Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 17, 2026

Achang language

The Achang language is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Achang in Yunnan, China, and northern Myanmar.

Last revised
Jul 17, 2026
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Achang
Ngachang အာချန် / ငါချန်
Pronunciation[ŋa˨˩tʂhaŋ˨˩]
Native toChina, Myanmar
EthnicityAchang
Native speakers
(60,000 cited 1990–2007)1
Language codes
ISO 639-3acn
Glottologacha1252
ELPXiandao

The Achang language (Achang: Ngachang; Chinese: 阿昌, Burmese: အာချန်) is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Achang (also known as Maingtha and Ngochang) in Yunnan, China, and northern Myanmar.1

Distribution

Achang is spoken in the following locations:

The three main dialects of Achang in China are:2

  • Longchuan 陇川方言
  • Lianghe 梁河方言
  • Mangshi 芒市方言 (formerly known as Luxi 潞西方言)

The Xiandao dialect (100 speakers; autonym: Chintaw /kʰan³¹tau³¹/) is spoken in the following two locations in Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture (Xiandaoyu Yanjiu).

  • Xiandaozhai 仙岛寨, Mangmian Village 芒面村, Jiemao Township 姐冒乡3
  • Meng'ezhai 勐俄寨, Mangxian Village 芒线村, Jiemao Township 姐冒乡4

Phonology

Consonants

Consonant phonemes5
Labial Alveolar Post-Alv. Palatal Velar Glottal
plain sibilant
Stop aspirated pʰ tʰ tsʰ tʃʰ cʰ kʰ ʔ
voiced b d dz dʒ ɟ ɡ
Fricative s ʃ ç h
Nasal m n ŋ
Approximant w l j

Voiced sounds /b, d, dz, dʒ, ɟ, ɡ/ can also be heard as voiceless [p, t, ts, tʃ, c, k] in free variation among speakers.

Vowels

Monophthongs5
Front Central Back
Close i ɯ u
Mid ɛ ɔ
Open aˑ a
Syllabic ŋ̍

/i, ɛ, aˑ/ can also have lax vowel counterparts as [ɪ, æ, ʔaˑ].5

Syntax

Achang word order is subject–object–verb. There is no dominant order for nouns and their adjective modifiers.6

References

References

  1. Achang at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. Yang, Lu 杨露 (2020). Achangyu yuyin de fangyan dilixue yanjiu 阿昌语语音的方言地理学研究. Beijing: Chinese Social Sciences Press 中国社会科学出版社. OCLC 1232141802.
  3. "Yíngjiāng Xiàn Nòngzhāng Zhèn Mángmiǎn Cūn Xiāndǎo Zìráncūn" 盈江县弄璋镇芒缅村仙岛自然村 [Xiandao Natural Village, Mangmian Village, Nongzhang Town, Yingjiang County]. ynszxc.gov.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2016-03-05.
  4. "Yíngjiāng Xiàn Nòngzhāng Zhèn Mángxiàn Cūn Měngé Zìráncūn" 盈江县弄璋镇芒线村勐俄自然村 [Meng'e Natural Village, Mangxian Village, Nongzhang Town, Yingjiang County]. ynszxc.gov.cn (in Chinese). 2016-03-09. Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  5. Inglis, Douglas; Inglis, Connie (2003), A Preliminary Phonology of Ngochang – via Academia.edu
  6. "Language Achang". The World Atlas of Language Structures Online. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
Further reading

Further reading

  • Nasaw Sampu; Wilai Jaseng; Thocha Jana; Douglas Inglis (2005), A Preliminary Ngochang – Kachin – English Lexicon (PDF) – via SIL.org
  • Shí, Jiàn; Jiǎng, Guāngyǒu; Zhào, Yànzhēn [时建，蒋光友，赵燕珍] (2019). Yúnnán Mángshì Lùxī Āchāngyǔ [云南芒市潞西阿昌语]. Beijing: Commercial Press [商务印书馆].
  • Yabu, Shirō 藪 司郎 (1990). "The Achang Language of Burma". In Sakiyama, Osamu 崎山 理 (ed.). Ajia no shogengo to ippan gengogaku アジアの諸言語と一般言語学 [Asian Languages and General Linguistics]. Tokyo: Sanseidō. pp. 124–141.
  • Xie, Hongmei 谢红梅 (2019). Achangyu fangyan cihuiji 阿昌语方言词汇集. Kunming: Yunnan Ethnic Publishing House 云南民族出版社. ISBN 978-7-5367-7568-8. (3,023-item comparative word list of the Longchuan, Lianghe, and Mangshi dialects)
External links