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Dimasa language
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2020) |
| Dimasa | |
|---|---|
| Grao-Dima গ্ৰাউ-ডিমা | |
| Native to | India |
| Region | Assam, Nagaland |
| Ethnicity | Dimasa |
Native speakers | 137,184 (2011 census)[1] |
| Latin script, Bengali-Assamese script | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | dis |
| Glottolog | dima1251 |
The Dimasa language is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Dimasa people in Northeastern part of India , states of Assam and Nagaland. The Dimasa language is known to Dimasas as "Grao-Dima" and it is similar to Boro, Kokborok and Garo language of India.
Etymology[edit | edit source]
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 of the big river" (Dima-river, sa-sons), the river being 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 which means plenty of water, Diyung which means huge river, Dikrang, which means green river, Dikhow, which means fetched water, and many others. The mighty river 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[edit | edit source]
Dimasa is spoken in:
- Assam: Dima Hasao District (formerly North Cachar Hills District), Cachar District, Karbi Anglong District, Nagaon District, Hojai District (formerly a part of Nagaon District)
- Nagaland
- Meghalaya
- Mizoram
Phonology[edit | edit source]
| This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2020) |
Vowels[edit | edit source]
There are six vowels in Dimasa language.
| Front | Central | Back | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPA | ROM | Script | IPA | ROM | Script | IPA | ROM | Script | |
| Close | i | i | u | u | |||||
| Close-mid | e | e | o | o | |||||
| Mid | ə | e | |||||||
| Open | a | a | |||||||
- All vowels can occurs in all three positions, except /ə/ which occurs only medially.
Diphthongs[edit | edit source]
| i | e | o | u | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | iu | |||
| e | ei | eo | ||
| a | ai | ao | ||
| o | oi | |||
| u | ui | |||
| ə | əo |
Consonants[edit | edit source]
There are sixteen consonants in the Dimasa language.
| Labial | Alveolar | Dorsal | Glottal | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPA | ROM | Script | IPA | ROM | Script | IPA | ROM | Script | IPA | ROM | Script | ||
| Nasal | m | m | n | n | ŋ | ng | |||||||
| Stop | aspirated | pʰ | ph | tʰ | th | kʰ | kh | ||||||
| voiced | b | b | d | d | ɡ | g | |||||||
| Fricative | voiceless | s | s | ||||||||||
| voiced | z | z | ɦ | h | |||||||||
| Flap/Trill | voiced | ɾ | r | ||||||||||
| Approximant | voiceless | j | y | ||||||||||
| voiced | w | w | |||||||||||
| lateral | l | l | |||||||||||
- The three voiceless aspirated stops, /pʰ, tʰ, kʰ/, are unreleased in syllable final position. Their unaspirated voiced counterparts are released and cannot occur word final position.
- Sometimes /pʰ, tʰ, kʰ, s/ are pronounced as /b, d, g, z/ respectively.
- The consonants /pʰ, b, tʰ, kʰ, m, n, ɾ, l/ can occur in all position.
- The consonants /g, s, s, ɦ/ cannot occur in Dimasa indigenous words, but can occur in loan words.
- The consonants /d, w, j/ cannot appear in word final positions in Dimasa.
- The consonants /ŋ/ cannot appear in word initial positions.
Grammar[edit | edit source]
| This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2020) |
Dimasa language is an inflectional language. The verbs are inflected for number, tense, case, voice, aspect, mood but not for gender and person.
Nouns[edit | edit source]
The nouns can be proper, common, abstract, collective etc.
Proper Nouns[edit | edit source]
Deringdao (Dimasa male name), Lairingdi (Dimasa female name)
Common nouns[edit | edit source]
Miya/Mia/Mya (boy), Masainjik (girl)
Abstract nouns[edit | edit source]
Khajama (happiness), Dukhu (sadness)
Pronouns[edit | edit source]
Ang (1st person singular)
Jing (1st person plural)
Ning (2nd person singular)
Nisi (2nd person plural)
Bo (3rd person singular)
Bunsi (3rd person plural)
Adjectives[edit | edit source]
Guju- Tall, Gedé- big
Sentence syntax[edit | edit source]
Usually it is of S+O+V type. For example:
Ang (S) makham (O) jidu (V).
That means I am having food.
Another one,
Bo (S) makham jidu.
That means - He/she is having food.
Thus, the verb is rarely inflected for person and gender.
It can also be of the type O+ V+ S.
For example:
Makham (O) jidu (V) ang(S).
That also means - I am having food.
Writing system[edit | edit source]
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 script is used in Cachar, where the Bengali people live alongside Dimasas.[4]
See also[edit | edit source]
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- ↑ Endle 1911, p. 4.
- ↑ http://online.assam.gov.in/tribes_of_assam#Dimasa Archived 30 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine Kachari
- ↑ "Index of languages by writing system". www.omniglot.com. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
References[edit | edit source]
- Brahma, Pratima (2014). Phonology and morphology of Bodo and Dimasa: a comparative study (PhD). hdl:10603/21160.