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Kaman
Geman, Kman
Miju, Kùmán
Pronunciation	[kɯ˧˩mɑn˧˥]
Region	Arunachal Pradesh, India
Ethnicity	Miju Mishmi
Native speakers	18,000 (2006)
Language family	possibly Sino-Tibetan (Midzuish), or a language isolate Kaman
Language codes
ISO 639-3	mxj
Glottolog	miju1243
ELP	Miju-Mishmi
Miju is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Kaman (Geman, Geman Deng, Kùmán, Kman), or Miju (Miju Mishmi, Midzu), is a small language of India and China. Long assumed to be a Sino-Tibetan language, it may be a language isolate.

Locations

In China, the Miju are known as the Deng 僜人. The Deng number over 1,000 in Zayü County, Tibet, China, with 1,000 of the Deng having the autonym tɑ31 ruɑŋ53 (大让), and 130 having the autonym kɯ31 mɑn35 (格曼) (Geman). They are also neighbors with the Idu or i53 du31 (义都) people.

In India, Miju is spoken in Hawai Circle and the Parsuram Kund area of Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh (Boro 1978, Dasgupta 1977). Ethnologue reports that Miju is spoken in 25 villages located in high altitude areas to the east of upper Lohit and Dau valleys, which are located east of the Haguliang, Billong, and Tilai valleys.

Phonology

These are the sounds in the Miju/Kaman language.

Consonants

Vowels

/ɯ/ may also be heard as .

Tones

There are three main tones in the Miju language, rising (á), falling (à), and level (ā).

Registers

Kman has various registers that are used in different situations. These include:

• shamanic
• hunting
• cursing and scolding
• poetic

References

1. Kaman at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. Blench, Roger; Post, Mark (2011), (De)classifying Arunachal languages: Reconstructing the evidence (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 26 May 2013
3. Boro, A. 1978. Miju dictionary. Shillong: Research Department, Arunachal Pradesh Administration.
4. Dasgupta, K. 1977. A phrase book in Miju. Shillong: Director of Information and Public Relations, Arunachal Pradesh.
5. Blench, Roger (2015), Kman ethno-ophresiology; characterising taste, smell and texture in a language of Arunachal Pradesh
6. Blench, Roger; Kri, Sokhep; Ngadong, Kruleso; Masong, Barum (2015), Kman Reading and writing Kman
7. Blench, Roger. 2022. Why would a language with 5000 speakers have seven registers? Register-flipping in the isolates of Northeast India compromises the unitary concept of language. Cambridge: Kay Williamson Education Foundation.

Further reading

• Blench, Roger. 2019. A grammar of Kman , a language of Arunachal Pradesh
• Blench, Roger. 2017. A dictionary of Kman (Miju), a language of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Blench, Roger. 2015. Reading and writing Kman / Kman tasay tapuri pit. Tezu, Arunachal Pradesh: Kman Language Development Committee.
• Li, Daqin 李大勤 (2019). Xizang Chayu Geman yu 西藏察隅格曼语. Beijing: The Commercial Press. OCLC 1155170546.

v t e Sino-Tibetan branches
Western Himalayas (Himachal, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim)	West Himalayish Tamangic Newaric Newar Baram–Thangmi Kiranti Dhimalish Dhimal Toto Lhokpu Lepcha Greater Magaric Magaric Magar Kham Chepangic Chepang Bhujel Raji–Raute Dura–Tandrange
Eastern Himalayas (Tibet, Bhutan, Arunachal)	Bodish Tibetic East Bodish Tshangla Basum Nam? Gongduk ʼOle Tani Chamdo
Myanmar and Indo- Burmese border	Karbi Kuki-Chin Mruic Mru Hkongso Pyu Taman "Naga" Ao Angami–Pochuri Meitei Tangkhulic Zeme Sal Boro–Garo Konyak Jingpho–Luish
East and Southeast Asia	Sinitic Bai Tujia Nungish Karenic Gong Kathu Cai–Long Caijia Longjia Luren Burmo-Qiangic Qiangic Gyalrongic Ersuic Naic Lolo-Burmese Mondzish Burmish Loloish
Dubious (possible isolates) (Arunachal)	Hrusish Hruso Mijiic Kho-Bwa Puroik Miju–Meyor Songlin Greater Siangic Siangic Koro Milang Idu–Taraon
Proposed groupings	Central Tibeto-Burman Kuki-Chin–Naga Macro-Bai Mahakiranti Rung Tibeto-Burman Tibeto-Kanauri
Proto-languages	Proto-Sino-Tibetan Proto-Tibeto-Burman Proto-Loloish Proto-Karenic Proto-Min Proto-Hakka
Italics indicates single languages that are also considered to be separate branches.

• Miju languages
• Mishmi languages
• Languages of India
• Tonal languages
• Languages of Arunachal Pradesh
• Language isolates of Asia