Hani and Akha are considered to be of the Tibeto-Burman language family, closely related to the Yi (Lolo), also to the Lisu and Lahu in western Yunnan, Burma, and Thailand (Matisoff, 1978, 1983; Bradley, 1979). Yunnan has a larger number of Tibeto-Burman language related minority groups who in earlier centuries were characterised by the Han as 'Man' (barbarians) or Ch'iang (Sainson, 1904; Wiens, 1967). A distinction was made between 'Wu-man' (black bone barbarians - non-sinicized or wild) and 'Pai-man' (white bone barbarians - sinicized). Important amongst these are the Naxi and Bayi, who live near the city of Dali and Dali lake and became probably the dominant groups in the Nanchao Kingdom 750-1250 AD (Wiens, 1967; Backus, 1981). Hani speak dialects of a language mutually somewhat,be it not easily intelligible with contemporary mainstream Akha. Chinese linguists have developed a Romanized script, which is in moderate use locally, though Chinese is the language used in school.
Students of the MPCD/SEAMP's ABU project
teaching
the Akha script for village children
The script presented here is a variant of the one developed in china, based on the chinese pinyin. Similar scripts are used in writing many minority languages in South West China, officially approved by the PRC. Some sounds are however denoted differently from the script used in china.
Haq niq hawr-eu Aq kaq zaq deuq-aq, sanq bovq heu myav mawr-euq lavq xoer ya zmq nga lehr dza chaq taq-euq mar de-eq. Mir xangq hawr tav jawr-eu zaq nyiq zaq deuq-aq sangq bovq aq poer aq maq heu myav mawr-euq lavq xoer zmq geuvq-awq.
The tables below contain instructions for those who know the script used (by mainly baptists) in Thailand, or the Script used in China. Inga Lill Hansson of University of Lund, Sweden has written on Hani and Akha Phonology (Hansson, 1983a).
Akha language has a CV (consonant - wovel) syllable structure, i.e. most often syllables consist of a consonant followed by a wovel sound. Sometimes a syllable consists of only a single wovel sound. Thus, no ambiguities arise from representing some sounds with partly the same symbols: for example NG in the beginning of a syllable represents a consonant, but ANG in the end a wovel.
In the tables below, the differences between the adapted international script, the Chinese Akha script and the Baptist Akha script are highlighted with red.
| No. |
English
|
Akha in China
|
Baptist
Akha |
International |
Pronunciation |
| 1. |
B
|
B
|
B
|
B
|
Ba la = The moon |
| 2. |
-
|
C
|
TS
|
C
|
Cawr haq = To agree |
| 3. |
D
|
D
|
D
|
D
|
Daq yang = Guest |
| 4. |
as in Great
|
G
|
G
|
G
|
Gar ma = Path |
| 5. |
-
|
H
|
K'
|
X
|
Xaq laq = Tiger |
| 6. |
J
|
J
|
J
|
J
|
Jaq lehr. = Air, the wind. |
| 7. |
K
|
K
|
K
|
K
|
Ka-eu. = To plant. |
| 8. |
L
|
L
|
L
|
L
|
Lavq nyir. = Outside. |
| 9. |
M
|
M
|
M
|
M
|
Maq lar. = Don’t come. |
| 10. |
N
|
N
|
N
|
N
|
Nui ma. = Heart. |
| 11. |
P
|
P
|
P
|
P
|
Pi di. = Akha woman skirt. |
| 12. |
CH
|
C
|
C
|
CH
|
Chawr haq. = Human being. |
| 13. |
H
|
RH
|
H
|
H
|
Haw-eu. = To look. |
| 14. |
S
|
S
|
S
|
S
|
Saq laq. = Cotton. |
| 15. |
T
|
T
|
T
|
T
|
Taq lar. = Don’t come. |
| 16. |
W
|
W
|
W
|
W
|
Ar wavq. = Wa peoples |
| 17. |
SH
|
S
|
Sh
|
SH
|
Shaq dawr = shy |
| 18. |
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Ya ma. = Elephant. |
| 19. |
-
|
Z
|
DZ
|
DZ
|
Dzaq-eu. = To eat. |
| 20. |
-
|
BI
|
BY
|
BY
|
Bya-eu. = To be light. |
| 21. |
-
|
NG
|
NG
|
NG
|
Ngaq-eu. = To borrow. |
| 22. |
-
|
HH
|
G'
|
HG
|
Hgaq-eu. = To be enough. |
| 23. |
-
|
MI
|
MY
|
MY
|
Mya-eu. = Too late. |
| 24. |
-
|
NI
|
NY
|
NY
|
Nya-eu. = To be clever, bright. |
| 25. |
-
|
PI
|
PY
|
PY
|
Pyaq. = Extended family |
| 26. |
Z
|
SS
|
Z
|
Z
|
Zaq guq. = Youth. |
| No. |
English.
|
Akha in China
|
Baptist
Akha |
International
|
How to read. |
| 1. |
-
|
A
|
A
|
A
|
Aq da. = Father. |
| 2. |
-
|
E
|
EU
|
EU
|
Euq-eu. = To carry the baby on back. |
| 3. |
EA as in Beat
|
I
|
I
|
I
|
Ir-eu. = To go. |
| 4. |
O as in Rot
|
O
|
O
|
O
|
Oq ir-eu. = To go back. |
| 5. |
U as in Put
|
U
|
U
|
U
|
Pu. = Village. |
| 6. |
E like in Bed
|
AI
|
EH
|
EH
|
Ehr-eu. = To say. |
| 7. |
like um
|
AM
|
AM
|
AM
|
Ar yamq. = Time. |
| 8. |
Like in Nancy (in French)
|
AN
|
AH
|
ANG
|
Angq-eu. = To sale. |
| 9. |
Like in Law
|
AO
|
AW
|
AW
|
Dawr-eu. = To drink. |
| 10. |
-
|
EE
|
UI
|
UI
|
Uir-eu. = To laugh. |
| 11. |
Like in Aid or Hate |
EI
|
E
|
E
|
Jeq zaq. = Animals. |
| 12. |
-
|
M
|
M
|
M
|
Dm-eu. = To put clothes on. |
| 13. |
-
|
OI
|
OI
|
OI
|
Coir loir. = Flute. |
| 14. |
-
|
YU
|
OE
|
OE
|
Coeq-eu. = To run. |
| No. | Tone |
Akha in China
|
Baptist |
International
|
How to read. |
| 1. | Ter yeu. / Middle. |
-
|
|
|
Ba, pa, ma, na, la, ya, hga. |
| 2. | Ter nahq. / Low. |
Q
|
Xˇ
|
Q
|
Baq, paq, maq, naq, laq, yaq, |
| 3. | Ter hgahr. / High. |
L
|
Xˇ
|
R
|
Bar, par, mar, nar, lar, yar. |
| 4. | Ter hgahr xav. / Middle tone ending in glottal stop |
V
|
|
V
|
Bav, pav, mav, nav, yav. |
| 5. | Ter hgahr cehv. / High, glottal stop |
VL
|
Xˆ
|
VR
|
Bavr, pavr, mavr, navr, yavr. |
| 6. | Ter nahq cehv. / Low, glottal stop |
VQ
|
Xˆ
|
VQ
|
Bavq, pavq, mavq, navq, yavq. |