View source for Shan language

{{Short description|Kra–Dai language of Myanmar}}
{{Redirect-distinguish-text|Tai Yai language|[[Tai Ya language]] or [[Tayal language]]}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Shan
| altname          = Tai Yai
| nativename       = {{lang|shn|ၵႂၢမ်းတႆး}} ({{transliteration|shn|kwáam tái}}), {{lang|shn|လိၵ်ႈတႆး}} ({{transliteration|shn|līk tái}})
| pronunciation    = {{IPA|shn|kwáːm táj||SHsound_Kwamtai.wav}}<br>{{IPA|shn|lik táj||SHsound Liktai.wav}}
| states           = [[Myanmar]]
| region           = [[Shan State]]
| ethnicity        = [[Shan people|Shan]], [[Dai people|Dai]], [[Kula people|Kula]]
| speakers         = {{sigfig|4.685000|2}} million
| date             = 2017
| ref              = e25
| familycolor      = Kradai
| fam2             = [[Tai languages|Tai]]
| fam3             = [[Southwestern Tai languages|Southwestern]]
| fam4             = Northwestern (Shan)
| dia1             = Standard (Eastern)
| dia2             = [[Khün language|Khün]]
| dia3             = [[Tai Nuea language|Tai Nuea]]
| dia4             = [[Khamti language|Khamti]]
| dia5             = [[Tai Laing language|Tai Laing]]
| dia6             = [[Aiton language|Aiton]]
| dia7             = [[Phake language|Phake]]
| dia8             = [[Khamyang language|Khamyang]]
| dia9             = [[Turung language|Turung]]
| listclass        = hlist
| iso2             = shn
| iso3             = shn
| script           = [[Mon–Burmese script|Mon–Burmese]] ([[Shan alphabet]])
| minority         = {{Flag|Myanmar}}
| glotto           = shan1277
| glottorefname    = Shan
| notice           = IPA
| extinct          = 
| dateprefix       = 
| map              = Shan language.jpg
}}
{{Contains special characters|Burmese}}
[[File:Shan paper manuscript bound with a patterned cotton cloth cover and a felt binding ribbon.jpg|thumb| Shan paper manuscript bound with a patterned cotton cloth cover and a felt binding ribbon, [[Shan State]], first half of the 20th century. [[British Library]]]]
'''Shan''' is the native language of the [[Shan people]] and is mostly spoken in [[Shan State]], [[Myanmar]]. It is also spoken in pockets in other parts of Myanmar, in [[Northern Thailand]], in [[Yunnan]], in [[Laos]], in [[Cambodia]], in [[Vietnam]] and decreasingly in [[Assam]] and [[Meghalaya]]. Shan is a member of the [[Kra–Dai languages|Kra–Dai language family]] and is related to [[Thai language|Thai]]. It has five tones, which do not correspond exactly to Thai tones, plus a sixth tone used for emphasis. The term Shan is also used for related Northwestern Tai languages, and it is called '''Tai Yai''' or '''Tai Long''' in other Tai languages. Standard Shan, which is also known as Tachileik Shan, is based on the dialect of the city of [[Tachileik]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

In 2019, Ethnologue estimated there were 3.3 million Shan speakers, including 3.2 million in Myanmar.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=Shan |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/shn |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629160426/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/shn |archive-date=2019-06-29 |website=Ethnologue}}</ref><ref name="e25" /> The [[Mahidol University]] Institute for Language and Culture estimates there are gave the number of Shan speakers in Thailand as 95,000 in 2006.{{Uncited|date=December 2024}} Many Shan speak local dialects as well as the language of their trading partners.

== History ==
{{More|Tai peoples|Shan people}}
Historically, the dominance of Shan as a regional lingua franca made it the source of many loanwords in other regional languages, especially [[Jingpo language|Jingpo]] and [[Palaung language|Palaung]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Jenny |first=Mathias |date=Autumn 2016 |title=Tai identity in Myanmar and beyond |url=https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/127179/1/IIAS_NL75_FULL.pdf |journal=IIAS the Newsletter |publisher=International Institute for Asian Studies |issue=75 |pages=32–33}}</ref>

