Mara language
Encyclopedia
The Mara language is a language spoken by Mara people
living in South Mizoram
, India
and the adjacent people living in Chin State
in Burma, formerly Burma.
The Mara language belongs to the Kukish branch of the Tibeto-Burman family of languages. The speakers of the language are also known as Mara.
Mara is a recognised language in the School curriculum of Mara Autonomous District Council
(MADC). Mara is a compulsory subject for all schools up to Class VII (Middle School) under Board of School Education, MADC.
Words inside bracket were how a foreign author N.E. Parry (1937) wrote according to his understanding of the sound. But now the Maras have their own alphabet and the correct usages are put up there.
e.g., A good man)
When an adjective is used to complete the predicate of a sentence, a pronominal particle agreeing with the subject is placed before the adjective.
Plural:
Possessive Pronouns
The demonstrative pronouns are the same as the double
forms of the demonstrative adjectives.
There are many indefinite pronouns, e.g:-
Mara people
The Mara people are a recognised scheduled tribe in India, native to northeastern India, primarily in the Mara Autonomous District Council of the state of Mizoram, where they form the majority of the population. Significant numbers of Maras are also found living south-eastern part of Burma, in Chin...
living in South Mizoram
Mizoram
Mizoram is one of the Seven Sister States in North Eastern India, sharing borders with the states of Tripura, Assam, Manipur and with the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Burma. Mizoram became the 23rd state of India on 20 February 1987. Its capital is Aizawl. Mizoram is located in the...
, India
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...
and the adjacent people living in Chin State
Chin State
Chin State is a state located in western Burma . The Chin State is bordered by Rakhine State in the south, Bangladesh in south-west, Sagaing Division and Magway Division in the east, Indian state of Manipur in the north and Indian state of Mizoram in the west. The Chin ethnic group make up the...
in Burma, formerly Burma.
The Mara language belongs to the Kukish branch of the Tibeto-Burman family of languages. The speakers of the language are also known as Mara.
Mara is a recognised language in the School curriculum of Mara Autonomous District Council
Mara Autonomous District Council
Mara Autonomous District Council is one of the three Autonomous District Councils within Mizoram state of Union India. Primarily, an autonomous administrative government meant for the Mara people living in the state. It is situated in the southern tip of Mizoram state bordering Myanmar...
(MADC). Mara is a compulsory subject for all schools up to Class VII (Middle School) under Board of School Education, MADC.
Statistics
- Population: 47,000 in India (2007), 37,000 in Burma (2007).
- Region: Lushai Hills (India), Chin Hills (Burma)
- Alternate names: Lakher, Mara, Maram, Mira, Zao, Shendu
- Dialects: Tlosai, Chapi, Zyhno, Hawthai, Saby, Lialai, Vuty, etc
Plurals
The plural form of a noun is formed by affixing one of the following terms to the end of the noun:- zy(zeu)
- zydua(zeu-dua)
- naw
- sahlao(sha-hlawh)
Words inside bracket were how a foreign author N.E. Parry (1937) wrote according to his understanding of the sound. But now the Maras have their own alphabet and the correct usages are put up there.
Adjectives
Adjectives are placed before the word they qualify.e.g., A good man)
When an adjective is used to complete the predicate of a sentence, a pronominal particle agreeing with the subject is placed before the adjective.
Pronouns
Singular:- 1st person-keima or kei I
- 2nd person-nama or na You
- 3rd person-ano or a or ama' He,She,It
Plural:
- 1st person-eima We
- 2nd person-namo, nama You
- 3rd person-amo They
Possessive Pronouns
- Singular
- Keima, ei - my.
- keima ha, kei ei - mine.
- Nama, na - Thy(You)
- Nama ha, na ei - Thine(Yours)
- Ama, Ana - Him, Her, It.
- Ama ei, a ei - His, Hers, Its.
- Plural.
- Keimo - Our.
- Keimo ei, Keimo ha - Ours.
- Namo - Your.
- Namo ei, namo ha - Yours.
- Amo, a-mei - Their.
- Amo ei, amo ha - Theirs.
The demonstrative pronouns are the same as the double
forms of the demonstrative adjectives.
There are many indefinite pronouns, e.g:-
- Khapamatavei - Nothing.
- Khaparai - Anything.
- Ato - Everything.
- Khapaleipa - Something.
- Khapama - Something or other.
- Aheumatavei - Nobody.
- Aheurai/ ahyrai - Any one.
- Aheu-tleuma - Some one, a certain one.
- Atlapi - Some . . . others.
- Ahrangpa - Another, others.
- Ama Zyduata - All.
External links
- Ethnologue Ethnologue
- Maraland.NET Home of Mara language speaking people
- Maraland.org MITCS website
- Entry for Mara at Rosetta Project
- A grammar and dictionary of the Lakher language (1908) (Scanned book at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
)