The Phake language or Tai Phake language (, ) is a Tai language spoken in the Buri Dihing Valley of Assam, India. It is closely related to the other Southwestern Tai languages in Assam: Aiton, Khamti, Khamyang, and Turung.
Distribution Buragohain (1998) lists the following Tai Phake villages. Man Phake Tau (Namphake village, Assam) Man Tipam (Tipam Phake village, Assam) Man Phake Neu (Bor Phake village, Assam) Man Mo (Man Mo village, Assam) Man Phaneng (Phaneng village, Assam) Man Long (Long village, Assam) Man Nonglai (Nonglaui village, Assam) Man Monglang (Monglang village, Assam) Man Nigam (Nigam village, Assam) Man Wagun (Wagun village, Arunachal Pradesh) Man Lung Kung (Lung Kung village, Arunachal Pradesh)
+Tai Phake Villages (Morey 2005:22) Tai name Translation of Tai name Assamese/English name District ma꞉n3 pha꞉4 ke꞉5 taü3 Lower Phake village Namphakey Dibrugarh ma꞉n3 pha꞉k4 ta꞉5 Other side of the river village Tipam Phake Dibrugarh ma꞉n3 pha꞉4 ke꞉5 nɔ6 Upper Phake village Borphake Tinsukia niŋ1 kam4 Ning kam Nagas Nigam Phake Tinsukia ma꞉n3 pha꞉4 naiŋ2 Red sky village Faneng Tinsukia məŋ2 la꞉ŋ2 Country of the Lang Nagas Mounglang Tinsukia məŋ2 mɔ1 Mine village Man Mau Tinsukia ma꞉n3 loŋ6 Big village Man Long Tinsukia nauŋ1 lai6 Nong Lai Nagas Nonglai -
The corresponds to the modern Thai ban () and Shan wan (), which mean 'village'. (Note: For an explanation of the notation system for Tai tones, see Proto-Tai language#Tones.)
Phonology Consonants Initial consonants Tai Phake has the following initial consonants: Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal Nasal Plosive tenuis aspirated Fricative Approximant
Final consonants Tai Phake has the following final consonants: Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal Nasal Plosive Approximant
-[w] occurs after front vowels and [a]-, -[j] occurs after back vowels and [a]-.
Vowels Tai Phake has the following vowel inventory: Front Back unr. unr. rnd. short short long short Close Mid Open
Writing system
The Tai Phake have their own writing system called 'Lik-Tai', which they share with the Khamti people and Tai Aiton people. It closely resembles the Northern Shan script of Myanmar, which is a variant of the Burmese script, with some of the letters taking divergent shapes.
Consonants
Vowels
Notes
References
Buragohain, Yehom. 1998. "Some notes on the Tai Phakes of Assam, in Shalardchai Ramitanondh Virada Somswasdi and Ranoo Wichasin." In Tai, pp. 126–143. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Chiang Mai University. Morey, Stephen. 2005. The Tai languages of Assam: a grammar and texts. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.