Amri Karbi language
Amri Karbi, also known as Plains Karbi, Dumrali, is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in parts of the states of Assam and Meghalaya in Northeast India. Amri Karbi variously treated as a variety of the Karbi language or as its own language. Amri Karbi is divided into two regional varieties: Upper Amri and Lower Amri. It is distinct from the speech of a group also called Amri Karbi in the west of the Karbi Anglong district in Assam, who speak a Hills Karbi dialect.Phonology
Consonants
Amri has 23 phonemic consonants. Allophones or alternative pronunciations are included in parentheses in the table below.
Alternative realization of /pʰ/ amongst some members of the younger generation. Allophone of /ɟ/.Vowels
Amri Karbi has 7 vowels, 2 of which are marginal phonemes. In addition, there are the diphthongs /ai/ and /ɔi/.
| Front | Central | Back |
| Close | | | |
| Close-mid | | | |
| Open-mid | | | |
| Open | | | |
Tone
Three phonemic tones exist in Amri Karbi: low, mid, and high.Phonotactics
The maximum syllable in Amri Karbi is V. A limited number of onset clusters occur, the first element of which is a voiceless stop or the glottal fricative /h/, followed by /l/ or /r/. Depending on the speaker, clusters /hl/ and /hr/ can variably be produced as , and , or and . All consonants but /ŋ/ can appear syllable-initially. The only consonants able to occur syllable-finally are nasals /m n ŋ/, liquids /l r/, and voiceless unaspirated /p t k/. The latter three are realized as unreleased when syllable-final.Orthography
is used for institutional practice, both Latin and Assamese script are used in various publications.Locations
Amri language is spoken in the following locations in India.
- Kamrup district, Assam : Chandubi, Loharghat, Rani block, Jalukbari, Pandu, Basbistha, Panikhaith, Jorabat, Sonapur, Khetri, and Kahi Kusi
- Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya: Nongpoh area, Barni Hat, and Umling