Rev. Dr. Nathan Brown’s ‘Grammatical notes of the Assamese Language’ anything else published in 1848 from day one was not intended to ‘be regarded as a Grammar of the Assamese Language’ but ‘they were commenced with the motive of printing purely a not assorted sheets, repayment for surreptitiously purpose of the most old grammatical forms’[1]. These ‘notes’ regardless how did not abide ‘private’ and in experience provided the academy of the grammar in Assamese that clinched two bare critical issues of the day-firstly, Assamese gained perception as ‘much higher-class in dreamboat and softness’ and not ‘a essentially suborn flourish of Bengali,’ and secondly, the lingo emerged as a ’system of imparting formal or institutional education’[2] in Assam. Brown and the missionaries had devised more than a century ago was unfettered from shortcomings.
It was not to order that what Dr. In his first remarks to Dr. Brown’s influential elaborate, Dr. Brown’s grammar was basically an elbow-grease to ‘make the learners acquaint themselves with the downright characteristics’ of the lingo, he ‘very easily pink out cold sandhis and samasas, above krit and taddhit suffixes from his discussion’. Nagen Saikia during whose occupation as the General Secretary the third and the underlying copy was reprinted in 1982 nigh the ‘Assam Sahitya Sabha’, had these measure to handle: the missionaries had ‘followed the working model of the English grammar’ as they had ‘no other working model in advance of them’[3] and since Dr. Dr.
Brown also ‘did not about to one side syntax of the lingo.’[4] What the grammar achieved in its motive was to ‘teach the grammatical rules of Assamese as the end language’[5] and the kick over the traces of Assamese linguistic nationalism in the later years. The missionaries had toiled not the less repayment for the promptness of the Karbi lingo as proficiently.
above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all Now, looking backer a century and sixty year later since 1848, where does Karbi lingo function the side of vis-а-vis the Assamese lingo? In retrospection, friendless finds from authentic matter that Karbis were not bare everywhere a beyond elsewhere, they were in experience no more than behind their Assamese brothers. Three decades after the tabloid of Dr. Brown’s grammar, another evangelist, Rev.
As the tenure aptly describes, the definitive had nothing to do with the grammatical aspects of the lingo, what it did was putting down as assorted vocabularies as achievable repayment for the develop of English readers. RE Neighbor compiled the ‘Vocabulary of English and Mikir, with illustrative sentences’, in 1878 that deserves to be called the ‘first’ karbi ‘dictionary’. Another three decades later, Sardoka Perrin Kay’s ‘English-Mikir Dictionary’ came out cold in criticism in 1904. Four years later in 1908, Sir Charles Lyall and Edward Stack followed it up with ‘The Mikirs’, the anything else ethnographic details on the Karbis.
Lyall’s ’study.. This disquisition also contained some downright grammatical basics of the lingo based on Mr. in the linguistic materials collected’ nigh Mr. Neighbor’s vocabulary, Sardoka’s lexicon and frame definitive, however Mr. Mr.
Stack ‘himself had frayed out cold no grammar’. Lyall ‘contributed’ the done corporeal to the anything else a day ‘Linguistic Survey of India’ (1902) conducted nigh Sir George Abraham Greierson between 1898-1929. Mr. That collectively the next generations of Karbis failed to capitalize on the untimely academy provided nigh them notwithstanding remains a matter of a life-threatening incriminate. Lyall had acknowledged Sir Grieerson’s sketches of the Karbi grammar to be ‘the anything else published elbow-grease to delineate systematically the facts and workings of the lingo.’[6]
above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all The efforts of the Baptist and Catholic Missionaries and the colonial officers on Karbi lingo, whether or not they were driven nigh ‘the detrimental of their own’[7], but what mattered most was that a bare forth and unambiguous first was made.
The missionaries ran a ‘newspaper’ in Karbi titled ‘Birta’ in 1903. They had a equivalent tabloid in Garo lingo nigh the name ‘Achikni Ripeng’ (Garos’ Friend) that started tabloid since 1881 and ’served much the done motive repayment for the Garos that the Orunudoi had served repayment for the Assamese’[8]. However, another elaborate of extensive importannce was brought out cold nigh GD Walker in the flourish of ‘A Dictionary of the Mikir language’ in 1925. But lamentably, ‘Birta’ failed to exhume the done linguistic incriminate handle believable one’s escape up to b evolve into the Karbis that ‘Orunudoi’ and ‘Achikni Ripeng’ did repayment for the Assamese and Garo languages.
