Deori (also Deuri) is a Tibeto-Burman language in the Tibeto-Burman languages family spoken by the Deori people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Deori are also a part of Bodo–Kachari people. Among the four territorial groups only the Dibongiya have retained the language. The others—Patorgoyan, Tengaponiya, and Borgoyan—have shifted to Assamese. It is spoken in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh, and in Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Sivasagar and Jorhat districts of Assam. The primary literary body of Deori is known as "deori chucheba chengcha" (Deori sahitya sabha).
In the colonial times this language became associated with the Chutia people erroneously, and came to be known as the "Chutia language" in the Linguistic Survey of India. Modern scholarship do not associate the Deori language with the Chutia community.
The Deori language is one of the most influential languages which has helped develop the Assamese language in Upper Assam.
However, the word for water has a similar form in many other languages of the Sal branch of Sino-Tibetan to which Deori belongs, so it is not conclusive evidence that Deori speakers were the first to occupy this area.
Vocabulary
Some of the words of Deori present in Assamese derived from the dictionary Chuperemago6 are:
| Deori word | Assamese word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Khang | Khong | Anger |
| Dep-Depia | Dhep-Dhepia | Plum |
| Auja | Auja | Incline |
| Atiru | Ati | Highland |
| Pulunga | Pulunga | Straight |
| Lakia | Lekhia | Similar |
| Gujung | Jung | Spear |
| Mihiti | Mihi | Smooth |
| On | On | Yes |
| Numoi | Numoli | Little girl |
| Norani | Nora | Straw |
| Dong | Dong | Irrigation Channel |
| Dekagu | Deka | Young man |
| Karisa | Kharisa | Bamboo Shoot |
| Bisu | Bihu | Folk Festival of Assam |
| Anali | Anali | Helpless |
| Tangan | Tangan | Beating Stick |
| Botar | Batar | Weather |
| Jakhala | Jakhala | Ladder |
| Hoja | Hoja | Simple |
| Jiyoi | Jiyori | Girl |
| Uyung | Uyi | Termite |
| Dokhar | Dokhar | Piece of cut off |
| Mena | Mena | Crooked |
| Habang | Hebang | Silly |
| Bonda | Bonda | Male cat |
| Ingkori | Ingkori | An insect |
| Seu | Seu | Habit |
| Meli | Meli | Unfold |
| Lopa | Lapha | A type of green-leafy be |
| Khaofi | Ufi | Dandruff |
| Aapa | Aapa | Father |
| Medali | Madoli | A type of Assamese Jewelry |
| Jakoi | Jakoi | Fishing tool |
| Khaloi | Khaloi | Basket |
| Dao | Daok | A type of bird |
| Dolong | Dolong | Bridge |
| Ketenga | Ketenga | Thin/Feeble |
| Chutuga | Chuti | Short |
| Huchori | Huchori | Bihu Carol |
| Hata | Heta | Spatula |
| Hajia | Hajia | Labor |
| Agu | Athu | Knee |
| Goi/Gogoi | Bhaiti | Younger Brother |
| Kai/kakai | Kai | Elder Brother |
| Jiku | Jik | Wet |
| Gila | Ghila | Knee cap |
| Eri | Eri | Eri silk |
| Gadu | Garu | Pillow |
| Hasu | Hasi | Sneeze |
| Hami | Hami | Yawn |
| Hogora | Hogora | A Deer species |
| Kera | Kera | Displaced eye |
| Keturi | Keturi | A kind of turmeric |
| Kekura | Kekura | Crooked |
| Maguru | Magur | Cat fish |
| Kamu | Kami | Bamboo twig |
| Soru | Horu | Small |
| Temi | Temi | Container |
| Borola | Borola | Widower |
| Besoni | Bisoni | Handfan |
| Jeng | Jeng | Bush |
| Pei | Pehi | Paternal Aunty |
| Jabor | Jabor | Waste |
| Hapholu | Hapholu | Out hill |
| Kusia | Kusia | Eel |
| Kerketua | Kerketuwa | Squirrel |
