Open AccessCONSONANTAL SYSTEM OF SHERPA
Author(s) -
M. Rahman,
Prof. S. Ganesh Baskaran
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
veda's journal of english language and literature
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2349-9753
DOI - 10.54513/joell.2022.9101
Subject(s) - consonant , vowel , linguistics , syllabic verse , consonant cluster , population , mathematics , geography , speech recognition , computer science , demography , sociology , philosophy
The present study “Consonantal system of Sherpa” discusses the Sherpas of Sikkim mainly settled in South and West District. According to the Census of India 2001, the total speaker of Sherpa in Sikkim is 13,922. However, Denzong Sherpa Association claims that the population of Sherpa is more than 65,000 out of which more than 32,000 people speak their Mother Tongue in their native environment particularly in the home domain. Linguistically, Robert Shafer has divided Tibeto-Burman into four main groups: Bodic, Baric, Burmic and Karenic. According to Shafer, Sherpa belongs to the Central Unit of the Bodish Section within the Bodic Sub-division of Sino-Tibetan. The present paper attempts to describe the Consonantal system of Sherpa. Sherpa has twenty six (26) consonantal sounds. It has fourteen stops i.e., /p, pʰ, b, t, tʰ, d, ʈ, ʈʰ, ɖ, c, cʰ, k, kʰ, ɡ/, four nasals /m, n, ɲ, ŋ/, four fricatives /s, ʃ, ʒ, h/ one lateral /l/one trill /r/ and two semi-vowels; bilabial semi-vowel /w/ and palatal semi-vowel /j/. Consonant combination in Sherpa can be classified into two categories these are: (i) consonant cluster (ii) consonant sequence. Sherpa has initial and medial consonant clusters that occur within the syllabic boundary. Sherpa has a wide variety of consonant sequences. Gemination, Homorganic and Contagious are the Consonant sequences found in Sherpa Language.