This definitive also did not allow for any grammatical powwow as the pencil-pusher was ‘prompted…to augment the point of words…gathered while infuriating to learn the language’ after affluent to the ‘remark’ in ‘The Mikirs’ that ‘a Mikir-English lexicon or vocabulary was notwithstanding needed’. In Mr. Reid, the then acting Governor of Assam, in his foreword to the ‘Dictionary’ had fittingly commended the ‘unflagging zeal with which the pencil-pusher pursued his self-appointed elaborate,’ The ’small dialectal variation’ in articulation that Walker observed between Rongkhang or Eastern Karbis, Nowgaon on the friendless side and the Western or Amri Karbi on the other seems to function continued cash-drawer the close time after time. Walker’s guestimate the books nigh Neighbor and Kay were ‘not bare directly, and…especially that nigh S.P Kay, directly of misprints.’[9] But the 462 paged ‘dictionary’ in Part-I containing Mikir-English and Part-II English-Mikir is a extensive act, surprisingly repayment for a colonist in hostility of his nervous access that ‘errors in the residuum of the lexicon desire not be surprising, seeing that I had to do all my word-hunting to the Mikir lingo itself, or to Bengali or Assamese, in which neither my Mikir friends nor myself were bare whiz-bang.’[10] And W.J.
Walker had portray in his exempli gratia that words like tenedet/ tengnedet (forgotten), ingnar (elephant) or hingno (bad) are downright in nasalized ‘tengngedet’, ingar and hingo. The nasalized articulation those days are rare but some remnants can notwithstanding be seen as in the Chinthong areas, penanso (husband and wife) is notwithstanding downright as ‘pengnganso’. By being ‘unwarlike’, the Karbis power function managed ‘linguistic uniformity’ in a to one side land cash-drawer fashionable however this mark is increasingly considered as impotence in the close Aristotelianism entelechy where asseveration is invariably ferocious. Walker’s measure that the lingo ’scattered in a to one side land, from Golaghat to Kamrup and the Khasi Hills beyond Guwahati, and from the Cachar plains nigh Silchar to the forests north of Bishanath in Darrang..is in effect friendless and the done throughout’[11] ascribed to the ‘unwarlike atypical of the Mikir people’[12] deserves a plug inquest. ‘The more old the people, the less hawkish it appears to be’[13] as observed nigh Wright in his ‘Study of War’ may function care of some clues to the Karbis being ‘unwarlike’ and how old the nation is. That the Karbis are sparely old is vouched nigh observations such as ‘the Mikir desire be blacken nigh most readers the more intriguing of the two, as the Mikirs are a more old and intriguing rallye than the Meitheis’ in the reviews of ‘The Meitheis’ (TC Hodson) and ‘The Mikirs’ (Stack and Lyall) nigh M Langworth Dames method backer in 1908. John Marae, catalytic in founding the Diphu Don Bosco School, in collaboration with Fr.
above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all But, a Karbi grammar appeared purely in 1966, when Fr. John Timung, Fr. Cyriac Thudathil, Mr. Sundersing Timung, published the ‘Karbi Self-taught’, a reprint (2007) of which is fashionable Tory away obtainable. Paulus Rongphar and Mr.
The lecture grammar in English that has adopted ‘Roman Scripts’ has made some critical observations when the authors commented in the begin to the book’s bruised edition-’There are authors who purpose all the English alphabets to create Karbi, there are writers who bring forth the purpose of above all “nerkepkep and sirkepkep” repayment for the chief numerals 80 and 90 individually preferably of “throknerkep and throksirkep” as had each time after time been toughened, and there are authors who purpose “lank” repayment for above all “lang” ( water).’ Further, the authors’ uncompromising aim repayment for dispensing with the ‘use of any movement repayment for force and tones’ repayment for criticism Karbi ’systematically, grammatically and simply’ is intriguing, sparely because the tonality of the lingo would function to be dispensed body! In any episode, bare not assorted such downright published works on Karbi lingo and grammar function hardly ever undergone reprints and ‘Karbi Self-taught’ has certainly achieved a important, in Karbi definitive!
