Timo Schmitz - My Archive of Languages (2021 Edition)

yiex – we (dual form exclusive: me and another person)

eix – we (including the speaker), in Myanmar also written: ex – cp. Chinese ‘zanmen’

yix – we (excluding the speaker) – cp. Chinese ‘women’

maix – you

pax – you (dual)

beix – you (plural)

nawh/ naoh – he, she, it

noh – he, she, it (Chinese Wa)

gix – they

Family

pake – brother, sister

grhoh – being unmarried

bun: miex – married woman

mex – to marry

sinaw bun – young girl

sinaw mex – young boy

miex – mother

Sexuality

kakaong – naked

ku: kaong: – naked

alo nex nham: – sexual desire

lu liiet – sexy, seductive

khax – to have sex

iex – to have sex

peut – to have sex

bed – to have sex (Chinese Wa)

vao – extramarital sex (also a synonym for adultery, since sex outside of marriage is uncommon for the Va)

kong: – feeling aroused

he: – sexual feelings

Simie maix ti koe kawn mai aux lie? – Do you want to have children with me ?

simie maix ti – you want

simie – want

koe – have

kawn – children

mai – with, and

Hoik koe kaux maix lie? – Are you pregnant?

Mawh maix bun krih lie? – Are you virgin?

mawh maix – are you

bun krih – virgin girl

bun – girl

krih – virgin

simex – man

phan bun ang koe – without a woman

juang – body

Beauty

mhawm muh – cute

mhawm grang: – beautiful

nyawm tix yaox – handsome

grang: – handsome

mhawm grang – pretty

Aux ce pot maix sidaing mhawm grang. – I think that you are very pretty.

Aux ce – I think

Transport

law: li: – car

law: li: ngawm: nyo: – scheduled public transport bus

cag pu – airplane

cag daw: rhiem – train

Technical world

cag lox – phone call

cag lox taix – mobile phone

cag dong – computer

cag dong taix – notebook

rhoi grub – internet

dong kaing – function

rhoi cag – signal

phaw lox – chat

cag jhak riang – tv

mhai ra toe – QR-code

(Precious) material

khri – gold

mau: – silver

tawng: – copper (cf. Chinese ‘tong’)

kung: – ore

Feelings and attitudes

rhawn – love

riem – fear

Sae riang ! – Work hard !, hard-working

ad rhawm – angry

soung – sad

ang soung – not sad

gin soung – very sad

sibieh – generous

sibieh rhawm: - show good intentions, have a good heart

hmom hrom – good-hearted, kind (Chinese Wa)

pig te ne rhawm – to regret

rau rhawm, raeh hrom – loyal, devoted

rhawm – heart, save, accumulate

rhawm caox – evil intentions (Chinese Wa: hrom jaox)

rhawm muih – good intentions, good heart

Spelling varieties: mhawn – mhawm, sawn – sawm, rhawn – rhawm

Spoken in: Myanmar, Yunnan (China), India (known as ‘Singhpo’), Thailand

Official language in: Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan (PRC), probably in Kachin State in Myanmar

Speakers: c. 900,000; c. 500,000-800,000 in Myanmar , c. 100,000 in China

Scripts: Latin alphabet

Kachin (Myanmar)

Aalu ai jahpawt – Good morning!

Aalu ai shanyi – Good afternoon!

Aalu ai shana – Good evening!

Hkam kaja ai i? – How are you?

Chyeju kaba sai – Thank you

Chyeju kaba sai yaw – Thank you

Hkam kaja nga ai i? – How are you?

kaja ai – good

nang kaw taw? – and you?

ma nang wa – my friend

Pronounciation:

(not in IPA, to ensure that it can be displayed on all kind of mobile devices)

Aalu ai jahpawt /A:lu ai djä’pɔ:/ - dj a bit like French

Aalu ai shanyi /A:lu ai shä:-ni/

Aalu ai shana /A:lu ai shä’na:/

Hkam kaja ai i /Kăm kätja: a i i:/ - kaja is a bit like Chinese ‘kejia’

Chyeju kaba sai /djexü kapa: sai/ - x like Chinese Pinyin, ai like German

Chyeju kaba sai yaw /djexü kapa: sai yɔ/

Kaja ai /kat-sha ai/

nang kaw taw ? /nang gɔ dɔ/

Ngwi pyaw ai shanyi rai u ga – Have a nice day

ngwi pyaw – happy

shanyi – day

Na a mying kara hku nga a ta? – What’s your name?

