撣語

shàn語（ရှမ်းဘာသာ，；Shan language）是dǎi耶語（လိၵ်ႈတႆး，lik.táj，ၵႂၢမ်းတႆး，或ၽႃႇသႃႇတႆး，；ภาษาไทใหญ่）在緬語和英語中的通稱。傣耶語是傣耶人（撣族）最主要的語言，撣邦的官方語言之一，也是德宏傣族景頗族自治州一種傣族方言，在其它傣語支語言中時稱「堯語」（ngiːwˀ，ngʸawˀ，ngyawˀ/ngɛːwˀ，ngyiːewˀ）。

**簡述**
說撣語的人自稱大傣(Tai Yai或Tai Long)。“撣”是他稱，可能是暹羅一詞的訛傳。
撣語與傣那語非常接近。屬臺語支的西南部語群。
南撣邦的撣語（傣耶語）一般用傣耶文書寫，傣耶文非常接近緬文，與中國的傣繃文相同。20世紀60年代之前使用的老傣耶文還不能完整地記錄撣語的語音。現行的傣耶文和語音對應良好。北撣邦接近克欽的地區的撣語（傣耶語）使用傣卯文，與東克欽、德宏的傣那文是同一文種；東撣邦的撣語（傣耶語）和傣痕語共用曇摩文，即西雙版納老傣文。

**撣語音系**

**輔音**
撣語有19個輔音。與泰語和老撾語不同，撣語沒有IPA|d和IPA|b兩個濁口腔塞音，古內爆濁音今讀濁鼻塞音。
1 聲門爆破音一般標記在未終止的短元音後，或者在一個元音前的無聲“a”。
2 開頭的IPA|f只見於某些方言詞中，其他方言區一般發音為IPA|pʰ。
3 顫音很少見，一般用於英語或巴利語外來詞中。很多撣族人不會發IPA|r這個音，有時發IPA|l作為替代。

**元音**
撣語有10個元音，13個雙元音：
和泰語相比，撣語的元音的比較簡單。撣族人在學習泰語時很難發出ia、ua、uea（IPA|ɯa）等雙元音。此外，撣語沒有三元音，在長元音和短元音方面也沒有泰語那樣系統性的區別。

**聲調**
撣語的元音有抑止元音和自由元音的對立，兩者的聲調有所不同。根據方言差異，撣語有五個或六個聲調。第六個聲調只在北部方言出現。

**自由元音音節的聲調對比**
下表是六個自由元音音節表示的聲調，即以m、n、ŋ、w等響音結尾的閉音節，和以j結尾的開音節。- The symbol in the first column corresponds to conventions used for other tonal languages; the second is derived from the Shan orthography.
下表是具體音位的聲調示例:
撣語聲調與泰語聲調對應，如下所示:
# 撣語的升調接近泰語的升調。
# The Shan low tone is equivalent to the Thai low tone.
# The Shan mid-tone is different from the Thai mid-tone. It falls in the end.
# The Shan high tone is close to the Thai high tone. But it is not rising.
# The Shan falling tone is different from the Thai falling tone. It is short, creaky and ends with a glottal stop.

**抑止元音音節的聲調對比**
下表是四個抑止元音音節（入聲）表示的聲調，即以聲門塞音ʔ及p、t、k三個阻礙音 結尾的閉音節。

**音節結構**
The syllable structure of Shan is C(G)V((V)/(C)), which is to say the onset consists of a consonant optionally followed by a glide, and the rhyme consists of a monophthong alone, a monophthong with a consonant, or a diphthong alone. (Only in some dialects, a diphthong may also be followed by a consonant.) 
The glides are: -w-, -y- and -r-.
There are seven possible final consonants: /ŋ/, /n/, /m/, /k/, /t/, /p/, and /ʔ/.
Some representative words are:
*CV /kɔ/ also
*CVC /kàːt/ market
*CGV /kwàː/ to go
*CGVC /kwaːŋ/ broad
*CVV /kǎi/ far
*CGVV /kwáːi/ water buffalo
Typical Shan words are monosyllabic. Multisyllabic words are mostly Pali loanwords, or Burmese words with the initial weak syllable /ə/.

**註釋**

**參考文獻**
 The Major Languages of East and South-East Asia. Bernard Comrie (London, 1990).- A Guide to the World's Languages. Merritt Ruhlen (Stanford, 1991).- Shan for English Speakers. Irving I. Glick & Sao Tern Moeng (Dunwoody Press, Wheaton, 1991).- Shan - English Dictionary. Sao Tern Moeng (Dunwoody Press, Kensington, 1995).- An English and Shan Dictionary. H. W. Mix (American Baptist Mission Press, Rangoon, 1920; Revised edition by S.H.A.N., Chiang Mai, 2001).- Grammar of the Shan Language. J. N. Cushing (American Baptist Mission Press, Rangoon, 1887).

**延伸閱讀**
 Sai Kam Mong. The History and Development of the Shan Scripts. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Silkworm Books, 2004. ISBN 974-9575-50-4

**外部連結**
 Ethnologue entry date=20120929065106 - Shan-language Swadesh vocabulary list of basic words date=20120113085940  (from Wiktionary's  Swadesh-list appendix date=20101027084401 )- Shan Alphabet date=20110429185656 - The New Testament written in Shan- SIL Padauk Font (Shan Unicode) date=20170430104017 - SEAlang Library Shan Dictionary date=20210308073412