Shö language

Asho is spoken in Ayeyarwady Region, Bago Region, and Magway Region, and Rakhine State, Myanmar. VanBik (2009:38) lists the following Asho dialects. • Settu (spoken from Sittwe to Thandwe — mostly Sittwe to Ann) • Laitu (spoken in Mrauk-U, Minbya, Myepon and Ann townships, Rakhine state) • Awttu (spoken in Mindon Township) • Kowntu (spoken in Ngaphe, Minhla, Minbu) • Kaitu (spoken in Pegu, Mandalay, Magway) • Lauku (spoken in Myepone, Kyauk Phyu, Ann) ==Phonology==

Asho (K'Chò) has 26 to 30 consonants and ten to eleven vowels depending on the dialect. • Voiced plosives /b d ɡ z/ are only heard in the Plains dialect. • In the Plains dialect, dental plosives /t̪ t̪ʰ/ are pronounced as alveolar [t tʰ], along with /d/ being only alveolar. • Velar plosives /k kʰ/ may be palatalized as affricates [tʃ tʃʰ] before front vowels. • In some dialects a voiceless is heard in place of /ʃ/. • /j/ may also be heard as a fricative in free variation among dialects. Diphthongs: • Sounds /ʏ ʉ/ only occur in the Hill dialect. In the Plains dialect, /ʊ u/ is heard in place of /ʏ ʉ/. • A shortened [ə̆] is heard in unstressed syllables. • /ɤ/ can sometimes be heard as more central . • A prevelarized /ˠi/ occurs in the Plains dialect. ==Morphology==

Similar to other Kukish languages, many Asho verbs have two distinct stems. This stem alternation is a Proto-Kukish feature, which has been retained to different degrees in different Kukish languages. ==References==