Summary of deposit

This is collection focuses on Archaic Akha, a code which is not mutually intelligible with modern Akha (ISO 639-3: akh). There are about 500,000 speakers of Akha in Burma, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. However, according to community reports, the archaic code is spoken by perhaps only 100 elderly shaman.

This collection, based out of Chiang Rai, Thailand, will consist of a corpus of Archaic Akha. It may be used by the community for educational materials, and also serve as the basis for a reference grammar of the language.

Group represented

Around 100 shamans of the Akha people, who speak Archaic Akha.

Language information

Archaic Akha is not mutually intelligible with modern Akha; it is only spoken by shamans. This language does not yet have an ISO-639 code.