Chin-Songlai — Songlai (Hio) Scripture Portions (Myanmar)
Overview
Chin-Songlai is the Gospel of Luke in the Songlai Chin language of Myanmar, published by Dhamma Mate Swe Association (DMS) and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 4158). Known by speakers as Hio, Songlai is one of the Asho/Cho cluster of closely related Kuki-Chin languages that DMS translated in a single publishing campaign (YouVersion IDs 4155-4161), alongside Laitu (clj), Ekai (cey), Sumtu (csv), and Danau (dnu). This Luke translation provides the first scripture in Songlai for a community that had no prior written scripture in their heart language.
Language and People
Songlai Chin (ISO 639-3: csj; autonym: Hio) is a Tibeto-Burman language: Sino-Tibetan → Tibeto-Burman → Kuki-Chin → Cho-Asho branch. Songlai is closely related to Asho Chin (csh), Laitu (clj), Ekai (cey), and Sumtu (csv), all of which share the Cho-Asho subgroup classification. While these languages share a large core vocabulary, each has sufficient phonological and lexical distinctiveness to require its own translation — as demonstrated by Ekai's approximately 76% lexical similarity with Asho Chin being insufficient for mutual intelligibility. The Hio self-designation is Songlai speakers' own name for their language.
The Songlai community inhabits:
- Southern Chin State and/or Rakhine State, Myanmar — the Asho/Cho Chin corridor of southern Chin and western Myanmar
Estimated speakers: approximately 5,000–20,000 (precise Songlai-specific data is limited; listed as a small variety within the broader Asho/Cho Chin cluster).
Cultural Context
Like neighboring Asho Chin sub-groups, the Songlai/Hio community practices predominantly Theravada Buddhism, reflecting the cultural influence of lowland Buddhist civilization on the Chin peoples closest to the Rakhine and Irrawaddy lowlands. The DMS batch translation campaign of 2024 addressed multiple mutually unintelligible Cho-Asho varieties simultaneously, demonstrating the need to treat each as a distinct translation target despite their close relationship.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by Dhamma Mate Swe Association (DMS), a Myanmar-based Christian translation ministry active in producing scripture portions for minority languages of Myanmar and Bangladesh.