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Bishnupriya Manipuri
Language is mainly spoken by Bishnupriya Manipuris, a Indo-Aryan
group of people who lived in Manipur(A North Eastern state of
India) long before the advent of Hinduism mixing and intermingling
racially and culturally with the Meiteis but were driven out due
to population pressure,inter-racial conflicts and political events.
Though some of the people later identified with the Meiteis, most
of them didn't submitted to the Meiteis to retain a separate identity
and language. A great majority of the speakers fled away from
Manipur and took refuge in Assam, Tripura, Sylhet and Cachar during
eighteen and nineteenth century due to internal conflicts among
the princes of Manipur and due to Burmese attack. This Language
is now spoken in parts of Assam, Tripura, Manipur( Jiribam, Bishnupur,
Ningthaukhong)) in India ,in Bangladesh, in Burma and some other
overseas countries. Today
Manipuri community is comprised of Meiteis and Bishnupriyas
and thus the people of this community speaks in two distinct
languages namely "the Meitei language" and "the Bishnupriya
Manipuri language" . As the Meiteis entered Manipur from the
east, their Language is of the Tibeto-Burman group. The Bishnupriyas
entered Manipur from the west and so their language is of the
Indo-Aryan group. The relation between the Bishnupriya and Meitei
language is well established. The Bishnupriya grammar and syntax
is much affected by Meitei and the language has considerably
good number of (5,000 or even more) Meitei words.
BISHNUPRIYA
MANIPURI: A PROFILE
Language Name: Bishnupriya
Manipuri
Alternative names: Vishnupriya,
Vishnupriya Manipuri, Bishnupuria, Bishnupuria Manipuri,
Mayang, Imarthar, BM, BPM
Regions: North-eastern
India (Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh),Bangladesh
(Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Sunamganj, Dhaka), Myanmar
and some other overseas countries.
Number of Speakers:
4,50,000 (aprox.)
Source: Close proximity
both with the Magadhi Prakrit and Suraseni-Maharastri Prakrit,
highly influenced by Meitei and Sanskrit. Some characteristics
of Hindi, some denoting terms and a little influence of
Bengali and Assamese incorporated.
Vocabulary: Contains
about 10,000 words of Sanskrit, 8,000 of Tadvava (words
derived from OIA), 6,000 of its own and 4000 of Meitei.
Dialects: (1) Rajar
Gang(Kings Village) and (2) Madoi Gang (Queens village). |
In the Linguistic Survey of India , the basis of language classification
in India, Dr. G.A. Grierson described the Bishnupriyas As Bishnupuriya
Manipuris. Dr Greirson also found a considerable number of Bishnupriya
Manipuri speakers in Manipur in 1891. The 1968 Language Bill passed
by the Manipur Government making Meitei (A Non-Meitei word) synonymous
to Manipuri (An Indo-Aryan word) and the inclusion of Meitei language
as Manipuri language in eight schedule of the Indian constitution
have arisen a confusion and controversy over Manipuri people and
their language. The records maintained by the British India Government
as well as the Government of India in independent India attest
to this practice and in Govt. records Manipuris are classified
into two sub-heads: Meitei and the Bishnupriyas. During the British
regime, in the school statistics maintained by the Cachar School
Board, Cachar, the main heading "Manipuri" was sub-divided into
"Meitei" and "Bishnupriya". The Census of India, 1961, also subdivided
the main heading "Manipuri" into "Meitei" and "Bishnupriya". Commission
for Linguistic minorities in India states - "The manipuris residing
in Cachar district are divided into two distinct Sub-groups, viz,
Meitei and Bishnupriya".The manipuri language issue is now solved
by High Court of Guwahati(1999) and the Supreme Court of India(2006)
which recognized Bishnupriya Manipuri language in two landmark
judgments.
This site offers a introduction
on history, origin and development of Bishnupriya Manipuri Language,
the grammar, script and vocabulary, facts and documents relating
language movement for recognition of Bishnupriya Manipuri Language
and a language tutorial.
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in August 15, 2006 | 45278 |45278