The Aiton language or Tai Aiton language is spoken in Assam, India. It is currently classified as a threatened language, with less than two thousand speakers worldwide. Its other names include Antonia and Sham Doaniya.
The Tai languages in Assam share many grammatical similarities, a writing system, and much of their vocabulary. The most prominent differences between the languages are their tonal systems. According to the oral and written records of the Aiton people, they originated from a place named Khao-Khao Mao-Lung, a Burmese state near the Chinese border. It is generally believed that they came to India about two or three hundredyears ago, seeking refuge from oppression. Despite how long they have been in Assam, many members of the older generations are not fluent in Assamese, the official language of the state.
Geographic Distribution
Aiton is spoken predominantly in India, in the northeastern state of Assam. According to Morey, Aiton is spoken in the following villages:
Tai name
Translation of Tai name
Assamese/English name
District
baan3 nam3 thum3
Flood village
Duburoni
Golaghat
baan3 sum3
Sour village
Tengani
Golaghat
baan3 hui1 luŋ1
Big fruit village
Borhola
Golaghat
baan3 hin1
Stone village
Ahomani
Karbi Anglong
baan3 luŋ1
Big village
Bargaon
Karbi Anglong
baan3 nɔi2/dɔi2
Hill village
Sukhihola
Karbi Anglong
baan3 saai2
Sand village
Kalyoni
Karbi Anglong
baan3 saai2
Sand village
Balipathar
Karbi Anglong
baan3 saai2
Sand village
Jonapathar
Lohit
Buragohain reports a total of 260 Aiton households, comprising a total population of 2,155.
Village
District
Year founded
No. of houses
Population
Ahomani
Karbi Anglong
1939
31
267
Baragaon
Karbi Anglong
1835
39
359
Balipathar
Karbi Anglong
1898
59
528
Chakihola
Karbi Anglong
unknown
18
180
Kaliyani
Karbi Anglong
Man era 1239
15
154
Borhola
Golaghat
1836
26
235
Dubarani
Golaghat
unknown
43
334
Tengani
Golaghat
unknown
19
150
Jonapathar
Lohit
1950s
15
148
Phonology
Initial consonants
Morey reports the following initial consonants: Aiton, like some other Tai languages, have a "minimal three-way contrast in voicing". It also only allows vowels to be voiced stops when they are in bilabial and dental/alveolar places of articulation. According to Morey, " and are variants for and, respectively". Aiton, has voiced and four voiced nasals in its sound inventory. It does not have voiceless sonorants.
Final consonants
Aiton has the following final consonants: - occurs after front vowels and -, - occurs after back vowels and -.
Tones
Aiton today uses three tones, however it originally used five but two have merged with other tones. The first tone still used today is 'mid/high level', the second tone is 'high level then falling' and the third is 'mid falling'. Originally the fourth tone, 'mid rising', has merged with the first tone. The fifth tone, 'mid falling glottalised', has merged with the third tone.
Vowels
Aiton has a vowel system of only seven vowels,, which is the smallest out of the all the Tai languages spoken in Assam. From these seven vowels, Aiton allows only nine possible sequences.
Grammar
Pronouns
The following set of pronouns are the pronouns found in the Aiton language:
Demonstratives
Note: the form /-an2/ is a post-clitic form that approaches a definite article in function and may be attached to pronouns and even verbs.
Classifiers
The most common classifiers are kɔ1 for persons, tu1/to1 for animals and ʔan for inanimate objects.
Writing system
The Tai Aiton have their own writing system called 'Lik-Tai', which they share with the Khamti people and Tai Phake people.It closely resembles the Northern Shan alphabet of Myanmar, which is a variant of the Burmese script, with some of the letters taking divergent shapes.
