Mizo in Mizoram

Mizo is the predominant language spoken by the inhabitants of Mizoram. The mountainous state of Mizoram or the erstwhile Lushai Hills District is the home of several tribal communities who are collectively known as the Mizos.

The etymological connotation of the term Mizo implies highlander. In the local dialect 'Mi' is synonymous with people and 'Zo' means the inhabitant of an upland terrain. The Mizo language happens to be the lingua franca of the state. The language is an offshoot of the Kuki-Chin script that hails from the Tibeto-Burmese language. The several smaller tribal communities that include the Lushais, Kukis, Himars, Paithes, Pang, Raltes and Pawis agglomerate to form the Mizo tribe. Each of these tribes spoke a different dialect that was unique to its culture. The Duhlian dialect, also known as the Lusei among the locals, was the most popular language of Mizoram. Over the years, this local mode of speech and communication has evolved into the northeast Indian state's lingua franca.

It was the persistent initiatives of the Christian missionaries that led to the development of the colloquial dialect into a formal written script. The writing pattern was a medley of the Roman alphabet and Hunterian transliteration, interspersed with traces of a phonetics based spelling system.

The Mizo language, an amalgam of several local dialects like the Mara, Fannai and the Chhangte reflect the gradual cultural enrichment intellectual appetite of the residents of Mizoram. In fact, Mizoram University has an exclusive department that caters to the study and research of this beautiful subject.