=== Influence from Burmese ===
By the same token, Shan has been significantly influenced by Burmese, mediated by centuries of historical and ongoing contact and exchange between Burmese and Shan speakers, especially between the Burmese royal court and Shan principalities.<ref name=":0" /> For instance, the lack of a {{IPA|/f/}} sound in most Shan dialects is attributed to Burmese influence; this sound is present in the closely related [[Khün language|Khün]] and [[Northern Thai language|Northern Thai languages]]. Shan vocabulary has been significantly enriched by Burmese contact, with Burmese loan words appearing throughout the Shan lexicon,<ref name=":0" /> including loanwords borrowed from [[Pali]] via Burmese. Burmese appears to have also influenced Shan grammar, with respect to the use of complex prepositions and certain word patterns that do not exist in closely related Tai languages.<ref name=":0" />

Due to Shan's status as a lingua franca in the region, it has served as an intermediary, passing loanwords from [[Burmese language|Burmese]] into other regional languages.<ref name=":0" />

=== Influence from Thai ===
Due to labour migration in recent decades, one million ethnic Shan now live in Thailand.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sai Wansai |date=2020-01-28 |title=Refugee Conundrum: Little movement in Myanmar's repatriation schemes |url=https://www.bnionline.net/en/news/refugee-conundrum-little-movement-myanmars-repatriation-schemes |access-date=2024-12-10 |website=Burma News International |language=en}}</ref> As a result of ongoing language contact, [[Thai language|Thai]] has increasingly become a competing source of loanwords into Shan, especially for scientific and political concepts.<ref name=":0" /> These Thai loanwords are often more difficult to detect, because of phonetic and structural similarities between Shan and Thai.<ref name=":0" /> Some recent phonological developments, like the reversal of the historical {{IPA|/f/}} > {{IPAslink|pʰ}} shift especially among younger Shan speakers, is attributed to contact with Thai.

== Names ==
The Shan language has a number of names in different [[Tai languages]] and [[Burmese language|Burmese]]. 
* In Shan, the spoken language is commonly called ''kwam tai'' ({{lang|shn|ၵႂၢမ်းတႆး}}, {{IPA|shn|kwáːm.táj|}}, {{lit|[[Tai peoples|Tai]] language}}). The written language is called ''lik tai'' ({{lang|shn|လိၵ်ႈတႆး}}, {{IPA|shn|lik táj|}}).
* In [[Burmese language|Burmese]], it is called ''hram: bhasa'' ({{lang-my-Mymr|ရှမ်းဘာသာ}}, {{IPA|my|ʃáɰ̃ bàðà|}}), whence the English word "Shan". The term "Shan," which was formerly spelt ''hsyam:'' ({{lang-my-Mymr|သျှမ်း}}) in Burmese, is an [[exonym]] believed to be a Burmese derivative of "Siam" (an old term for [[Thailand]]).
* In [[Thai language|Thai]] and [[Southern Thai language|Southern Thai]], it is called ''phasa thai yai'' ({{lang|th|ภาษาไทใหญ่}}, {{IPA|th|pʰāː.sǎː.tʰāj.jàj|}}, {{lit|big/great [[Tai peoples|Tai]] language}}) or more informally or even vulgarly by some ''phasa ngiao'' ({{lang|th|ภาษาเงี้ยว}}, {{IPA|th|pʰāː.sǎː.ŋía̯w|}}, an outdated term that now sounds like the word for "snake").
* In [[Northern Thai language|Northern Thai]], it is called ''kam tai'' ({{lang|nod|กำไต}}, {{IPA|nod|kām.tāj|}}, literally "[[Tai peoples|Tai]] language") or more informally or even vulgarly by some ''kam ngiao'' ({{lang|nod|กำเงี้ยว}}, {{IPA|nod|kām.ŋía̯w|}}), {{lit|Shan language}}).
* In [[Lao language|Lao]], it is called ''phasa tai yai'' ({{lang|lo|ພາສາໄທໃຫຍ່}}, {{IPA|lo|pʰáː.sǎː.tʰáj.ɲāj|}}, {{lit|big/great [[Tai peoples|Tai]] language}}) or more informally or even vulgarly by some ''phasa ngiao'' ({{lang|lo|ພາສາງ້ຽວ}}, {{IPA|lo|pʰáː.sǎː.ŋîa̯w|}}).
* In [[Tai Lue language|Tai Lü]], it is called ''kam ngio'' ({{lang|khb|ᦅᧄᦇᦲᧁᧉ}}, {{IPA|khb|kâm.ŋìw|}}).

