By Centenary C. Lalzahawma
Mizo tawng hi tawng thlûk nei (tone language) a ni a, a thlûk azirin a awmzia pawh a danglam thei hle a, a then chu a thlûk inang a kawh hrang te, a thlûk hrang a sipel inang sì te a ni. Inbiak nána kan hman hian a sipel dik mah sé, a thlûk a dik loh chuan a awmzia a bó thei hial thìn. A chhìara chhìar emaw a sawia sawi emaw pawh ni sé, a thlûk a dik loh chuan hriat sual a awl a, hriat dik a harsa thìn. Mizo tawng thatzia te, màwizia te tilang thei tùrin dik taka lam rîk te, máwi taka thlûk dik te a tûl mai bâkah a thlûk hmanna tùr dik takah kan hman thìam a pawimawh bawk.
Ziaktu ropui James Dokhuma’n, “Mizo tawng hi tawng danglam tak, thlûk bîk riau nei, thu mal thuhmun pawh a thlûk avànga a kawh awmze hrang daih thei a ni a. A thlûk dàn hriat hnuah a awmzia a chiang chauh a ni. Chu avàng chuan hnam dang tán phei chuan Mizo tawng thiam tak nih a harsa hle,” tìin a sawi a. Rev. Z.T. Sangkhuma paw’n, “Mizo tawng hi, tawng thlûk nei (tonal language) an tih zínga mî a ni a. Thu mal pakhat pawhin a thlûk dàn azirin kawh chi hrang hrang a nei thei a; chu chuan tawng bung hrang (Parts of speech) pawh a awmtír thìn. Mizo tawngah chuan tawng thlûk ri hrang zawng zawng chu chi 6 lái a ni,” tìin a lehkhabu ziah Mizo tawng Grammar, 2009, p.2)-ah a tár lang.
Mizo tawng Grammar bu leh Dictionary rin tlák tak síamtu Remkunga chuan, “A tlángpuiin kan lam rîk dàn hi chi hrang hrang pali a ni thei a, chûngte chu- ri sáng phei te, falling intonation te, rising intonation te, ri hniam te hi a ni,” tìin a Mizo tawng Dictionary, 1992 kuma a chhuahah chuan a sawi vè thung. Sino-Tibetan linguist, Dr. Thangi paw’n heti hian a ti a: Consonants leh vowels bâkah hian “phoneme” chi khat a la awm leh a, chu chu linguist-te’n “tone” an tih hi a ni. Chumi awmzia chu thu mal tin hian ama thlûk dàn bîk a nei a. Mizo tawngah chuan “tone” chi li a awm a:
Thlûk hniam (Low tone) : Chhinchhiah nán a àwna thài, vei lam sáng, ding lam hniam (è) Thlûk sáng (High tone) : Chhinchhiah nán a àwna thài, ding lam sánga vei lam hniam (é) Thlûk chho/ri láwn (Rising tone) : Chhinchhiah nán thla de tìr anga thài kawm (e) Thlûk tla hniam/ri kuai (Falling tone) : Chhinchhiah nán v letling anga thài kùl (ê)
Thlûk sáng sei chhinchhiah nán hawrawp chunga pahnih chhunhan (ë)
Tin, hêng thlûkte hi a ri sei leh a ri tàwi chî an awm leh a, vowels-te hian lam dàn sei (double/long vowel) leh lam dàn tawi an nei theuh bawk. Linguist-te’n thlûk (tone) chhinchhiah dàn chi hrang hrang an nei a. A then chuan number-in an chhinchhiah a. A tam zâwk erawh hi chuan vowel chunga thài “diacritics” an tih hi an hmang zâwk. ‘Diacritics’ tih awmzia chu hawrawp danglamna chhinchhiahna nei emaw hawrawp chungah emaw a hnuaiah emaw a lam rîk dàn tùr chhinchhiahna tihna a ni a. Mizo tawngah chuan vowel chunga thlûkna chi hrang hrang kan dah leh ‘t’ hnuaia chhut te hi an ni a; mahsé, tùna kan hman tlángláwn ber chu ‘thlûk tla hniam/ri kuai (falling tone)’ hi a ni.
