Dimasa language

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Dimasa
Grao-Dima
গ্ৰাউ-ডিমা
Native toIndia
RegionAssam, Nagaland
EthnicityDimasa
Native speakers
137,184 (2011 census (Dima Hasao))[1]
Sino-Tibetan
  • Eastern Nagari
Language codes
ISO 639-3dis
Glottologdima1251
ELPDimasa

The Dimasa language is a

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
.

Etymology

The Dimasa language is one of the oldest languages spoken in

Brahmaputra is known as Dilao (long river) among the Dimasas
even now.

Many of the important towns and cities in

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 i i u u
Close-mid e e o o
Mid ə ə
Open a a
  • All vowels can occurs in all three positions, except /ə/ which occurs only medially.

Diphthongs

Diphthongs
i e o u
i iu
e ei eo
a ai ao
o oi
u ui
ə əo

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 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
Trill/Flap
 r ~ ɾ r
Approximant
 voiced w w j y
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, r, 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

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

Pronouns

  Singular Plural
First person ang jing
Second person ning nisi
Third person bo bunsi

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. ^ "[Untitled]". 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.

References

Dimasa language test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator

External links

  • Dimasa Language Resource collection of Dimasa language documentation in the Computational Resource for South Asian Languages (CoRSAL) archive
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