place in all varieties of Mongsen. The merger also had an impact on the following vowel, leading to a process of vowel reduction in most of the Mongsen varieties. As part of the analysis, two fricatives- *s and *ʃ, and two affricates- *ts and *tʃ, are reconstructed with all the four vowels in Proto-Mongsen.
Given the phonological variation within Mongsen varieties spoken in different villages, this paper also sheds light on some of the phonological changes across varieties.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Methodology
  • 3.Fricatives
    • 3.1Reconstructing *s and *ʃ
    • 3.2Reconstructing *si and *ʃi
    • 3.3Vowel reduction
  • 4.Affricates
    • 4.1Reconstructing *tʃ(h)
    • 4.2Reconstructing *ts(h)
    • 4.3Reconstructing *ts(h)i
    • 4.4Reconstructing *ts(h)a
    • 4.5Reconstructing *ts(h)u
    • 4.6Reconstructing *ts(h)j
  • 5.Irregular correspondences
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
References (22)
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