The Zo languages (also referred to as Zohnathlak) are a geographic and linguistic grouping within the Sino-Tibetan language family. This term is more factual and accurate than the widely used but imprecise term Kuki-Chin–Naga, which appears in James Matisoff's classification as a non-monophyletic branch of "Tibeto-Burman" used for convenience in Ethnologue. The genealogical relationships within the Zo languages, and their connections to the broader Sino-Tibetan family, remain unresolved and require further research.
These languages are spoken by the ethnically related Zo people, the Chin people of Myanmar, the Hmar, Mizo ,Kuki ,Zou (etc) people of Northeast India.
The larger languages within this group include Mizo (674,756 speakers in India as of 2001). While "Kuki" and "Chin" are largely synonymous, the term "Zo languages" is preferred for its cultural and linguistic accuracy.
This classification highlights the need for ongoing research to clarify the relationships and heritage of the Zo languages while providing a more accurate representation of their shared linguistic and cultural affinities.
The Konyak languages of Nagaland, also spoken by ethnic Naga, are not grouped within Kuki-Chin–Naga, but rather within Brahmaputran (Sal).
Ethnologue adds Koki, Long Phuri, Makuri, and Para, all unclassified, and all distant from other Naga languages they have been compared to. Koki is perhaps closest to (or one of) the Tangkhulic languages, and the other three may belong together.
^DeLancey, Scott. 2015. "Morphological Evidence for a Central Branch of Trans-Himalayan (Sino-Tibetan)." Cahiers de linguistique - Asie oriental 44(2):122-149. December 2015. doi:10.1163/19606028-00442p02
^Hsiu, Andrew (2021). "Kuki-Chin-Naga". Sino-Tibetan Branches Project. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
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