Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Bawm, Banjogi, Bawng, Bawn, Bom, Chin (Bawm), Chin, Bawm
CLASSIFICATION		Sino-Tibetan, Kukish
ORTHOGRAPHY		latin scripts
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		bgr
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS		The Chittagong hill tracts in Southeast Bangladesh are composed of the Rangamati and Bandarban districts. Rowangchari and Thanci are the subdistricts of the Bandarban district and Bethel Para is in the Ruma subdistrict of the Bandarban district. Data such as wordlist from a sociolinguistic survey was taken in both districts.

Compare Sources (6)

Information from: “The Kuki-Chin Communities of Bangladesh: A Sociolinguistic Survey” . Kim, Amy and Roy, Palash and Sangma, Mridul (2011)

Vulnerable

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
unknown
Native speakers worldwide

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

The vitality information is associated only with the Bawm in Bangladesh while Bawm Chin is also spoken in Indian and Myanmar.

SPEAKER ATTITUDE

very positive

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT

There is not very much institutional support for Bawn Chin in Bangladesh communities.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Bangla; neighboring languages such as Marma and Lushai

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

In Bangladesh, the Bawm use Bawm Chin among themselves and switch to Bangla, the national language of Bangladesh, or other neighboring languages such as when talking to non-Bawm speakers. Bangla, the official language, is the medium for education. However, there is a Bawm language education program which "is being run by their own efforts and is successful because of community members' cooperation. The result of this language education program is that Bawm children can freely read literature in their own language." (p.29)

Scripts (Writing system)

latin scripts

PLACES: Bangladesh

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: The Bawm live in both Rangamati and Bandarban districts, but most are in Bandarban district. (p.11)

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
21,520
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
There are 4,440 speakers in India (2004).

PLACES: India; Myanmar; Bangladesh

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
14,000
Native speakers worldwide

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
13,793
Native speakers worldwide

unknown
Native speakers worldwide

MORE ON VITALITY

Shifting to Assamese

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Assamese

PLACES: India: Mizoram and Assam, Bangladesh and Burma

0199255911			2005	The World Atlas of Language Structures			Bernard Comrie and David Gil and Martin Haspelmath and Matthew S. Dryer		Oxford University Press	New York					2005. "The World Atlas of Language Structures." edited by Bernard Comrie et al. Oxford University Press.																	22.5,92.25
		16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis		SIL International	Dallas, TX			http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	21,520	1000-9999	There are 4,440 speakers in India (2004).						Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					India; Myanmar; Bangladesh
			2007	South Asia and the Middle East	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages	289-348	Christopher Mosely		London and NewYork: Routledge			4		George Van Driem	Driem, George Van. 2007. "South Asia and the Middle East." In Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, edited by Christopher Mosely. 289-348. London and NewYork: Routledge.		unknown			Assamese							Shifting to Assamese			India: Mizoram and Assam, Bangladesh and Burma
	SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2011-025		2011	The Kuki-Chin Communities of Bangladesh: A Sociolinguistic Survey				online			SIL International		www.sil.org/SILESR/2011/silesr2011-025.pdf	Kim, Amy and Roy, Palash and Sangma, Mridul	Kim, Amy and Roy, Palash and Sangma, Mridul. 2011. The Kuki-Chin Communities of Bangladesh: A Sociolinguistic Survey. (SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2011-025.) SIL International. 126pp.		unknown			Bangla; neighboring languages such as Marma and Lushai	very positive	In Bangladesh, the Bawm use Bawm Chin among themselves and switch to Bangla, the national language of Bangladesh, or other neighboring languages such as when talking to non-Bawm speakers. Bangla, the official language, is the medium for education. However, there is a Bawm language education program which "is being run by their own efforts and is successful because of community members' cooperation. The result of this language education program is that Bawm children can freely read literature in their own language." (p.29)	There is not very much institutional support for Bawn Chin in Bangladesh communities.	most	Vulnerable (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	10	The vitality information is associated only with the Bawm in Bangladesh while Bawm Chin is also spoken in Indian and Myanmar.	11	10	Bangladesh	The Bawm live in both Rangamati and Bandarban districts, but most are in Bandarban district. (p.11)
		3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger					UNESCO Publishing	Paris			http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub	14,000	10000-99999							Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)							22.1874,92.6477
				World Oral Literature Project									http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.		13,793	10000-99999							Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)

Bawm Chin

Language metadata

Language information by source

Vulnerable

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

unknown

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

21,520

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

14,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

13,793

unknown

Discussion

Bawm Chin

Language metadata

Language information by source

Vulnerable

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

unknown

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

21,520

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

14,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

13,793

unknown

Discussion

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Sources of information

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