| Bawm | |
|---|---|
| Banjogi | |
| Native to | Bangladesh,India,Myanmar |
| Region | Rangamati andBandarban |
| Ethnicity | Bawm |
Native speakers | ca. 16,000 (2004–2011)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | bgr |
| Glottolog | bawm1236 |
| ELP | Bawm Chin |
Bawm orBawm Zo, also known asBanjogi, is aKuki-Chin language primarily spoken inBangladesh. It is also spoken in adjacent regions ofNortheast India andMyanmar.[2][page needed] The Bawms that live on theChittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh call their settlements "Bawmram", which literally means an area or location inhabited by Bawms.[3][page needed]
InMizoram, India, Bawm is spoken inChhimtuipui district,Lunglei district, andAizawl district (Ethnologue). It is also spoken in the states ofTripura andAssam.[citation needed]
Most of theZohnahthlak communities live inRangamati andBandarban districts ofChittagong division in Bangladesh, with most of the Bawm community residing in the Bethel Para in Ruma subdistrict and Thanci subdistrict of theBandarban district. Also, the Bawm reside in the Rangamati Sadar and Barkal and Bilaichari subdistricts of theRangamati district.[4][page needed]
Bawm language is fairly developed and contains a good amount of literature including dictionaries, religious texts, historical texts, folk stories and books such as short stories and science fiction. However, the Bawm language is at risk for endangerment. One way in which the language can prosper is through the use of multilingual education programs to ensure that the Bawm community as a whole has sufficient resources to pass the language to the next generation. The use of multilingual education programs requires the community to be educated in what types of books and literature to use.[4]
In 1981, around 7,000 Bawms inhabited the hills of southeastern Bangladesh.[5] In 2004, around 5,000 Bawm inhabited India, with a population in all countries totaling around 16,000. In 2011, 10,000 Bawms inhabited theChittagong hills ofBangladesh and 1,500 Bawm inhabitedMyanmar. The endangerment status of the Bawm language in India and Myanmar is 6B and in Bangladesh is 5 (developing).[6] The language is threatened severely in India and Myanmar as the number of speakers continues to decline. In Bangladesh, the language is stable but its speakers in numbers are not increasing.[citation needed]
Sino-Tibetan branches | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WesternHimalayas (Himachal, Uttarakhand,Nepal,Sikkim) |
|  | |||
| EasternHimalayas (Tibet,Bhutan,Arunachal) | |||||
| Myanmar and Indo- Burmese border |
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| East andSoutheast Asia |
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| Dubious (possible isolates) (Arunachal) |
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| Proposed groupings | |||||
| Proto-languages | |||||
Italics indicates single languages that are also considered to be separate branches. | |||||
| Official language | |
|---|---|
| Indo-European | |
| Sino-Tibetan | |
| Austroasiatic | |
| Dravidian | |
| Afro-Asiatic | |
| Sign | |
