Sunam language

Sino-Tibetan language of India

Sunam
sunnampakad
RegionHimachal Pradesh
Native speakers
390 (2020)[1]
Language family
Sino-Tibetan
  • Tibeto-Kanauri ?
    • West Himalayish
      • Kinnauri[citation needed]
        • Thebor
          • Sunam
Language codes
ISO 639-3ssk
Glottologsuna1241

Sunam[2] is an underdocumented Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Sunnam village, Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Language situation

Sunam is spoken by the upper caste Scheduled Tribe community of Sunnam that makes up about 58% of the village's population. It exists in intese contact with Shumcho, a related but not mutually intelligible language spoken by the lower Scheduled Caste community in the same village, as well as regional lingua franca Kinnauri and Hindi and English that dominate the school system of Himachal Pradesh. Nepali and various Western Pahari languages are spoken by migratory laborers also present in the village.

Despite its small size and widespread multilingualism, the Sunam-speaking community has a positive attitude towards its language, which is still transmitted to children and used in all domains of daily life.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Negi, Harvinder Kumar (2020), "Sunam (Kinnaur, India) – Language Snapshot", Language Documentation and Description, 19: 249–255, retrieved 1 February 2023
  2. ^ also known as or spelled Sungam, Sungnam, Thebor, Thebör Skadd, Thebarshad, Central Kinnauri, or Sangnaur
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Sino-Tibetan branches
Western Himalayas
(Himachal, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim)
Greater Magaric
Map of Sino-Tibetan languages
Eastern Himalayas
(Tibet, Bhutan, Arunachal)Myanmar and Indo-Burmese border
"Naga"
Sal
East and Southeast Asia
Burmo-Qiangic
Dubious (possible isolates)
(Arunachal)
Greater Siangic
Proposed groupingsProto-languages
Italics indicates single languages that are also considered to be separate branches.
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West Himalayish
(Kanauric)
Western
Kinnauric
Lahaulic
Eastern
Central
Almora
Bodish
Tibetic
Central Tibetan
Amdo
Kham (Eastern)
Southern
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Ladakhi–Balti (Western Archaic)
Lahuli–Spiti (Western Innovative)
Sherpa-Jirel
Kyirong–Kagate
Tshangla-East Bodish
Tshangla
East Bodish
Basum
Tamangic
TGTM
Ghale
Kaike


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