Mizo tawng kan hman dik loh zínga tam tak hi chu ‘root verb’ rîk dàn leh ‘modified form’ rîk dàn kan hriat hran loh vàng a ni a, kan hman pawlh nasa hle bawk. ‘Root verb’ rî chu ‘chem hríam’ tiha ‘hríam’ rî ang a ni a, a ‘modified’ rî chu ‘dirìam’ tiha ‘rìam’ ang a ni. Mi thiam tam takin Zotawng thlûk hman dàn chungcháng hi ziakin an lo dah tawh a; nimahsela, a taka zâwm erawh mi tlém te chauh an ni. Eng pawh ni sé, mi tam takin an hman pawlh fo thín thu mal thenkhatte hmangin entírna tawi te te nen hril fiah kan tum dáwn a ni.
Ziaktu tam takin ‘pawl’ hmanna hrang hrang hi kan hriat pawlh fo. Zotawng thlûk kan hman tlángláwn ber ‘thlûk tla hniam/ri kuai (Falling tone)’ hi kan hmang mai zêl a, a dikna lái tam tak awm mah sé, a hman lohna tùra hman vek erawh a tha ber lo. ‘Pawl’ hmanna hi a sentence azirin a danglam theih avàngin hman fímkhur a pawimawh. ‘Pawl’ hmanna langsàr züal thenkhatte hmangin entírna tawi te te nèn han sawi fiah ila.
Thlûk hniam (low tone) hmanna sentence pahnih han síam ila. Kohhrana inpàwlhona chu inpêkna rah a ni. Anglican kohhran chuan Inpàwlna Thianghlim (Holy Communion) an ti a, Grik kohhran chuan Qurbana an ti thung a, Roman Catholic chuan Mass an ti. Heta ‘inpàwlhona leh inpàwlna’ tih láia ‘pàwl’ hi thlûk hniam (low tone) a ni. Thlûk sáng (high tone) kan hman dáwn chuan hêngah te hian hman thín tùr a ni. Mizo Zirlai Páwl (MZP), Pang Zirlai Páwl (PZP), Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhâwm Páwl (MHIP), páwl bawh kân, páwl dintu, páwl hruaitu, páwl hniam, páwl sáng, páwlpui, adt. Thlûk tla hniam/ri kuai (falling tone) hi hêngah te hian hman tùr a ni. Vàn dumpâwl, maipâwl, rawng pâwl, adt. A sentence azirin a thlûk hmanna hrang hrang a awm thei tih kan sawi tawh kha. Chuvàngin, sentence zawng zawngah a thlûk inang vek hman loh tùr a ni.
Tin, ‘khan’ hmanna hi kan hriat hran a pawimawh bawk. ‘Khàn’ hi thlûk hniam (low tone) a ni a, hêngah te hian hman thín a ni. Natna khirh khàn, hnìal khàn, kàl khàn, adt. Thlûk sáng (high tone) kan hman dáwn chuan hêngah te hian hman thín tùr a ni. Tùn hma atang khán, khatah khán, khata tang khán, vawiin khán, nimin khán, adt. Thlûk tla hniam/ri kuai (falling tone) hi hêngah te hian hman tùr a ni. Hnam dang lo ertu deuhte khân, mita hmutute khân, adt. A sentence azirin a thlûk dah dàn tùr a awm zêl a, chutiang chuan dah zêl mai tùr a ni.
Kan hriat tawh angin ‘tár lang’ tih thu mal hi ziaktu tam takin ‘tar lang’ tia ziak lovin ‘tarlang’ tìin an ziak mai thìn a; mahsé, ‘tár lang’ emaw ‘tàr lan’ tia ziah tùr a ni. He thu mal hi kan hman nasat ber páwl a nih avàngin ngaiah kan nei a, ngàia kan neih avàng leh kan hman nasat avàng ngawtin a dik tihna erawh a ni lo. ‘Tár lang’ tia ‘tár’ hi thlûk sáng (high tone) a ni a, ‘tàr lan’ tia ‘tàr’ hi thlûk hniam (low tone) a ni.
Zotawng thlûk hman dàn dik tak hi ziah sèn leh sawi sèn a ni lo va, tawi kim tak phei chuan sawi fiah mai theih pawh a ni lo. Ziah sual hlauh avàng leh mi thìam zâwkte sawisèl hlauh avàngin kan hriat chhunte pawh mîte hmuh leh hriatah kan pho chhuak ngam lo fo. Thìam vàng ni lo va thahnem ngaihna avàng zâwka kan thuziahah tihdik loh palh a lo awm a nih chuan englái pawhin a thu hi sìam rem theih a ni.