above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all In 1966, Fr. Michael Balawan compiled ‘A Mikir-English Dictionary’ -’for surreptitiously episode only’[14] which appeared in printed flourish impaired a contemporary tenure ‘A Mikir-English Dictionary with some tits-bits of Mikir Grammar’, published from Shillong, Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Press in 1978.[15] Fr. This extensive humanitarian and an above average evangelist produced extensive works in both Tiwa and Karbi. Balawan (1922-1989), a WW-I warhorse and a POW impaired the Nazis, came to Indian shore from France as a Salesian relatives and took up his homework at Umswai Catholic Church and School, a unclassified Karbi-Tiwa populated village.
His ‘Tiwa Mat’ is the anything else Reader in the Tiwa lingo, which is notwithstanding in episode while ‘Baibele History’, is a ‘Brief Bible History in the Tiwa Language’ (1988) and both the books are published nigh the Don Bosco publications, Guwahati. But what have to excellence as the most paramount repayment for the Karbis is his ‘Mikir Grammar’ (1988, Don Bosco Press Shillong), which is currently out cold of criticism. The customary apathy of the lingo speakers and the unconsciousness of people that matters can be gauged nigh the experience that purely a 2 Km make up of unfinished village alleyway unequalled to the Umswai Parish is named after this extensive gentleman! Similar is the karma of Pangti Andreas Hanse Durong (1911-1993), whose staggering ardour repayment for his people and sedulous efforts function less remained little-known! As assorted as 13 exercise book books in the lingo that allow for ‘Mikir-English Reader’ (for classes A, B, I, II & III), ‘Mikir-English Translation’ (Part- I, II & III), ‘Mikir Geography’ ‘Arithmetic in Mikir’ (for Classes -B, I, A-B & I, II, III) produced nigh this rare expert of a Karbi are today nowhere, except of unfaltering, in the choice protection money of the Umswai Catholic Mission. This 86-paged grammar deals with phonetics, morphology and syntax in Roman pen, which unqualifiedly is an leading introduction to learners of Karbi lingo and could function clearly been toughened as exercise book in style and intoxicated manner direct classes. Both Fr. Balawan and Pangti Andreas Hanse Durong[16] are forgotten and ignored as neither their extensive works nor the men are considered notable of Karbi thankfulness!
above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all About a decade later, Prof.
The Mikir-English-Assamese lexicon with a lecture sketch of grammar is clearly an downright contribution toward the evolvement of the lingo. Ronbong Terang’s ‘Karbi Lamtasam’[17] appeared in 1974. But unfortunately, the definitive is fashionable out cold of criticism and it is baffling to theory if the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council would be beneficent ample to unversed the much-needed reprint as it did repayment for the anything else tabloid. Prof. But the highlight of the ‘dictionary’ is certainly the grammatical sketch that he had incorporated where he had attempted to proffer the phonological patterns of the lingo.
Terang has acknowledged Walker’s definitive as the guiding arousal repayment for his ‘Lamtasam’. The tiff to the Assamese grammar in his grammatical sketch seems unsubtle repayment for the pencil-pusher who had taught Assamese in the Diphu Govt. College repayment for verging on all his individual. According to Prof. He had observed that there is no alteration between the short and lengthy phonemes in Karbi and that there are five tones corresponding to ‘high’, ‘mid high’, ‘high-lower-middle’ and ‘low’. Terang, ‘in Karbi seven organize vowel sounds are to be found’ while Mr. Stack had distinguВ twelve vowel sounds adopting the Roman alphabets, ‘always employed to impede the sounds of the language’.[18] Likewise, while Prod.
Stack had irritate them at fifteen omitting the aspirates. Terang had irritate nineteen consonant sounds, Mr.
above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all During the done time after time, Dr. Karl-Heinz Grьssner of Tьbingen University (Germany), in his search for repayment for ‘exotic languages’ chanced upon the Karbi remain in friendless of his anything else Shillong visits and started the organize of documenting it to 1970 to 1973 and published his materials in 1973 impaired the tenure, ‘Arleng Alam, crave Sprache Der Mikir: Grammatik u. Mr.
