Akha Language Resource

Part of CoRSAL

About the Language

English

Akha (ISO 639-3 ahk) belongs to the Lolo-Burmese subgroup of Tibeto-Burman languages.

The Akha people originally lived in China, and at the beginning of the 20th century, some Akha migrated southward from Yunnan. Currently, the Akha are distributed in Yunnan province of China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Statistics differ, but as of 2020 the population may be between 535,000 and 605,000 Akha people: in China, between 300,000 and 350,000; in Laos, about 100,000; in Myanmar, between 20,000 and 25,000; in Thailand, between 95,000 and 110,000; and in Vietnam, about 20,000.

The Akhas have different ethnic group names in different countries. In China, the Akha are considered a branch of the Hani ethnic group. In Thailand and Laos, they are regarded as a single ethnic group and called the Akha, while in Myanmar they are known as the Kaw. Despite this, Akha people from different regions refer to themselves as "aqkaq" (pronounced “aka” with a low tone on the a’s) and can communicate with each other.

The Akha have traditionally lived in semi-high mountain areas, growing dry rice, tea and other crops. Nowadays, many Akhas also live in the lowlands and in the cities.

In everyday language, there is a vivid tradition of songs, storytelling, and myths. There is also a ritual language which is slightly different from the everyday language. Most nouns in the everyday language are disyllabic, while the syntax in ritual language is changed to fit the metrical pattern, and this difference makes it difficult for young Akhas to master the ritual langauge. Both languages have been based on an orally passed down culture.

The Akhas do not have a traditional script. Legends mention that the Akhas once wrote their script on cowhide, but due to hunger, they burned the cowhide for use, causing the script to disappear.

Since the start of the 20th century, different scripts have been used by authorities, missionaries, and researchers. In 2009, Akha scholars from all the involved countries agreed on a Common Akha Orthography (CAO), which is increasingly used for communication in daily life and research.

中文 (Chinese)

阿卡话(ISO 639-3 ahk)属于汉藏语系-藏缅语族语言。

阿卡人原居住在中国境内。二十世纪初起，一些阿卡人从云南陆续南迁。如今，阿卡人主要分布在中国的云南省以及缅甸、泰国、老挝和越南。虽然统计口径不同，但截至2020年，阿卡人总人口约为53.5万至60.5万人：其中中国约30万至35万，老挝约10万，缅甸约2万至2.5万，泰国约9.5万至11万，越南约2万。

在不同国家，阿卡人的族称不尽相同。中国的阿卡人被认为是哈尼族的一个支系，统称为“哈尼族”。泰国和老挝的阿卡人被视为独立族群，其族称即是“阿卡”。缅甸的阿卡人被称为“高族”（Kaw）。尽管如此，各地阿卡人都以“阿卡”自称，语言相通，可无障碍交流。

阿卡人原多居住于山腰区域，种植旱稻、茶树和其他作物。如今，许多阿卡人也居住于低地和城市。

阿卡人拥有丰富的口传文化，涵盖歌谣、故事、神话和仪式咒语等。口传文本（尤其仪式

用语）与日常口语有所区别：仪式语言多以单音节为主，讲究韵律；日常口语则以双音节为主，侧重表达的清晰与流畅。这一差异增加了年轻人掌握仪式用语的难度。

阿卡人并无传统文字。传说中提到，阿卡人曾将他们的文字写在牛皮上，但由于饥饿，只得将牛皮烤而充饥，文字随之失传。

20世纪以来，各地的政府、传教士和研究者都曾使用不同文字书写阿卡话。2009年，相关国家的阿卡学者合作创立了民间国际通用哈尼/阿卡文方案（CAO）。如今，它正成为阿卡人日常交流与研究的通用工具。

Aqkaq dawq: (Akha)

Aqkaqdawq (ISO 639-3 ahk) nar-aq khartsavryiqxir-tsavrmaeqyiqtsuq e dawq nga.

Aqkaq nar-aq eevqtaerpaw Zhongguo e mirkhanq anr nga jawr e, 20 yirkhovq khevlar nae yiqnaq e danqdanqpaw tsan ka jivq ngaq. Nyirpovdaq Aqkaqzaq Zhongguo e Yoerqnaq, Mam meq, Tai meq, Lao meq mawr anr jawr nga. 2020 khovq anr, yawqgaryawqnav e Aqkaqzaq 535000 tavr 605000 ghaq dzaeq nyi byanlar ngaq: Zhongguo mirdanr bae jawr e Aqkaqzaq nar-aq 300000 tavr 350000 byan nyi, Lao meq mirdanr bae jawr e Aqkaqzaq nar-aq 100000, Mam meq mirdanr bae jawr e Aqkaqzaq nar-aq 20000 tavr 25000 byan nyi, Tai meq mirdanr bae jawr e Aqkaqzaq nar-aq 95000 tavr 110000 byan nyi, Yoernaq mirdanr bae jawr e Aqkaqzaq nar-aq 20000 byan nyi.

