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SIYIN.
The Siyins occupy the hills round Fort White to the east of the Sokt
s.
To the north they are bounded by the Kanhow clan, and to the south by the Tash
ns.
They are called Tautes or Tauktes in the Manipur records. They call themselves
Sh
-z
ng or S-yng. They think that their ancestors came out of
a gourd in the village Chin-Nwe. Afterwards they settled near some alkali spring,
from which fact they say that their name originated (sh, alkali). The form
Siyin is a Burmese corruption, and we have adopted it from the Burmese. The
Siyins think that the father of their race lived thirteen generations ago. The
different Siyin clans, such as Bweman, Limkai or Sagyilan, Toklaing, and Twantak,
are said to have been founded by his successors. The history of the people in
the last fifty years consists of a series of raids and struggles against the
Burmans and Tashns. Frequently also the different clans were at war with
each other. They hold that 'a man should spend his life in fighting, hunting,
and drinking, whilst labour is intended for women and slaves only.' Their reputation
is very bad, and Messrs. Carey and Tuck lay down the principle that a Siyin
should never be pardoned. They are now controlled from Tiddim, and their number
was estimated at 1,770 in 1895. Their country is very thinly populated. For
further particulars the student is referred to the authorities mentioned below:-
AUTHORITIES-
RUNDALL, CAPT. F.M.,-Manual of the Siyin Dialect spoken in the Northern Chin
Hills. Rangoon, 1891.
CAREY, BERTRAM S., and H. N. TUCK,-The Chin Hills: A History of the People,
our Dealings with them, their Customs and Manners, and a Gazetteer of their
Country. Rangoon, 1896. History of the Siyin Tribe, Vol. i, pp. 127 and ff.
SCOTT, J. GEORGE, assisted by J. P. HARDIMAN,-Gazetteer of Upper Burma and
the Shan States. Part I, Vol. i, Rangoon, 1900. Note on the Siyins on pp. 456
and f.; Siyin vocabulary on pp. 682 and ff.
The Siyin dialect is comparatively well known through Captain Rundall's Manual.
The following remarks are taken from his book. They are only intended to give
an idea of the chief characteristics of the language:-
Pronunciation.-The Siyin dialect seems to be rich in vowels, but Captain
Rundall does not describe them so exactly that the different sounds can be phonetically
fixed. A kind of 
occurs. It is descrihed as lying between and .
The sounds f and r occur occasionally, but seem to be foreign to the language.
L usually corresponds to r in Lai. Y and Z are interchangeable. There are apparently
at least two tones, one long and broad, and one short and sharp. But most words
seem to be pronounced in what is called the natural tone. Captain Rundall gives
no information on this point.
Articles.-The numeral khat, one, is used as an indefinite article,
and demonstrative pronouns supply the place of a definite article.
Nouns.-Gender is, when necessary, denoted by means of suffixes. The
male suffixes are p, for human beings, and tal, for animals. The corresponding
female suffixes are n
and pui. Sometimes, in the case of nouns of relationship,
different words are used; thus, p, father; n, mother: p, grandfather;
p, grandmother.
Number.-The plural suffix is t.
Case.-The suffix of the agent is n; the Genitive is denoted by putting
the gov- erned before the governing noun; in the Vocative is prefixed to
the noun. L