==Dialects==
The Shan dialects spoken in [[Shan State]] can be divided into three groups, roughly coinciding with geographical and modern administrative boundaries, namely the northern, southern, and eastern dialects. Dialects differ to a certain extent in vocabulary and pronunciation, but are generally mutually intelligible.

While the southern dialect has borrowed more [[Burmese language|Burmese]] words, eastern Shan is somewhat closer to [[Northern Thai language]] and [[Lao language|Lao]] in vocabulary and pronunciation, and the northern so-called "[[Tai Nuea language|Chinese Shan]]" is much influenced by the Yunnan-Chinese dialect.{{Clarify|reason=Does Yunnan-Chinese dialect refer to Southwestern Mandarin or Tai Nuea?|date=April 2023}}

A number of words differ in initial consonants. In the north, initial {{IPA|/k/, /kʰ/}} and {{IPA|/m/}}, when combined with certain vowels and final consonants, are pronounced {{IPA|/tʃ/}} (written ''ky''), {{IPA|/tʃʰ/}} (written ''khy'') and {{IPA|/mj/}} (written ''my''). In Chinese Shan, initial {{IPA|/n/}} becomes {{IPA|/l/}}. In southwestern regions {{IPA|/m/}} is often pronounced as {{IPA|/w/}}. Initial {{IPA|/f/}} only appears in the east, while in the other two dialects it merges with {{IPA|/pʰ/}}.

[[J. Marvin Brown]] divides the three dialects of Shan State as follows:<ref>Brown, J. Marvin. 1965. ''From Ancient Thai To Modern Dialects and Other Writings on Historical Thai Linguistics''. Bangkok: White Lotus Press, reprinted 1985.</ref>
#Northern — [[Lashio]], Burma; contains more Chinese influences
#Southern — [[Taunggyi]], Burma (capital of [[Shan State]]); contains more Burmese influences
#Eastern — [[Kengtung]], Burma (in the [[Golden Triangle (Southeast Asia)|Golden Triangle]]); closer to Northern Thai and Lao

Prominent divergent dialects are considered separate languages, such as [[Khün language|Khün]] (called Kon Shan by the Burmese), which is spoken in [[Kengtung Township|Kengtung]] valley. Chinese Shan is also called Tai Mao, referring to the old Shan State of [[Mong Mao]]. Tai Long is used to refer to the Southern Shan State dialect spoken in southern and central regions west of the [[Salween River]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jirattikorn |first1=Amporn |title="Pirated" Transnational Broadcasting: The Consumption of Thai Soap Operas among Shan Communities in Burma |journal=Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia |date=April 2008 |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=30–62 |doi=10.1355/SJ23-1B |jstor=41220059 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41220059 |access-date=21 April 2023|url-access=subscription }}</ref> the Northern Shan State dialect,<ref>{{Cite thesis |title=Serial verb constructions in Tai Long Shan |last=Soh |first=Jyr Minn |date=2019 |degree=M.A. |publisher=Nanyang Technological University |url=https://hdl.handle.net/10356/106030 |doi=10.32657/10220/47853|hdl=10356/106030 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> and the dialect spoken in [[Laos]]. There are also dialects still spoken by a small number of people in [[Kachin State]], such as [[Tai Laing language|Tai Laing]], and [[Khamti language|Khamti]] spoken in northern [[Sagaing Region]].