Aqkaq e tsawrmyanr yawmyaq dzeiq baw nga. Zhongguo anr e Aqkaq nar-aq Haqniqtsuq e tiq bawq nga, Tai meq mawr Lao meq nar-aq Aqkaq tiq dzeiq miqtsuq nga, aqtsawq “Aqkaq”(Akha) laer kur nga. Mam meq anr nar-aq “kawv” (Kaw) laer kur nga. Dawr-awq yawqgaryawqnav e Aqkaq nawqghanawqghar “Aqkaq” laer kur nga, aqyawvmavq dawq dzatsawq civq nga.

Arnan’arhu, Aqkaq gawqjawq danrteir anr caer mawr lawrbawq maqxiq kakaghaer dzawr ngaq. nymq-mr, Aqkaq daesar mawr meq anr tawv jawr gawq nga.

Aqkaq cargaw, dawqdaq, dawqkawq jav gawq nga. Dawqoeir mawr dawqseevq maqtiqkawv nga. Tejmq tiqghaq tar tiqghaq dawqmaeqmaeqkaleivq ngaq. Dawqoir tiqdawq myaq jeiq. Daermirnae zaqguq dawqoeir maqxiqcivq e dzawr gawq nga.

Arnan’arhu, Aqkaqzaq nawqghanawq e dawq jav nae ngawr sanqbovq maq jav nga. Dawqdaq bae taq e dza e nar-aq, arhu Aqkaqzaq sanqbovq aqnyoq e bakhov anr bovqtaq ngaq jeir, hawqmaevqmaevq lar nae aqnyoq e bakhov peev nae dzaq ngaq jeir, daermirnae sanqbovq maq jav nyi pivq yir ngaq jeir.

20 yirkhovq khevlar nar-eq, yawqgaryawqnav e sanqpaq, lavqcivq mrma yawmyaq jeiq sanqbovq nae Aqkaqdawq bovqdovlavq ngaq. 2009 khovq anr, te jmq mirkhanq e Aqkaq lavqcivq mrma dzawrdzoer nae Khanqgm Haqniq/Aqkaq sanqbovq dzanrdov (CAO) ngaq. Nymq-mr, Aqkhaqzaq sanqbovq te hmq zmq e myaq jaeq nga.

About the Collection

English

This collection includes Akha narratives (history, ancestors, community and individual life), riddles, photos (people, villages, nature, and activities), music and songs, and rituals (death rituals and others). Traditionally, all is passed down in an oral form, and all is vital for the Akha culture.

The forms of the material include audio sound recordings, photographs, and texts (publications, conference papers, transcripts, draft analyses, and notebooks). These materials represent the fieldwork of Inga-Lill Hansson of Lund University. The main part of her material was collected during her fieldwork in the 1970s and the 1980s in Akha villages in Chiang Rai Province of Northern Thailand, and later developed in Chiang Mai, Copenhagen, and Lund through research and cooperation with Akha consultants and international researchers.

The material is valuable for many users throughout the world, primarily for the Akha people and organizations, and for academic linguistics and anthropologists, but also for other users.

The project of archiving Inga-Lill Hansson’s collection at CoRSAL has its own website at www.akha.dk.

中文 (Chinese)

此资料集涵盖了阿卡人的故事（关于历史、祖先、集体和个人生活）、谜语、照片（人们、村寨、自然与活动）、音乐与歌谣，以及葬礼等仪式记录。这些内容在阿卡人中都以口头形式传承，对阿卡的文化产生了重要影响。

资料的载体包括录音、照片与文字（出版物、会议论文、文本记录、初步分析以及田野笔记）。

资料主体为Inga-Lill Hansson教授1970年-1980年间在泰国北部清莱省阿卡寨子所做的田野调查的资料，以及她后续与阿卡报道人和国际研究者在清迈、哥本哈根与隆德合作整理的资料。

这些资料对世界上的许多用户都非常珍贵，包括阿卡人及其组织，以及语言学家和人类学家及其他研究者。

Inga-Lill Hansson教授的资料归档项目请见www.akha.dk

Aqkaq dawq: (Akha)

Helav anr nar-aq Aqkaqzaq e dawqdaq、tsaqdzovdawq、mawrkawr、tscargaw mawr pirdawq nga. Tedjmq naqgaq、mawrkawr、sanqbovq nae ladovlavq ngaq.

Te Inga-Lill Hansson maeqdzoeq 1970 khovq anr nae 1980 khovq anr Tai meq e Aqkaqpu anr ivr nae bovqtaq e Aqkaq zanrsanrkhovq myaqdzaeq nga, Aqkaq e zanrsanrkhovq anr yawpoeqyawlawq nga.

Inga-Lill Hansson nae laymq e Aqkaq zanrsanrkhovq www.akha.dk anr jav nga.