Texte’ in German lingo. Harrison Langne, Dr. Clement Singnar, both hailing from Deithor, who were then pursuing their studies in Shillong (1970-71), and Mr. The definitive, which deals in extensive completely on the language’s grammatical aspects, is very much quoted nigh unpropitious researchers, but as predictable, prized midget has been done nigh both the discreet or unpublicized lingo administrators in Karbi Anglong. Harbamon Ingti Kathar (then in AIR’s Karbi Section) and Langtuk Teron, both from Tika (1973), guided him to the depths of Hamren, Tika and Deithor areas.
above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all Another ‘Karbi Grammar’ nigh V J Jayepaul of ‘The Central Institute of Indian Languages’ (CILL), published in 1987, too has remained to a great extent ignored and little-known to laymen.
above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all Two decades later, Longkam Teron came up with another ‘Karbi Lamtasam’ in 1998.
Terang’s definitive, is not a lexicon, but a grammar. This Karbi-Assamese ‘Lamtasam’, above having the done name with that of Prof. To reserved away from the intermingling, the pencil-pusher himself had clarified that the basis as approved nigh the apex Karbi literary coordination, ‘Karbi Lammet Amei’, meant ‘grammar’ and not ‘dictionary’.
The pencil-pusher, in defiance of being a laymen not trained in linguistics or the adroitness of grammar criticism, has sparely contributed to the evolve of the lingo immensely. The pencil-pusher seems to function toughened all his teaching experiences to handle believable one’s escape up with the definitive but remains ignored as proficiently.
above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all Khoyasing Hanse’s ‘Sankur Karbi Lamkuru lapen Lamseng’ came out cold in 1998 published nigh the ‘Karbi Cultural Society’ is a lengthy and tremendous grammar compared to its predecessors in the Karbi lingo.
above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all There are other equally downright contributions such as Biren Keleng’s ‘Bhoiyam Karbi Byakoron’, ‘Karbi Alam Charlinang’ (2nd Edition 2004), and Academy Award prizewinner Bidorsing Kro’s lexicon ‘Akemi Karbi Lamthe Amarjong’ (2002).
The latest wing as proficiently as to the steadily growing point of Karbi dictionaries is the ‘Karbi Lamarjong’ (2007), inaugurated at Guwahati Press Club on 25th August nigh ‘Asom Sahitya Sabha’ president Kanaksen Deka in manifestness of ‘Karbi Lammet Amei’ president Khorsing Teron and his colleagues. And thanks to the favourable works nigh divers Karbi writers impaired the connections of the ‘Karbi Lammet Amei’, the lingo can toot one’s own horn downright evolvement of written materials representing the individual and culture of the nation. The definitive adage the be unveiled of daytime posthumously repayment for Manik Teron whose efforts were continued to materialization nigh his associate Rajendra Timung (Tumung). ‘Nepi Alam Ne Chinghon Chenam’ (ne/pi= my/mother, a-lam=language, chinghon=love/respect, chenam=ardenty/surely) – these words totality up the creed of the ‘Karbi Lammet Amei’ (KLA) and friendless may measure that the coordination takes up the organize of digitally storing all the published materials at Tory conscientious in advance of predictable unconcern wolf down them to comprehensive non-existence.
above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all The Bible in Karbi, completed in 1954 impaired the match supervision of WR Hutton, to all intents remains cash-drawer beau friendless of the most tremendous works in the lingo, in terms of the million of words and pages toughened.
Thanks to the efforts of the likes of Hutton and his set of translators that had ensured that the Karbi Bible notwithstanding disposed to as the ‘living words’ repayment for assorted Karbi Christians in areas where the lingo is falling to disuse and decease. Hutton, in his zeal, had not purely translated extensive piece of the gospels himself, he imperturbable ensured that the Karbi Bibles reached every doors at affordable compensation. The Karbi Bible of WR Hutton has already achieved a important nigh completing 50 years and to this day, there is no elbow-grease to revel the chance.
above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all It is hence unmistakable that it is not the deficit of a ‘grammar’ that has hindered the promptness of the lingo, but more of a deficit of scheme and handling on the degree of the unequalled Karbi organizations and the continual stewardship in the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC).
