Ao languages

Ao
Ao
Central Naga
Ethnicity	Ao Naga, Lotha Naga, Sangtam Naga, Yimkhiung Naga
Geographic; distribution	Nagaland, India
Linguistic classification	Sino-Tibetan Tibeto-Burman Central Tibeto-Burman (?) Kuki–Chin–Naga Ao; ; ; ;
Subdivisions	Chungli Ao; Mongsen Ao; Sangtam ('Thukumi'); Yimkhiungrü ('Yachumi'); Lotha (Lhota);
Glottolog	aoic1235

The Ao or Central Naga languages are a small family of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken by various Naga peoples of Nagaland in northeast India. Conventionally classified as "Naga", they are not clearly related to other Naga languages, and are conservatively classified as an independent branch of Sino-Tibetan, pending further research. There are around 607,000 speakers of the languages in total.

Coupe (2012)^[1] considers the Angami–Pochuri languages to be most closely related to Ao as part of a wider Angami–Ao group.

^ Coupe, Alexander R. 2012. Overcounting numeral systems and their relevance to sub-grouping in the Tibeto-Burman languages of Nagaland. Language and Linguistics / Academica Sinica 13. 193-220.

[1] Coupe, Alexander R. 2012. Overcounting numeral systems and their relevance to sub-grouping in the Tibeto-Burman languages of Nagaland. Language and Linguistics / Academica Sinica 13. 193-220.

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