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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > Bangladesh > War-Jaintia

War-Jaintia

A language of Bangladesh

ISO 639-3: aml

Population  16,000 in Bangladesh (2003 SIL). 25% monolingual. Population total all countries: 28,000.
Region  Northeast along India border; Sylhet Division, Sylhet District, near Jaflong, Tamabil, Jaintiapur, and north of Raipur; Moulavi Bazar District, near Fenchuganj, Madhabkunda, Barlekha, Goalbari, Fultala, Alinagar, Islampur, Khajori, Rashidpur, Satgoan and Kamalganj. Also in India.
Language map  Bangladesh
Dialects  War-Jaintia, War-Khasi. Not intelligible with Lyngngam [kha], Khasi War [aml] or Jowai, partially intelligible with Synteng [pbv], Standard Khasi [kha] 55% (acquired); sufficient to understand complex and abstract discourse with War-Jaintia in India. Lexical similarity: 86%–92% between dialects in Bangladesh; 83%–89% between War-Jaintia in India and Bangladesh; India variety 41%–45% with Pnar [pbv] (from scant data); 27%–35% with standard Khasi [kha]; 24%–28% with War dialect of Khasi.
Classification  Austro-Asiatic, Mon-Khmer, Northern Mon-Khmer, Khasian
Language use  Spoken as language of wider communication by other Khasi in Bangladesh. Vigorous. Home, village. Learning standard Khasi [kha] is important because of affinity with the larger Khasi ethnic group. Standard Khasi has high prestige. Also use Khasi [kha], Bengali [ben], Sylheti [syl], or English.
Language development  Literacy rate in L2: 40% Bengali; many are literate in standard Khasi. Using Latin script for War-Jaintia produces some pronunciation problems but eases transition into Khasi. Taught in primary schools. Grammar.
Writing system  Unwritten.
Comments  SVO; prepositions; articles before noun heads; CV, CVC, CVV, V, VCV, CCV, CCVC; nontonal. Agriculturists. Christian, traditional.

Also spoken in:

India

Language name   War-Jaintia
Population  12,000 in India (2000 SIL).
Region  Meghalaya, Khasi and Jaintia Hills area; Assam.
Alternate names  Amwi, Khasi, War
Language use  Vigorous. Home, community. All ages. Some also use Khasi.
Comments  Separate from War dialect of Khasi. Christian, traditional religion.
 

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

BRIGHTBILL, Jeremy; KIM, Amy; KIM, Seung, authors. 2007. "The War-Jaintia in Bangladesh: a sociolinguistic survey."  Available online