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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > India > Monpa, Tawang

Monpa, Tawang

A language of India

ISO 639-3: twm

Population  8,600 in India. Population total all countries: 9,900.
Region  Arunachal Pradesh state, Tawang District. Also in China.
Alternate names   Brahmi, Cuona Menba, Dwags, Monkit, Northern Monpa, Takpa, Tawan Monba
Classification  Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Himalayish, Tibeto-Kanauri, Tibetic, Tibetan, Unclassified
Language use  Vigorous. Home, village, religion. Positive attitude. Also use Hindi.
Writing system  Devanagari script.
Comments  In Tibet, it is known as Tawan Monba. Monpa (or Moinba) is a cover term meaning ‘man of the lower country’ and is used to refer to several ethnically related peoples, which may not be related linguistically. Agriculturalists. Buddhist.

Also spoken in:

China

Language name   Monba, Tawan
Population  1,300 in China (2000 census). Less than half monolingual: Young children, older people, some young adults. 600 Southern Cuona, 700 Northern Cuona.
Region  Southeast Tibetan Autonomous Region, Shannan Prefecture, Cuona County, Lebu District (Southern Cuona); Linzhi Prefecture, Motuo County, Dexing District, Wenlang village (Northern Cuona).
Alternate names  Cona Monba, Cuona Menba, Cuona Monpa, Cuona Monba, Menba, Menpa, Moinba, Momba, Mompa, Monba, Monpa
Dialects  Northern Cuona, Southern Cuona.
Language use  Vigorous. All domains. All ages. Positive attitude. Over half can understand Central (Lhasa) Tibetan [bod]; approximately 1/3 are literate in Tibetan script; few understand Chinese or are literate in Chinese script.
Comments  Part of Monba nationality in China, along with Tshangla [tsj] (7,000). Tawan Monba [twm] differs from Tshangla in phonology, vocabulary, and grammar, and is not mutually intelligible. Tawan Monba shares many Tibetan language characteristics, and has a basic SOV word order. Tawan Monba is the same as, or closely related to, Bumthangkha of Bhutan. May also be classified as North Assam, Monpa. Agriculturalists: rice, maize, bananas, peppers, leeks, ginger, millet; animal husbandry: cattle. Buddhist (Lamaist: most follow the Gelukpa though some adhere to the Nyingmapa sect).