Ahom language
Encyclopedia
The Ahom language is an extinct Tai language spoken by the Ahom people who ruled the Brahmaputra river valley in the India
n state of Assam
between the 13th and the 18th centuries.
Ahom has characteristics typical of Tai languages, such as:
When speaking and writing Ahom, much is dependent upon context and the audience interpretation. Multiple parts of the sentence can be left out; verb and adjectives will remain, but other parts of speech, especially pronouns, can be dropped. Verbs do not have tenses, and nouns do not have plurals. Time periods can be identified by adverbs, strings of verbs, or auxiliaries placed before the verb.
Ahom, like other Tai languages, uses classifiers to identify categories, and repetitions of words to express idiomatic expressions. However, the expressions, classifiers, pronouns, and other sentence particles vary between the Tai languages descended from Proto-Tai, making Tai languages mutually unintelligible.
However, the family is unsettled, with some saying Tai languages are part of the Daic family, unrelated to Chinese, but possibly related to the Austronesian languages, others saying it is a subgroup of Kam–Tai, or Tai–Kadai, and still others saying that Tai languages are a discrete family, and are not part of Tai–Kadai.
The Ahom people and their language originated in Yunnan
in south-west China
and they migrated, from the border between Northern Vietnam and the Guangxi province of China, into the south-east Asian peninsula and northern Burma.
Ahom was then spoken by the Ahom people who ruled most of Assam
, a civilization in the Brahmaputra river valley, in Southeast Asia, from 1228 to 1826. It was the exclusive court language of the Ahom kingdom
till about the 15th–16th century, when it made way for Assamese
, an Indo-Aryan language
. The language fell into complete disuse by the 19th century and the phonology has completely been lost. The language today is used chiefly for liturgical purposes, and is no longer used in daily life. It retains cultural significance and is used for religious chants and to read literature. An effort has been made to revive the language by following the phonology of existing sister languages, especially Tai-Aiton and Tai-Phake.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
between the 13th and the 18th centuries.
Other names
The Ahom language is a Tai language which is on the verge of extinction, spoken by the Ahom people who ruled the Brahmaputra river valley in the Indian state of Assam between the 13th and the 18th centuries.Language characteristics
Ahom is classified as a Southwestern Tai language. It has its own script.Ahom has characteristics typical of Tai languages, such as:
- Subject Verb Object (SVO) word order
- Tonality
- Monosyllabic roots
- Each syllable is tonal, and begins with a consonant or consonant cluster. A vowel or diphthong follows. A final consonant may be added, but is not necessary.
- Lack of inflection
- Analytic syntax
When speaking and writing Ahom, much is dependent upon context and the audience interpretation. Multiple parts of the sentence can be left out; verb and adjectives will remain, but other parts of speech, especially pronouns, can be dropped. Verbs do not have tenses, and nouns do not have plurals. Time periods can be identified by adverbs, strings of verbs, or auxiliaries placed before the verb.
Ahom, like other Tai languages, uses classifiers to identify categories, and repetitions of words to express idiomatic expressions. However, the expressions, classifiers, pronouns, and other sentence particles vary between the Tai languages descended from Proto-Tai, making Tai languages mutually unintelligible.
History of the language
The development and classification of the language are debated. The parent language is believed to be Proto-Tai, a language from 2000 years ago.However, the family is unsettled, with some saying Tai languages are part of the Daic family, unrelated to Chinese, but possibly related to the Austronesian languages, others saying it is a subgroup of Kam–Tai, or Tai–Kadai, and still others saying that Tai languages are a discrete family, and are not part of Tai–Kadai.
The Ahom people and their language originated in Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
in south-west China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and they migrated, from the border between Northern Vietnam and the Guangxi province of China, into the south-east Asian peninsula and northern Burma.
Ahom was then spoken by the Ahom people who ruled most of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, a civilization in the Brahmaputra river valley, in Southeast Asia, from 1228 to 1826. It was the exclusive court language of the Ahom kingdom
Ahom kingdom
The Ahom Kingdom was a medieval kingdom in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam that maintained its sovereignty for nearly 600 years and successfully resisted Mughal expansion in North-East India...
till about the 15th–16th century, when it made way for Assamese
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...
, an Indo-Aryan language
Indo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages constitutes a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family...
. The language fell into complete disuse by the 19th century and the phonology has completely been lost. The language today is used chiefly for liturgical purposes, and is no longer used in daily life. It retains cultural significance and is used for religious chants and to read literature. An effort has been made to revive the language by following the phonology of existing sister languages, especially Tai-Aiton and Tai-Phake.