Ethnicity Miju Mishmi Linguistic classification Sino-Tibetan?
Midzu | Geographic
distribution Arunachal Pradesh Glottolog gema1234 | |
Subdivisions Kaman (Midzu, Miju)
Zakhring (Meyor) | ||
Midzu (Midu, Miju, Mijhu), Midzuish, Southern Mishmi, or Geman languages are a small proposed family of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken by the Kaman (Miju Mishmi) people of southeastern Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh. The languages are Kaman (Midzu/Miju) and Zakhring (Meyor). However, whereas Zakhring appears to be Sino-Tibetan, Kaman may be more divergent. Blench and Post (2011) believe that Zakhring is an East Bodish language that has been influenced by Midzu or other divergent languages of the region, whereas Kaman may be a language isolate.
Blench (2015) suggests that Meyor (Zakhring) and Kman may each be a language isolate. Blench argues that the lexical similarities between Kman and Zakhring are borrowings, and that Zakhring had borrowed heavily from Kman and Tibetic, and then later borrowed from Naga languages and Jingpho as well.
Regardless, they are not closely related to the Northern Mishmi a.k.a. Digaro languages.