Dimasa language

Last updated

Dimasa
Grao-Dima
গ্ৰাউ-ডিমা
Native to India
Region Assam, Nagaland
Ethnicity Dimasa
Native speakers
137,184 (2011 census (Dima Hasao)) [1]
Latin script, Eastern Nagari
Language codes
ISO 639-3 dis
Glottolog dima1251
ELP Dimasa

The Dimasa language is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Dimasa people of the Northeastern Indian states of Assam and Nagaland. The Dimasa language is known to Dimasas as "Grao-Dima" and it is similar to Boro, Kokborok and Garo languages.

Contents

Etymology

The Dimasa language is one of the oldest languages spoken in North East India, particularly in Assam, Nagaland. The word Dimasa etymologically translates to "Son(s) [sa] of the big river [dima]", i.e. the mighty Brahmaputra. The Dimasa word di, meaning water, forms the root of the names of many of the major rivers of Assam and of North East India in general, such as Dibang (plenty of water), Diyung (huge river), Dikrang (green river), Dikhow (fetched water), and many others. The Brahmaputra is known as Dilao (long river) among the Dimasas even now.

Many of the important towns and cities in Assam and Nagaland received their names from Dimasa words such as Diphu, Dimapur (a capital of the Dimasa Kingdom), Hojai, Khaspur, etc. In fact, the Dimasa language is one of the last languages of North East India to retain its original vocabulary without being compromised by foreign languages. [2]

Geographical distribution

Dimasa is spoken in:

Phonology

Vowels

There are six vowels in Dimasa language.

Vowels
Front Central Back
IPA ROM Script IPA ROM Script IPA ROM Script
Close iiuu
Close-mid eeoo
Mid əə
Open aa

Diphthongs

Diphthongs
ieou
iiu
eeieo
aaiao
ooi
uui
əəo

Consonants

There are sixteen consonants in the Dimasa language.

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Dorsal Glottal
IPA ROM Script IPA ROM Script IPA ROM Script IPA ROM Script
Nasal mmnnŋng
Stop aspirated phthkh
voicedbbddɡg
Fricative voicelessss
voicedzzɦh
Trill/Flap r~ɾr
Approximant voicedwwjy
lateral ll

Grammar

Dimasa is an inflectional language. The verbs are inflected for number, tense, case, voice, aspect, mood but not for gender and person.

Pronouns

 SingularPlural
First personangjing
Second personningnisi
Third personbobunsi

Sentence syntax

The verb is rarely inflected for person and gender.

Subject–object–verb word order is usual; Object–verb–subject word order also occurs.

Writing system

Dimasa is written using Latin script, which has been introduced in the lower primary education system in Dima Hasao District. The main guiding force behind it is the Dimasa Lairidim Hosom, a literary apex body of the Dimasa community. [3]

The Bengali-Assamese script is used in Cachar, where the Bengali people live alongside Dimasas. [4]

See also

Notes

  1. "Statement 1: Abstract of Speakers' Strength of Languages and Mother Tongues - 2011" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018 via Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.
  2. Endle 1911, p. 4.
  3. "Tribes of Assam". online.assam.gov.in. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017.
  4. "Index of Languages by Writing System". Omniglot. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2018.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dima Hasao district</span> District of Assam in India

Dima Hasao district, is an administrative district in the state of Assam, India. As of 2011, it is the least populous district of Assam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diphu</span> Town in Assam, India

Diphu is the headquarter of Karbi Anglong district in the state of Assam in India. This small town is a popular tourist hill station for people of nearby cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karbi people</span> Ethnic group in north-east India

The Karbis or Mikir are one of the major ethnic community in Northeast India. They are mostly concentrated in the hill districts of Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong of Assam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dimasa Kingdom</span> Kingdom in Northeast India

The Dimasa Kingdom was a late medieval/early modern kingdom in Assam, Northeast India ruled by Dimasa kings. The Dimasa kingdom and others that developed in the wake of the Kamarupa kingdom were examples of new states that emerged from indigenous communities in medieval Assam as a result of socio-political transformations in these communities. The British finally annexed the kingdom: the plains in 1832 and the hills in 1834. This kingdom gave its name to undivided Cachar district of colonial Assam. And after independence the undivided Cachar district was split into three districts in Assam: Dima Hasao district, Cachar district, Hailakandi district. The Ahom Buranjis called this kingdom Timisa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dimasa people</span> Ethnolinguistic group in Assam and Nagaland, India