==Phonology==

===Consonants===
Shan has 19 consonants. Unlike [[Thai language|Thai]] and [[lao language|Lao]] ([[Isan language|Isan]]) there are no voiced plosives /d/ and /b/.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan="2" |
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[Dental consonant|Dental]]/<br>[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! ([[Alveolo-palatal consonant|Alveolo-]])<br>[[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|style="background: #ccf;"|{{IPAslink|m}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|မ}}
|style="background: #cfc;"|{{IPAslink|n}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|ၼ}}
|style="background: #fcf;"|{{IPAslink|ɲ}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|ၺ}}
|style="background: #fcc;"|{{IPAslink|ŋ}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|င}}
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Plosive]]
!<small>[[unaspirated]]</small>
|style="background: #ccf;"|{{IPAslink|p}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|ပ}}
|style="background: #cfc;"|{{IPAslink|t}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|တ}}
|style="background: #fcf;"|{{IPAslink|tɕ}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|ၸ}}
|style="background: #fcc;"|{{IPAslink|k}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|ၵ}}
|style="background: #ccc;"|{{IPAslink|ʔ}}{{efn|The glottal plosive is implied after a short vowel without final, or the silent 'a' before a vowel.}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|ဢ}}
|-
!<small>[[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]]</small>
|style="background: #ccf;"|{{IPAslink|pʰ}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|ၽ}}
|style="background: #cfc;"|{{IPAslink|tʰ}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|ထ}}
|
|style="background: #fcc;"|{{IPAslink|kʰ}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|ၶ}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Fricative]]
|style="background: #ccf;"|({{IPAslink|f}}){{efn|Initial {{IPA|[f]}} is only found in eastern dialects in words that are pronounced with {{IPA|[pʰ]}} elsewhere.}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|ၾ}}
|style="background: #ffc;"|{{IPAslink|s}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|သ}}
|
|
|style="background: #ccc;"|{{IPAslink|h}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|ႁ}}
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
|style="background: #cff;"|({{IPAslink|r}}){{efn|The trill is very rare and mainly used in Pali and some English loan words, sometimes as a glide in initial consonant clusters.  Many Shans find it difficult to pronounce {{IPA|[r]}}, often pronouncing it {{IPA|[l]}}.}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|ရ}}
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Approximant]]
|
|
|style="background: #cff;"|{{IPAslink|j}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|ယ}}
|style="background: #cff;"|{{IPAslink|w}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|ဝ}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Lateral consonant|Lateral]]
|
|style="background: #cff;"|{{IPAslink|l}}<br />{{Script/shn-Mymr|လ}}
|
|
|
|}
{{notelist}}

=== Vowels and diphthongs ===
Shan has ten vowels and 13 diphthongs:

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|-
! [[Front vowel|Front]] !! [[Central vowel|Central]] !! [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
| {{IPAslink|i}} || {{IPAslink|ɨ}}~{{IPAslink|ɯ}} || {{IPAslink|u}}
|-
| {{IPAslink|e}} || {{IPAslink|ə}}~{{IPAslink|ɤ}} || {{IPAslink|o}}
|-
| {{IPAslink|ɛ}} || {{IPAslink|a}}<br />{{IPAslink|aː}} || {{IPAslink|ɔ}}
|}

{{IPA|[iw], [ew], [ɛw]; [uj], [oj], [ɯj], [ɔj], [ɤj]; [aj], [aɯ], [aw]; [aːj], [aːw]}}

Shan has less vowel complexity than Thai, and Shan people learning Thai have difficulties with sounds such as "ia," "ua," and "uea" {{IPA|[ɯa]}}. Triphthongs are absent. Shan has no systematic distinction between long and short vowels characteristic of Thai.

=== Tones ===
Shan has [[phoneme|phonemic]] contrasts among the [[tone (linguistics)|tone]]s of syllables. There are five to six tonemes in Shan, depending on the dialect. The sixth tone is only spoken in the north; in other parts it is only used for emphasis.

==== Contrastive tones in unchecked syllables ====
The table below presents six phonemic tones in unchecked syllables, i.e. closed syllables ending in [[Sonorant|sonorant sounds]] such as [m], [n], [ŋ], [w], and [j] and open syllables.
{| class="wikitable"
! No.  !! Description !! IPA !! Description !! colspan="2" | Transcription<sup>*</sup>
|- 
| 1 || rising (24) || {{IPA|˨˦}} || Starting rather low and rising pitch || {{IPA|ǎ}} || a (not marked)
|- 
| 2 || low (11) || {{IPA|˩}} || Low, even pitch || {{IPA|à}} || a,
|- 
| 3 || mid-falling (32) || {{IPA|˧˨}} || Medium level pitch, slightly falling in the end || {{IPA link|a}} (not marked) || a;
|- 
| 4 || high (55) || {{IPA|˥}} || High, even pitch || {{IPA|á}} || a:
|- 
| 5 || high-falling and creaky (42) || {{IPA|˦˨ˀ}} || Short, creaky, strongly falling with lax final glottal stop || {{IPA|âʔ}}, {{IPA|â̰}} || a.
|- 
| 6 || emphatic (343) or middle (33) || {{IPA|˧˦˧}} / {{IPA|˧}} || Starting mid level, then slightly rising, with a drop at the end (similar to tones 3 and 5) || {{IPA link|a᷈}} || a-
|}

:<sup>*</sup> The symbol in the first transcription column corresponds to conventions used for other tonal languages; the second is derived from the Shan orthography.

