Instead, Zotung speakers use a widely accepted alphabet for writing with which they spell using their respective dialect.
However, formal documents are written using the Lungngo dialect because it was the tongue of the first person to prescribe a standard writing, Sir Siabawi Khuamin.
For instance, where Mizo and Laizo have mál [maːl], râlkap [raːlkap], nâsa [naːʂaː], pakhat [paˈkʰaːt], and sazûk [saˈzuːk], the correspondents in Zotung would be mæl [mæːl], rolkaw [rɔːlko], náwsaw [naʊːʂɔ], can-kheit [θaːn χɛiːt], and sazúk [sœˈzuːk].
Zotung has the following consonants, with the first symbol being its orthographical form and the second one its representation in the IPA:[2] C before a, aw, o, u, and y is pronounced like a dental fricative /θ/~/ð/.
T is rhotacized in some dialects that results in words like khate [kʰatɛ] and tukiaccu [tˠuˈkʲeðu] being pronounced [kʰaˈɾɛ] and [təˈkeirʊ].
The digraphs in Zotung are ch-, kh-, ph-, hr-, rh-, and th-.
Zotung is rich with consonant clusters that have etymologically remained the same, but are written with schwas or other vowels to make a disyllable.
They are found in native words such as tynkrin (firmly), cintling, ablyn (all), sparo as well as in loan words like Biathlam (Revelation), Kris (Christ), naiklab (nightclub), Griekram (Greece), and Bethlem (Bethlehem).
In 2009 VanBik lists the following Zotung villages: Aika, Lotaw, Lovaw, Ccangho, Pangva, Ramcci, Sihanthung, Zawngnak, Angraw, Polei, Vuakkhipaw, Lavoikum, Darcung, Khawboi, Setlai, Lungkhin, Leipi, Calthawng, Langly, Sensi, Khawtua, Tuinia, Rovaw, Rezua, Ccawtui, Ransae, Etang, Thandya, Tuibyn, Hrinthang, Siangaw, Lungthlialia, Thawlang, Hunglei, Raso, Tuilaw, Tingsi, Zesaw, Thesi, Lungring, Sungpi, Votui, Kailung, Belae, Lungngo, Sempi, Tuphae, Lungdua, Suiton, Daidin, Din, Voiru, Narbung.
Its synthetic nature allows for free word order, although the dominant arrangement is subject-object-verb.
'I in church song I sing') can also be ordered as "Kae kasak hlaw beikinnka" (lit.
Its use is a bit different in set proverbs like "namo nih kezym" ("I trust in you", lit.
Most of these nouns have endings like -nung, -pi, -paw, -ly that tell if they are feminine or masculine, such as luikunung (name of a hill), saepaw (elephant), sapi (female offspring of an animal).
The initial a- is found in some nouns: arak (ale), amyn (scent), arran (branch), askare (wing).
When it is used with a noun that can stand alone, it denotes the genitive case and shows belonging of the object to a person, such as in arru (its bone), amitàe (its eyes), alemæ (its tail).
The prefix can also be used to show definiteness in a very limited number of nouns, as in: arourlongeinside(GEN)athinàethe-liversleitetunot(INSTR)(ACC)umkukholeilangobe-cannot-(FUT)-1PL(INCL)ar longe athinàe leitetu umkukholeilangoour inside(GEN) the-livers not(INSTR)(ACC) be-cannot-(FUT)-1PL(INCL)Without [our] livers we cannot live/be.The prefix is also used to form the adjectival form of verbs: To some extent, Zotung uses vowel harmony when endings are attached to words.
When a word with closed and/or mid vowel uses the ending -traw, it changes to -tri as in imonuntro (newborn girl) and syntri (a little while).
An example is zawngpo / zongpaw (ape), which changes to zuapo / zuapaw in some dialects retaining the difference.
Another example is vo / vaw (stream); when the augmentative ending -pii is added, the root changes to va-, resulting in vapii (river).
They consist of a stem or base and various conjugation endings indicating person, tense, aspect, mood, and more.
One way for fusional inflection in verbs is through a process known as stem alternation (Zotung: rulenná).
Lei is an auxiliary adverb that is commonly used as a compound negator, similar to the French pas.
An example is the word for "what"—its lemma form is pawmou in the standard language, ymmo in the northern dialects, and vavoma in the Rezua dialect; the corresponding negative forms are pawmak and ymma (this form is absent in the Rezua dialect due to a series of vowel mergers and a simplification of grammar in regions with more trade and contact).
They can be inflected for the nominative, accusative, instrumental, dative, genitive, vocative, and various forms of the locative such as the inessive, intrative, and adessive.
In the dative case, proper nouns take the -lan or -lam suffix and change according to the rules of vowel gradation.
For example, the village name Thesi would become Thesilam for its dative case while Siangaw would become Siangalan.
Most adjectives that describe a noun are also required to agree in number, and occasionally gender and case.
The formal standard language based on the Lungngo dialect uses the question particles i, ho, khawp, tou, and mou.
In Zotung, there are separate pronouns for the nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive cases that do not reflect the usual declension found in nouns.
The present tense is usually either in the lemma (not infinitive) form or are used with auxiliary verbs and time descriptive words.