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{{legend|#FF69B4|Meitei}}]] The Meite..."

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Created page with "{{Short description|Linguistic classification of Meitei}} {{Contains special characters|Meitei}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Use Indian English|date=December 2023}} thumb|300px|[[Meitei language, as a member of the Sino-Tibetan languages]] thumb|300px|[[Meitei language, as a member of the Tibeto-Burman languages<br />{{legend|#FF69B4|Meitei}}]] The Meite..."

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{{Short description|Linguistic classification of Meitei}}
{{Contains special characters|Meitei}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2023}}
[[File:Sino-Tibetan Languages Map.png|thumb|300px|[[Meitei language]], as a member of the [[Sino-Tibetan languages]]]]
[[File:Lenguas tibeto-birmanas.png|thumb|300px|[[Meitei language]], as a member of the [[Tibeto-Burman languages]]<br />{{legend|#FF69B4|[[Meitei language|Meitei]]}}]]

The [[Meitei language]], also known as the [[Manipuri language]], is classified as either a [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan]] language or a [[language isolate]] or even an [[Indo-European language]] by different scholars and institutions.

== As a Sino-Tibetan language {{anchor|As a Tibeto-Burman language}} ==
Regarding the position of the Meitei language, in a publication of [[The Asiatic Society]], authored by [[Suniti Kumar Chatterjee]], a renowned Indian linguist, it is said as follows:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chatterji |first=Suniti Kumar |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32096/page/n187/mode/2up |title=KIRATA-JANA-KRTI THE INDO-MONGOLOIDS THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF INDIA |publisher=[[The Asiatic Society]]; [[Digital Library of India]]; [[Internet Archive]] |year=1951 |edition=April 1998 |location=Calcutta |pages=157 (in original book); 187 (in digital book) |language=en |author-link=Suniti Kumar Chatterji}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|''"Among the various Tibeto-Burman languages, the most important, and in literature certainly of much greater importance than [[Newari language|Newari]], is the Meithei or Manipuri language."''|[[Suniti Kumar Chatterjee]], Kirata-Jana-Kirti, Calcutta, p. 157. (1951)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chatterji |first=Suniti Kumar |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32096/page/n187/mode/2up |title=KIRATA-JANA-KRTI THE INDO-MONGOLOIDS THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF INDIA |publisher=[[The Asiatic Society]]; [[Digital Library of India]]; [[Internet Archive]] |year=1951 |edition=April 1998 |location=Calcutta |pages=157 (in original book); 187 (in digital book) |language=en |author-link=Suniti Kumar Chatterji}}</ref>}}

According to the ''[[Encyclopedia Britannica]]'', Meitei belongs to the Kamarupan group of the [[Tibeto-Burman]] branch of the [[Sino-Tibetan]] languages.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manipuri language {{!}} Manipuri language {{!}} Meitei, India, Tibeto-Burman {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Manipuri-language |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

Its classification is explained as follows:
{{Blockquote|''"Manipur state and its surround are the locus from which the Tibeto-Burman family spread and diversified, making the genetic assignment of the region's languages very difficult. During the 19th and 20th centuries, different linguists conjectured that Manipuri belonged to one of several TB subdivisions. In the early 21st century the consensus view placed Manipuri in its own subdivision of the so-called Kamarupan group—a geographic rather than a genetic designation but one that must suffice until more definitive information becomes available."''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manipuri language {{!}} Manipuri language {{!}} Meitei, India, Tibeto-Burman {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Manipuri-language |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>}}

According to the [[Ethnologue]], Meitei is considered to be a member of the [[Sino-Tibetan languages]], without the mentioning of any further classifications.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meitei {{!}} Ethnologue Free |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mni/ |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=Ethnologue (Free All) |language=en}}</ref>

According to the [[Glottolog]], Meitei is a member of the [[Kuki-Chin-Naga languages|Kuki-Chin-Naga branch]] of the [[Sino-Tibetan languages]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Glottolog 4.8 - Manipuri |url=https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/mani1292 |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=glottolog.org}}</ref>