The following table shows an example of the [[phoneme|phonemic]] tones:
<!-- The whole point of this table is to illustrate phonetic detail of the tones. This doesn't occur anywhere else, and is from the IPA Handbook. -->
{| class=wikitable
!Tone!!Shan!!IPA!!Transliteration!!English
|-
|rising||{{Script/shn-Mymr|ၼႃ}}||{{IPA|/nǎː/}}||na||''thick''
|-
|low||{{Script/shn-Mymr|ၼႃႇ}}||{{IPA|/nàː/}}||na,||''very''
|-
|mid-falling||{{Script/shn-Mymr|ၼႃႈ}}||{{IPA|/nà̱ː/}}||na;||''face''
|-
|high||{{Script/shn-Mymr|ၼႃး}}||{{IPA|/náː/}}||na:||''paddy field''
|-
|high-falling and creaky||{{Script/shn-Mymr|ၼႃႉ}}||{{IPA|/nâ̰(ː)/}}||na.||''aunt, uncle''
|-
|emphatic or middle||{{Script/shn-Mymr|ၼႃႊ}}||{{IPA|/nāː/}}||na-||(for interjection / transcription)
|}

The Shan tones correspond to Thai tones as follows:
# The Shan rising tone is close to the Thai rising tone.
# 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.

==== Contrastive tones in checked syllables ====
The table below presents four phonemic tones in checked syllables, i.e. closed syllables ending in a [[glottal stop]] [ʔ] and [[Obstruent|obstruent sounds]] such as [p], [t], and [k].

{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
!Tone!!Shan!!Phonemic!!Phonetic!! Transliteration !!English
|-
|high || {{Script/shn-Mymr|လၵ်း}} ||{{IPA|/lák/}}||{{IPA|[lak˥]}}||lak:||''post''
|-
|creaky|| {{Script/shn-Mymr|လၵ်ႉ}} ||{{IPA|/la̰k/}}||{{IPA|[la̰k˦˨ˀ]}}||lak.||''steal''
|-
|low|| {{Script/shn-Mymr|လၢၵ်ႇ}} ||{{IPA|/làːk/}}||{{IPA|[laːk˩]}}||laak,||''differ from others''
|-
|mid|| {{Script/shn-Mymr|လၢၵ်ႈ}} ||{{IPA|/lāːk/}}||{{IPA|[laːk˧˨]}}||laak;||''drag''
|}

===Syllable structure===
The [[syllable]] structure of Shan is C(G)V((V)/(C)), which is to say the [[syllable onset|onset]] consists of a consonant optionally followed by a [[semivowel|glide]], and the [[syllable rime|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: {{IPA|/ŋ/}}, {{IPA|/n/}}, {{IPA|/m/}}, {{IPA|/k/}}, {{IPA|/t/}}, {{IPA|/p/}}, and {{IPA|/ʔ/}}.

Some representative words are:
*CV {{IPA|/kɔ/}} ''also''
*CVC {{IPA|/kàːt/}} ''market''
*CGV {{IPA|/kwàː/}} ''to go''
*CGVC {{IPA|/kwaːŋ/}} ''broad''
*CVV {{IPA|/kǎi/}} ''far''
*CGVV {{IPA|/kwáːi/}} ''water buffalo''

Typical Shan words are monosyllabic. Multisyllabic words are mostly Pali loanwords, or Burmese words with the initial weak syllable {{IPA|/ə/}}.