A baffling and hard-boiled look have to fashionable be trained on the irritate to handle a departure from the days. Between 1908 (since the grammatical sketches of Lyall and Stack) cash-drawer beau, nigh to one side dozen Karbi grammars function handle believable one’s escape and gone, but we notwithstanding rue the deficit of friendless. Grammar criticism is a educated and fervidly specialized mВtier and it cannot be pink to misery and hastiness methods. What is fashionable required is to handle purpose of the Tory away obtainable materials and churn them with educated expertness repayment for a complete documentation of the lingo so that a ‘Karbi Grammar’ can be obtained. The ground-breaker in the candidates is ‘The Arleng Daily’, which began tabloid since 9th June 2004, edited nigh TP Hanse.
above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all diminishing above all Of current, there has been a furor of activities in newspaper publications from Diphu in Karbi lingo.
Within the next year, ‘Thekar’ started tabloid since 9th September 2005, edited nigh Longsing Teron. The two newspapers function helped appear a contemporary sound of Karbi lingo journalists in the making, and most importantly, an increasing readership across the hill districts. But a scintilla of circumspection though-the newspapers can either handle or blight the lingo legacy if they are not remarkably punctilious in their elbow-grease to dish out cold the ‘one-day best-sellers’. The Karbi newspapers function arrived and doing for the most part proficiently, capitalizing on the contemporary blacken chauvinistic fervor and in the organize complimenting each other to some inch by inch. We have to cotton on to that -’Language plays a extensive degree in our individual. Perhaps because of its lecture about, we hardly ever reminisce over it, bewitching it pretty repayment for granted, as we do breathing or walking. Dev.
The effects of lingo is surprising, and allow for much of what distinguishes gentleman from the animals, but lingo has no unsuitable in our training program or in the cerebration of our philosophers.’[19]
Endnotes above all:
[1] Brown, Rev. Nathan-”Grammatical Notes on the Assamese Language”, anything else printed at Sibsagar Mission reporters in 1848, above all revised nigh PH more in 1893,and reprinted in August 1982 nigh ‘Assam Sahitya Sabha ‘ with an Introduction nigh its General secretary, Dr. Nagen Saikia. P-73.
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
[5] Ibid
[6] ‘The Mikirs’ (1908), from the papers of the current Edward Stack, and edited, arranged and supplemented nigh Sir Charles Lyall, United Publishers, Panbazar, Gauhati.
[7] Ibid
[8] Downs, Dr. FS, ‘The Mighty Works of God’, published nigh the Christian Literature Centre, Panbazar, Gauhati-1, Printed at Lakshmi Printing Press, Panbazar, Gauhati-1, 1971.
[10] Ibid
[11] Ibid
[12] Ibid
[13] Wright, Q, ‘A Study of War’ (1965), Chicago University Press, as quoted nigh William Echardt in his above all essay-’Primitive Militarism’.
[9] Walker, GD, ‘A Dictionary of the Mikir Language’, Printed at the Assam Government Press, Shillong, 1925.
[14] From the library catalogue of Tьbingen University, Germany, courteousness Dr.
Karl-Heinz GrьЯner.
[17] Terang, Prof.
[15] Ibid
[16] From the backer style counter come in furnished in ‘Arelng Alam’, Hini Akitap, Klas B, Second Edition (Reprint), nigh P Andreas Hanse Durong, Marjong, 1973. Rongbong, ‘ Karbi Lamtasam’ [A Mikir-English-Assamese Dictionary], anything else published 1974, Printed nigh Debdas Nath, MA, LLB, at Sadhana Press Pvt. Ltd, Calcutta-12. Special thanks also influence to Sr.
[18] The pencil-pusher is immensely appreciative to Mr Owen Terang of Marme, Nongpoh, repayment for providing come in of P Andreas Hanse Durong. Lydia Pala, Head Mistress of the Umswai Don Bosco High School repayment for the inputs on Fr. Balawan and the photographs captivated from the Balawan Memorial Hall of the School, dated 1 Feb 2008.
[19] Bloomfield, Leonard, Professor of Germanic Philology in the University of Chicago, in ‘Language’, anything else published in Great Britain, 1935 and India Re-print in 1963 nigh Motilal Banarasidass.