Ngai na mying...re – My name is ...

Nang gara buga na rai? – Where are you from?

Ngai gaw ... re. – I am from ....

Jinghpaw mung na re – Kachin State

Sam mung na re – Shan State

Conversation:

Phyu Phyu: Aaalu ai shanyi.

Ko Ko: Aalu ai shanyi.

Phy Phyu: Hkam kaja nga ai i?

Ko Ko: Kaja ai, nang kaw taw?

Phyu Phyu: kaja ai, chejyu kaba sai, ma nang wa.

Ko Ko: Mai sa. Na a mying kara hku nga a ta?

Phy Phyu: Ngai na mying Phyu Phyu re. Nang gara buga na rai?

Ko Ko: Jinghpaw mung na re. Nang gara buga na rai?

Phyu Phyu: Sam mung na re.

Ko Ko: Ngwi pyaw ai shanyi rai u ga.

Jinghpaw buga – Kachin State

e law – yes

hpang de she bai hkrum ga – See you later!

hkam – health

Kkrum zup lu ai majaw kabu ai yaw – Nice to meet you!

Asak gade ning rai sai rai? – How old are you?

lanai- 1

lahkawng - 2

masum - 3

mali - 4

manga - 5

karu - 6

sanit - 7

masat - 8

jahku - 9

shi - 10

shi langai - 11

shi lahkawn - 12

hkun - 20

hkun langai - 21

hkun lahkawn - 22

sum shi - 30

sum shi langai - 31

sum shi lahkawng – 32

Jingpo, Yunnan (China)

wa – boy

jan – girl

la – man

num – woman

gasha ni – children

ma – kid

jongma ni – students

ntai – this

ngai – I

nang – you

hkyi – he, she, it

yanhte – we

nanhte – you (pl.)

hkanhte – they

bra – to break up

sa poi – table

Spoken in: Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Baoshan Prefecture, Lincang Prefecture, Weixi Lisu Autonomous County in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture – all of them in Yunnan, China; Kachin State (Myanmar), Shan State (Myanmar), Arunachal Pradesh (India), Chiang Mai (Thailand)

Official language in: Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture and Weixi Lisu Autonomous County in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Yunnan, PRC); probably in Kachin State in Myanmar as minority language

Speakers: c. 900,000

Scripts: Latin, Fraser alphabet

Lisu in China

Nujiang Lisu of Liuku Town 傈僳语 （云南省怒江州泸水县六库镇）

huo hua, ho hua – Hello!

nu mi a shi mi? – What’s your name?

mwang ni – My name is

ne a kua gu la ni a, nu a li kuan gu la ni a – Where are you from?

mwa dengguo gu la ni (y)a – I am from Germany.

ne a li we tju-a – How old are you?

mwa … swi la – I am … years old.

mwa er shi swi tjo gu – I am 20 years old.

ti, yi – 1

ni, ǝr – 2

sa – 3

li(ng) – 4

ngu-a – 5

jiu – 6

Lisu in Myanmar

ngwa – I

nu – you

yi – he/ she/ it

raw – we

nu wa – you (pl.)

yi wa - they

hte – this

gaw – that

Fraser suggests in his Handbook of the Lisu language (1922) the following examples:

hte-ma nya ngwa rgh uga law – This is mine (p. 8) – note that Lisu has no possesive forms and that the personal pronoun is used.

A va hte-ma – this pig (p.12)

H’i gaw-ma – that ouse (p. 12)

La-htsaw hte-a – this man (p. 13)