Bawm

Bawm is a member of the Kuki-Chin-Naga branch of the Tibeto-Burman language family. It is spoken by about 12,000 Bawm-Zo people, mainly in the Rangamati and Bandarban districts of the Chittagong Division in the southeast of Bangladesh, an area known as Bawmram by the Bawm people. It is also spoken in the northeast of India, particularly in the Chhimtuipui, Lunglei and Aizawl districts of Miroram, and in the states of Tripura and Assam, and in northern Myanmar.

Bawm is also known as Bawm Zo, Bawm Chin, Bom Chin or Banjogi. There are two main dialects: one with tones and one without. It is written with the Latin alphabet, and is used in schools. There is a variety of literature in Bawm, including historical and religious texts, books of folk stories and short stories, dictionaries, and a grammar.

Bawm alphabet

Note: the marking of long vowels appears to be optional.

Download an alphabet chart for Bawm (Excel)

Sample text

Chun, anih nih chun an sinah, “Thla nan cham chun hi hâwi hen ti u: ‘Ka pa, Na min zahkâi seh, Na ram hawng tlung seh.
Ni siar hen kan ei khawp hen buh hawng kan pêk,
Kan sual tla hawng kan ngâihdam, kannih khawm kan sinah battu zawzawng kan ngâihdam tâwn asi. Lêmnâk ah hawng kan lûttir lah,’ ” a ti.

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1879/LUK.11.THADBSI

Translation

And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
The Lord's Prayer - Luke 11: 2-4

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1/LUK.11.KJV

Sample videos

Information about Bawm | Numbers | Tower of Babel

Links

Information about Bawm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bawm_language
https://www.academia.edu/42046043/State_of_Bawm_Language_and_Traditional_Philosophy_in_Bangladesh
https://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/1596
https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/bawm1236

Kuki-Chin-Naga languages

Bawm, Biete, Chiru, Falam, Hakha, Karbi, Kom, Mizo, Mongsen Ao, Paite, Tedim, Thadou, Zeme, Zotung, Zou

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 25.09.24. Last modified: 25.09.24

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