According to a publication of the [[Indian Institute of Advanced Study]] (IIAS), the classification of the Meitei language is described as follows:<ref>{{Cite web |title=A History of Manipuri Language – Indian Institute of Advanced Study |url=http://iias.ac.in/events/a-history-of-manipuri-language/ |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=iias.ac.in |publisher=[[Indian Institute of Advanced Study]] (IIAS), [[Ministry of Education (India)|Ministry of Education]] (MoE), Government of India |language=en-US}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|''"[[James Matisoff|Matisoft]] (1991,2003) categorized Manipuri in the geographically determined group Kamarupan which traditionally covers for [[Kuki-Chin-Naga]], [[Abor-Miri-Dafla]] and [[Bodo-Garo]] while the early classifier [[George Abraham Grierson|Grierson]] (1903-1924) put it in [[Kuki-Chin]]. By Vegelin and Voegelin (1965) it is in Kuki-ChinNaga, by Benedict (1972) in Kuki-Naga, Shafer (1874) recognizes as a separate branch under the [[Kukish]] section of Burmise division. The latest opinion is of [[Robbins Burling|Burling]] (2003, p. 187-188) though none has put Manipuri in Nage or Kuki group it will be better to keep Manipuri by itself."''<ref>{{Cite web |title=A History of Manipuri Language – Indian Institute of Advanced Study |url=http://iias.ac.in/events/a-history-of-manipuri-language/ |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=iias.ac.in |publisher=[[Indian Institute of Advanced Study]] (IIAS), [[Ministry of Education (India)|Ministry of Education]] (MoE), Government of India |language=en-US}}</ref>}}

== As a language isolate {{anchor|As an independent language}} ==
Anglo-Indian scholars such as Irengbam Mohendra opined that the Meitei language is definitely not a member of [[Tibeto-Burman languages]] and there is more possibility of Meitei being a [[language isolate]].<ref>{{Cite web |year=2017 |orig-date=12 August 2017 |title=Meiteis Meiteilon never been Tibeto Burman By Irengbam Mohendra |url=http://e-pao.net/epPageExtractor.asp?src=MeiteiMayek.Meiteis_Meiteilon_never_been_Tibeto_Burman_By_Irengbam_Mohendra.html.. |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=e-pao.net |place=UK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |year=2019 |orig-date=20 June 2019 |title=The long-awaited genetic recognition that Meiteis & Meiteilon are not Tibeto-Burman |url=http://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=manipur.Ethnic_Races_Manipur.The_long_awaited_genetic_recognition_that_Meiteis_and_Meiteilon_are_not_Tibeto_Burman_By_Irengbam_Mohendra |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=e-pao.net |place=UK}}</ref>

