Shö language
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Shö, or Asho, is a Kuki-Chin language of Myanmar, with a few thousand speakers in Bangladesh. This language is known as Asho Khyang in Bangladesh.
A written script was developed by Rev. Lyman Stilson in 1842.
Geographical distribution
Asho is spoken in Ayeyarwady Region, Bago Region, and Magway Region, and Rakhine State, Myanmar. VanBik (2009:38) lists the following Asho dialects.
- Settu (spoken from Sittwe to Thandwe — mostly Sittwe to Ann)
- Laitu (spoken in Mrauk-U, Minbya, Myepon and Ann townships, Rakhine state)
- Awttu (spoken in Mindon Township)
- Kowntu (spoken in Ngaphe, Minhla, Minbu)
- Kaitu (spoken in Pegu, Mandalay, Magway)
- Lauku (spoken in Myepone, Kyauk Phyu, Ann)
Phonology
Asho (K'Chò) has 26 to 30 consonants and ten to eleven vowels depending on the dialect.
| Labial | Dental/ Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | plain | p | t̪ | k | ʔ | |
| aspirated | pʰ | t̪ʰ | kʰ | |||
| implosive | ɓ | ɗ | ||||
| Nasal | voiced | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |
| voiceless | m̥ | n̥ | ɲ̊ | ŋ̊ | ||
| Fricative | plain | s | ʃ | h | ||
| aspirated | sʰ | ɦ | ||||
| lateral | ɬ | |||||
| Approximant | w | l | j |
- Voiced plosives /b d ɡ z/ are only heard in the Plains dialect.
- In the Plains dialect, dental plosives /t̪ t̪ʰ/ are pronounced as alveolar [t tʰ], along with /d/ being only alveolar.
- Velar plosives /k kʰ/ may be palatalized as affricates [tʃ tʃʰ] before front vowels.
- In some dialects a voiceless [j̊] is heard in place of /ʃ/.
- /j/ may also be heard as a fricative [ʒ] in free variation among dialects.
Diphthongs: ei,ai,au
- Sounds /ʏ ʉ/ only occur in the Hill dialect. In the Plains dialect, /ʊ u/ is heard in place of /ʏ ʉ/.
- A shortened [ə̆] is heard in unstressed syllables.
- /ɤ/ can sometimes be heard as more central [ɘ].
- A prevelarized /ˠi/ occurs in the Plains dialect.
Morphology
Similar to other Kukish languages, many Asho verbs have two distinct stems. This stem alternation is a Proto-Kukish feature, which has been retained to different degrees in different Kukish languages.