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>How do you
explain the xa sound (as it occurs in Sema Naga Language) in Assamese?Everything
in Assamese, as if, HAS >to come from Sanskrit.
Priyanka:
That is
interesting that Sema Naga has the X sound. Dr Suniti Kumar Chatterjee thinks
that the Assamese X sound is derived from Sanskrit /s/ sound. Following him, Dr
Bani kanta Kakoty also stated the same. But his position can be understood
because Dr Kakoty was doing PhD under Dr Chatterjee, he was conforming to Dr
Chatterjee's view in this respect. However many independent minded 'non-litikai'
Assamese scholars, including Medhi and Neog, donot hold that view and oppose Dr
Bani Kanata Kakoty. I also donot think that Assamese X sound can be derived from
the S sound. I think this X sound was there in Assamese even before Sanskrit was
born in 7th secntury BC thouigh pen of the grammarian Panini.
Besiedes
Assamese, some other Indian languages/dialects also have this X
sound.
It will be
intersting to see if any other language in NE (like Sema Naga) has this sound.
Does Bodo language has this sound?
What is your
view on this?
Rajen da
(kaiti).
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2005 10:45
AM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Re: First Assamese
Text....
O C-kowaidew,
Akow ebar BABAHA!!!
Yeah, you are right. The
preference for the negation after the verb, (e.g. dekha nasilw) is a very
western Assamese and Indian feature. In Xiboxagoriya or Uzoniya we use it only
to emphasize the act(dekha). Actually preference for the negation before
the verb is not very common in the Indian languages (though Oriya usues it
optionally). In Uzoniya as well in East Bengali languages like Chatgiya
(Chattagram), Shiletti, negation preceeds the verb (e.g. aai no-jaiyyum (I
wont go)in Chatgiya. People say that it is a very non-Indo Aryan property in
these languages. The problem is that we have been analyzing Assamese only from
a very Indo-Aryan perspective!( How do you explain the rich classifier system
(as it is in Bodo)in Assamese ? How do you explain the xa sound (as it occurs
in Sema Naga Language) in Assamese?Everything in Assamese, as if, HAS to come
from Sanskrit.
Talking about the Uzoniya and Namoniya Assamese, I was
quite clueless when one of my elekor-pelek Khuris started looking for a
KORAS in our kitchen. Once again I was bowled by one of my elekor-pelek
Khuras' demand that "Rati uriboloi kiba ekhon de" (A Hellicopter, A MIG
21??)
But these differences make Linguistics and languages interesting.
Another issue that occupied pages of Assamese newspapers a few years
ago, is the writing of English words in Assamese script. A noted buddhijiwi of
Assam was arguing that while writing a word like "stop" in Assamese script ,
one should only use DONTIYA XA and DONTIYO TO. I mean, how does it matter? No
matter in what way you write it its gonna sound the same (I mean why not keep
the existing way of writing it with MURDDHONYO letters?) because:
1.There is no DONTIYO and MURDDHONYO distinction in Assamese (Except in
Bhupen-mama's [not using -da,generation-gap!!] songs! "Dug dug dug dug
domboru", for example!!) 2.Assamese sounds in no way can come closer to many
English sounds. My argument is that if in Japanese you can write ICECREAM as
AISUKIRIMO (considering the fact that Japanese only allows CONSONANT followed
by VOWEL structure or vice-versa)why should not other languages modify a
foreign word in their language with respect to the PHONETICS and PHONOLOGY of
that language? Thankfully we still have words like ISKUL, PEN-SOLA in
Assamese, which are modified according to the convenience of the
speakers.
Oh! When it comes to language/s I really dont want to
stop!
Sorry netters!
Best
Priyankoo
Dex matho eta
dharona, thikonar xex xari...
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