Tagin

About

About the Tagin Living Dictionary Tagin (Tagin Gaam) is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Tani branch, spoken primarily by the Tagin community in the Upper Subansiri and Shi Yomi district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Historically an oral language, Tagin has more recently been documented using a Modified Roman Script, adapted to capture sounds — such as the vowels V [ə] and W [ɨ] — that don't map cleanly onto plain Roman letters. This Living Dictionary is a community-driven effort to document, preserve, and share the Tagin language for present and future generations. It brings together vocabulary, audio recordings, and grammatical descriptions in one accessible, continually growing resource — for Tagin speakers documenting their own language, for younger community members learning it, and for researchers and language enthusiasts around the world. What's here Entries — Tagin words and phrases with English and Hindi glosses, definitions, and (where available) audio recordings. Grammar — A comprehensive reference guide to Tagin phonology, morphology, syntax, noun and pronoun declensions, verb tenses, and numeral systems. Sources and acknowledgments The content in this dictionary draws on foundational Tagin linguistic research, educational materials such as the Tagin Gaam Kitap, and contemporary language documentation and preservation efforts — including work by the Tagin Cultural Society (TCS), the Tagin Language Development Committee (TLDC), and independent researchers. This dictionary is maintained as part of ongoing language documentation work by AI4Arunachal, supporting endangered and under-resourced languages of Arunachal Pradesh. Get involved Tagin speakers, students, and researchers are welcome to contribute entries, corrections, and audio recordings. This dictionary is a living, evolving resource — every contribution helps keep the Tagin language visible, accessible, and alive for generations to come. Usage conditions This dictionary is intended for educational,…

Grammar

Tagin Grammar This article serves as a comprehensive reference guide to the grammar of the Tagin language (Tagin Gaam), a Sino-Tibetan language belonging to the Tani branch spoken primarily in the Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Historically an oral language, efforts to document and formalize Tagin grammar have led to the adoption of a Modified Roman Script. This guide covers the fundamental linguistic structures of Tagin, including its unique phonology, noun and pronoun declensions, verb conjugations, syntax, and numeral systems. The contents of this guide are synthesized from foundational Tagin linguistic research, educational textbooks like the Tagin Gaam Kitap, and contemporary language preservation efforts. For a complete list of sources, citations, and related literature, please refer to the References section below. Alphabets and Phonology Tagin agam (language) is written with a Modified Roman Script, adapted because Tagin's phonological system doesn't map cleanly onto plain Roman letters — it's described as closer to the Devanagari system. Vowels Six distinctive vowels, each pronounceable short or long: Tagin Phonetic Devanagri Used as (Example) Not as A / a / आ ask apple E /e/ ए bell be I /i/ इ Unit iron O /ɔ/ आे orange look U /u/ उ put shut V /ə/ n/a shut violin W /ɨ/ n/a n/a water Notes on additional vowels: V [ə] — a semi-vowel in English writing, but a complete vowel in Tagin: lvbw (knee), gorbv (shoulder), nvdw (genealogy), kvnam (to order), kvvnam (to boil) — sounds not found in English or Hindi phonology. W [ɨ] — a high central unrounded vowel (sometimes called “thumb vowel” because it resembles a thumb when lips are rounded around it). A semi-vowel in English writing, but a complete vowel in Tagin: lwbwng (knee), gorbwng (shoulder), nvdw (genealogy), kwwnam (to cook) — sounds not found in English or Hindi phonology. Consonants Tagin Phonetic Devanagari As in Not as B b ब Book, boru Voice Ch tɕ च Chair, charkin Cup, captain D d…