==Pronouns==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
![[Grammatical person|Person]]||Pronoun || [[help:IPA|IPA]] || Meaning<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sealang.net/shan/dictionary.htm|title=SEAlang Library Shan Lexicography|website=sealang.net|access-date=Apr 27, 2020}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan=6|first
| {{script|Mymr|ၵဝ် }}|| {{IPA|[kǎw]}} || I/me (informal)
|-
| {{script|Mymr|တူ }} || {{IPA|[tǔ]}} || I/me (informal)
|-
| {{script|Mymr|ၶႃႈ}} ||  {{IPA|[kʰaː]}} || I/me (formal) "servant, slave"
|-
| {{script|Mymr|ႁႃး}} ||  {{IPA|[háː]}} || we/us two (familiar/dual)
|-
| {{script|Mymr|ႁဝ်း}} || {{IPA|[háw]}} || we/us (general)
|-
| {{script|Mymr|ႁဝ်းၶႃႈ}} ||  {{IPA|[háw.kʰaː]}} || we/us (formal)  "we servants, we slaves"
|-
! rowspan=5|second
| {{script|Mymr|မႂ်း}} || {{IPA|[máɰ]}} || you (informal/familiar)
|-
| {{script|Mymr|ၸဝ်ႈ}} || {{IPA|[tɕaw]}} || you (formal) "master, lord"
|-
| {{script|Mymr|ၶိူဝ် }} ||  {{IPA|[kʰɤ̂]}} || you two (familiar/dual)
|-
| {{script|Mymr|သူ }} || {{IPA|[sǔ]}} || you (formal/singular, general/plural)
|-
| {{script|Mymr|သူၸဝ်ႈ}} || {{IPA|[sǔ.tɕaw]}} || you (formal/singular, general/plural) "you masters, you lords"
|-
! rowspan=5|third
| {{script|Mymr|မၼ်း}} || {{IPA|[mán]}} || he/she/it (informal/familiar)
|-
| {{script|Mymr|ၶႃ}} ||  {{IPA|[kʰǎː]}} || they/them two (familiar/dual)
|-
| {{script|Mymr|ၶဝ် }} || {{IPA|[kʰǎw]}} || he/she/it (formal), or they/them (general)
|-
| {{script|Mymr|ၶဝ်ၸဝ်ႈ}} || {{IPA|[kʰǎw.tɕaw]}} || he/she/it (formal), or they/them (formal) "they masters, they lords"
|-
| {{script|Mymr|ပိူၼ်ႈ}} || {{IPA|[pɤn]}} || they/them, others
|}

==Resources==
Given the present instabilities in Burma, one choice for scholars is to study the Shan people and their language in Thailand, where estimates of Shan refugees run as high as two million, and [[Mae Hong Son Province]] is home to a Shan majority. The major source for information about the Shan language in English is Dunwoody Press's ''Shan for English Speakers''. They also publish a Shan-English dictionary.  Aside from this, the language is almost completely undescribed in English.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Sai Kam Mong. ''The History and Development of the Shan Scripts''. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Silkworm Books, 2004. {{ISBN|974-9575-50-4}}
* ''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).
*''Shan phonology and morphology''. Aggasena Lengtai. (MA thesis, Mahidol University, 2009).
* Loss, Daniel (2017). ''A Comparison of Grammaticalization in Shan and Thai''. Master's thesis, Payap University. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t152M1Ukncx_uuuBJ714LkqSBzxdAF-g/view Available online]
* ''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).
* ''Myanmar – Unicode Consortium'' [https://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1000.pdf]

==External links==
{{InterWiki|code=shn}}
*[http://sealang.net/shan/ An English-Shan dictionary translator]
*[http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Swadesh_lists_for_Tai–Kadai_languages Shan-language Swadesh vocabulary list of basic words] (from Wiktionary's [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Swadesh_lists Swadesh-list appendix])
*[http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=nrsi&id=Padauk SIL Padauk Font (Shan Unicode)]
*[http://sealang.net/shan/dictionary.htm SEAlang Library Shan Dictionary]
*[http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2767:first-shan-thai-dictionary-on-sale-&catid=93:general&Itemid=291 Titles of Shan-foreign language dictionaries]

{{Languages of Burma}}
{{Languages of Thailand}}
{{Tai-Kadai languages}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shan Language}}
[[Category:Shan language| ]]
[[Category:Languages of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Languages of Thailand]]
[[Category:Southwestern Tai languages]]
[[Category:Tonal languages]]