The Dimasa people are an ethnolinguistic community presently inhabiting in Assam and Nagaland states in Northeastern India. They speak Dimasa, a Tibeto-Burman language. This community is fairly homogeneous and exclusive, with members required to draw from both parents' separate clans. Dimasa kingdom, one of many early states in Assam following the downfall of Kamarupa kingdom, was established by these people. The Dimasas were till recently agricultural, centering on shifting agriculture; but in recent times this has changed with profound changes in the community. Following political problems in the 18th century, the Dimasa ruler moved further south in the plains of Cachar and there took place a division among them–with the hills Dimasa maintaining their traditional living and political exclusiveness, the plains Dimasas have made no attempt to assert themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Physical geography of Assam</span>

This article discusses the geological origin, geomorphic characteristics, and climate of the northeastern Indian state of Assam. Extending from 89° 42′ E to 96° E longitude and 24° 8′ N to 28° 2′ N latitude, it has an area of 78,438 km2, similar to that of Ireland or Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kachari language</span> Tibeto-Burman language of Assam, India

Kachari is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Boro-Garo branch that is spoken in Assam, India. With fewer than 60,000 speakers recorded in 1997, and the Asam 2001 Census reporting a literacy rate of 81% the Kachari language is currently ranked as threatened. Kachari is closely related to surrounding languages, including Tiwa, Rābhā, Hajong, Kochi and Mechi.

Dima Halam Daogah was an Indian extremist group operating mainly in Assam and Nagaland. The group laid down their arms in January 2013, and claimed to represent the Dimasa and their goal to create a Dimaland or Dimaraji in the two states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front</span>

Karbi Longri N.C. Hills Liberation Front was a militant group operating in Karbi Anglong district and Dima Hasao district of Assam, India. Thong Teron was the general secretary of KLNLF. Karbi Anglong NC Hills People's Resistance was the armed wing of the organization. KLNLF emerged from the United People's Democratic Solidarity, being against the peace talks between the UDPS and the government. After the split, there has been turf wars between the two groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karbi language</span> South Asian language

The Karbi language is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Karbi people of Northeastern India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dimaraji</span> Proposed state in India

Some Dimasa-Cachar people of northeast India have been demanding a separate state called Dimaraji or "Dimaland" for several decades. It would comprise the Dimasa-inhabited areas, namely Dima Hasao district, parts of Cachar district, parts of Nagaon district, Hojai district and Karbi Anglong district in Assam together with part of Dimapur district in Nagaland.

Assam – 16th largest, 15th most populous and 26th most literate state of the 28 states of the democratic Republic of India. Assam is at 14th position in life expectancy and 8th in female-to-male sex ratio. Assam is the 21st most media exposed states in India. The Economy of Assam is largely agriculture based with 69% of the population engaged in it. Growth rate of Assam's income has not kept pace with that of India's during the Post-British Era; differences increased rapidly since the 1970s. While the Indian economy grew at 6 percent per annum over the period of 1981 to 2000, the same of Assam's grew only by 3.3 percent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Karbi Anglong district</span> District of Assam, India

The West Karbi Anglong district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of Assam. It is a relatively new district formed out of the existing Karbi Anglong district in 2016. The administrative headquarters of the district is located at Hamren. The district is a part of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and is administered according to the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hojai district</span> District of Assam in India

Hojai District is a district in Assam, India. It was formed on 15 August 2015. The headquarters of the district is situated at Sankardev Nagar, which is about 8 km away from Hojai town. Hojai District was formed from three tehsils of Nagaon District, namely Hojai, Doboka and Lanka. Hojai was a part of undivided Nowgong district of then Assam Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Assam division</span> Division of Assam in India

Hills and Central Assam division is an administrative division of Assam under the jurisdiction of a Division Commissioner, who is officially stationed at Nagaon. It consists of the following districts: Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, Hojai, Nagaon and Marigaon.

Barman Thar, where “thar” means language, is a highly endangered language. It is a Tibeto-Burman language that belongs to the Boro–Garo sub-group. The population of the Barman Kachari community is 24,237, according to a 2017 census. However, only a small part of this population speaks the language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barmans in Cachar</span>

The Dimasa Kachari plains tribe of Cachar are known as Barman, forming one of the indigenous tribes of undivided Cachar. The Dimasas, inhabiting in the Cachar district are officially recognized as one of the Scheduled Tribes under the plains category in Assam in the name called “Barmans in Cachar”.

Dimasa is section of Kachari community. It belongs to Boro-Garo language family. It is mother tongue to around 500,000 Dimasa population. Large section of Sanskritised Dimasa speak Assamese language e.g. Sonowal Kachari, Thengal Kachari, Moran Kachari, Matak Kachari.

References