Native to India, Bangladesh Native speakers 250,000 (2001) ISO 639-3 pbv | Ethnicity Pnar people Official language in Meghalaya | |
Language family Austroasiatic
Khasian
Pnar | ||
Pnar (also known as Jaintia or Synteng) is an Austroasiatic language spoken in India and Bangladesh.
Contents
"Pnar" is not an official language of Meghalaya State. It is one of the Khasi varieties such as Khynriam, Bhoi, War, Maram, Lyngngam, etc. The Pnars are parts of the Hynñiewtrep people culturally, and the language used in education is "Khasi". So, in Meghalaya State, the only indigenous official languages are: Khasi and Garo.
Phonology
Pnar has 30 phonemes: 7 vowels and 23 consonants. Other sounds listed below are phonetic realizations.
Syllable structure
Syllables in Pnar can consist of a single nucleic vowel. Maximally, they can include a complex onset of two consonants, a diphthong nucleus, and a coda consonant. A second type of syllable contains a syllabic nasal/trill/lateral immediately following the onset consonant. This syllabic consonant behaves as the rhyme. (Ring, 2012: 141-2)