Irengbam Mohendra strongly rejected [[George Abraham Grierson]]'s classification of Meitei as [[Tibeto-Burman]], in which he highlighted the following:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Dr Irengbam Mohendra |date=2011-03-22 |title=Who said the Meitei lon is Tibeto-Burman? Dr GRIERSON, but he was wrong – KanglaOnline |url=https://kanglaonline.in/2011/03/who-said-the-meitei-lon-is-tibeto-burman-dr-grierson-but-he-was-wrong/ |access-date=2023-11-18 |language=en-US}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|"''Without fluffing my lines because of lack of space I will let three super-specialists play their part.''<br />''Three of the world's leading authorities on Tibeto-Burman language – [[James Matisoff|James A Matisoff]], Professor Emeritus, [[University of California]] (2003), [[George van Driem|George Van Driem]], a Dutch linguist at [[Leiden University]] (2001) and [[David Bradley (linguist)|David Bradley]], Prof. at [[La Trobe University]], Australia (1997) have independently re-classified Tibeto-Burman languages in which Meithei, now Meitei, is not included anymore. They have left Meitei lon as unclassified."''|Irengbam Mohendra<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Dr Irengbam Mohendra |date=2011-03-22 |title=Who said the Meitei lon is Tibeto-Burman? Dr GRIERSON, but he was wrong – KanglaOnline |url=https://kanglaonline.in/2011/03/who-said-the-meitei-lon-is-tibeto-burman-dr-grierson-but-he-was-wrong/ |access-date=2023-11-18 |language=en-US}}</ref>}}
Mohendra also emphasized the fact that Grierson never came to [[Manipur]] or any nearby areas but was doing his own research by sitting within an office in [[Calcutta]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Dr Irengbam Mohendra |date=2011-03-22 |title=Who said the Meitei lon is Tibeto-Burman? Dr GRIERSON, but he was wrong – KanglaOnline |url=https://kanglaonline.in/2011/03/who-said-the-meitei-lon-is-tibeto-burman-dr-grierson-but-he-was-wrong/ |access-date=2023-11-18 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1998, American linguist [[Robbins Burling]] of the [[University of Michigan]], who had done considerable research on [[Northeast India]]n languages, classified Meitei as ''"an independent member of the Eastern Area of language group."'' Indian-American Sino-Tibetan linguist [[Shobhana Chelliah]] of the [[University of North Texas]], is also of the opinion that Meitei should be ''"unclassified"'' into any language group though it has some similarities with [[Tibeto-Burman languages]]. Irengbam Mohendra have the similar opinion.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2019 |orig-date=20 June 2019 |title=The long-awaited genetic recognition that Meiteis & Meiteilon are not Tibeto-Burman |url=http://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=manipur.Ethnic_Races_Manipur.The_long_awaited_genetic_recognition_that_Meiteis_and_Meiteilon_are_not_Tibeto_Burman_By_Irengbam_Mohendra |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=e-pao.net |place=UK}}</ref>

== As an Indo-European language {{anchor|As an Indo-Iranian language|As an Indo-Aryan language}} ==
{{Distinguish|Bishnupriya Manipuri lect}}
In a publication of the ''"International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Modern Education"'' (IJMRME), Meitei is classified as a member of the [[Indo-Aryan languages]], a subdivision of the [[Indo-European language family]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016 |title=ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE MEITEI LANGUAGE |url=http://rdmodernresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/120.pdf |website=rdmodernresearch.org |publisher=International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Modern Education (IJMRME)}}</ref>

Some scholars like Atombapu Vidyaratna, Lairenmayum Ibungohal Singh and Dwijamani Deva Sharma, rejected the classification of Meitei as Tibeto-Burman. [[Rajkumar Jhalajit Singh]] was among those who strongly supported the classification of Meitei as an Indo-European language.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016 |title=ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE MEITEI LANGUAGE |url=http://rdmodernresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/120.pdf |website=rdmodernresearch.org |publisher=International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Modern Education (IJMRME)}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Central Institute of Indian Languages]]
* [[Department of Language Planning and Implementation]], [[Government of Manipur]]
* [[Department of Manipuri, Assam University]]
* [[Department of Manipuri, Manipur University]]
* [[Meitei language in Bangladesh]]
* [[Meitei language in India]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* [[:en:s:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Tibeto-Burman Languages|1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Tibeto-Burman Languages]]
* {{Cite web |title=Ebooks : Problems in the Analysis of Manipuri Languages. Central Institute of Indian Languages |url=http://www.ciil-ebooks.net/html/prob-mani-lang/Chapter1.htm |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=www.ciil-ebooks.net}}
* {{Cite web |title=The People - Manipur Science and Technology Council (MASTEC) |url=https://mastec.nic.in/index.php/the-people.html |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=mastec.nic.in |publisher=[[National Informatics Centre]], Government of India}}
* {{Cite web |title=A need to rethink Meitei in sub-section of Chin group in Myanmar census code 402 |url=https://www.thesangaiexpress.com/Encyc/2023/7/13/Maheshsana-RajkumarContd-from-previous-issueHe-further-writes-Meithei-is-the-chief-language-of-the-Manip.html |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=www.thesangaiexpress.com |publisher=[[The Sangai Express]] |language=en}}

[[Category:Meitei language]]
[[Category:Language classification|Meitei]]

Linguistic classification of Meitei language - Revision history