Sino-Tibetan language family

Geography glossary

Also called: Kirata · Topic: Population of India: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition"

Meaning

The Sino-Tibetan language family, called Kirata in old texts, is spoken by about 0.85% of Indians. It is mostly found in the Himalayas and the North-East. Its groups are:

  • Tibeto-Himalayan: in Ladakh/J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim;
  • North Assam: in Arunachal Pradesh;
  • Assam-Myanmari: in Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya.

The family is small in numbers but has a great many languages, often a different one for each tribe.

Example

Manipuri (Meitei), spoken in the Imphal valley of Manipur, is an Assam-Myanmari language. It joined the Eighth Schedule in 1992.

Don't confuse with

  • Khasi: it is spoken in Meghalaya, in the middle of the Sino-Tibetan area, but it belongs to the Mon-Khmer branch of the Austric family.

Related concepts

Read more