| Fosola | Posola | Banana stem |
| Gorali | Goral | Cage |
| Gosok | Gosok | Trample |
| Ukha | Ukha | Breath |
| Amoto | Amothu | Heart |
| Suruka | Suruka | Clean |
| Hereka | Hereka | Tasteless |
| Kuduna | Khundona | Grinding pot |
| Takun | Takun | Stick |
| Jubura | Jobura | Vegetable curry |
| Kharoli | Kharoli | Mustard paste |
| Likota | Likota | Sticky |
| Hao | Hao | Curse |
| Umoni | Umoni | Incubate |
| Ubiriba | Uburi Huwa | Lying chest down |
| Sereng-sereng | Sereng-sereng | Excessive heat of sun |
| Robju | Robo/Roba | Wait |
| Ayoi | Ayoi | Painful sensation |
| Bega | Beng | Jump |
| Dep Depia | Dhep Dhepia | Plumb |
| Sa kuruba | Kurua | Sunrise |
| Dogia | Dhokia | Beat |
| Heleng-jeleng | Heleng-jeleng | Weakness |
| Kunga | Kunga | Crippled |
| Dai | Daiti | Paternal Uncle |
| Dati | Dati | Border area |
| Roina | Roina | Cleaning instrument |
| Pilinga | Pelenga | Boy |
| Kubi | Kuki | A type of Basket |
| Dun | Dun | Small basket |
| Dokora | Dokora | Wooden hammer |
| Hesiba | Hesa mora | Press |
| Hiju | Hiju | A plant |
| Keng keng | Kengkengoni | Yap |
| Isa | Risa/Riha | Wrapper cloth |
| Sumu | Sum | A plant |
| Rang-si | Rang kukur | Wild dog |
| Megela | Megela bon | Plum grass |
| Teku | Tekeli | Pot |
| Tokou | Tokou | A type of Palm tree |
| Serepa | Serepa | A type of insect |
Bibliography
- Acharyya, Prarthana; Mahanta, Shakuntala (2019). "Language vitality assessment of Deori: An endangered language". Language Documentation & Conservation. 13: 514–544. hdl:10125/24853. ISSN 1934-5275.
- Jaquesson, François (2017). "The linguistic reconstruction of the past: The case of the Boro-Garo languages". Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. 40 (1). Translated by van Breugel, Seino: 90–122. doi:10.1075/ltba.40.1.04van.
Further reading
- Acharyya, Prarthana & Shakuntala Mahanta. (2018). Production and perception of lexical tone in Deori. Sixth International Symposium on Tonal Aspects of Languages (TAL), June 18–20, 2018, Berlin, Germany. 93–97. doi:10.21437/TAL.2018-19.
- Goswami, Upendranath. (1994). An introduction to the Deori language. Guwahati: Anundoram Borooah Institute of Language, Art, and Culture.
- Jacquesson, François. (2005). Le Deuri: Langue Tibéto-Birmane d’Assam. Leuven: Peeters Publishers.
- Mahanta, Shakuntala, Indranil Dutta, & Prarthana Acharyya. (2017). Lexical tone in Deori: loss, contrast, and word-based alignment. In Honeybone, Patrick, Julian Bradfield, Josef Fruehwald, Pavel Losad, Benjamin Ress Molin- eaux, & Michael Ramsammy (eds.), Papers in Historical Phonology 2. 51–87. doi:10.2218/pihph.2.2017.1906.
- Nath, Arup Kumar. (2010). A lexico semantic study of Tiwa and Deori: Two endangered languages of the Tibeto Burman Family. New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University (Doctoral dissertation). http://hdl.handle.net/10603/31796.
- Saikia, Sangeeta. (2012). A socio-linguistic survey of Deori speech community. Gauhati: Gauhati University (Doctoral dissertation).
- Saikia, Sangeeta. (2013). Deuri Asomar Bhasha. In Devy, Ganesh Narayandas (ed.), Peoples Linguistic Survey of India 5(2). 3-15. India: Orient Blackswan Private Limited.
References
(Acharyya & Mahanta 2019:516) - Acharyya, Prarthana; Mahanta, Shakuntala (2019). "Language vitality assessment of Deori: An endangered language". Language Documentation & Conservation. 13: 514–544. hdl:10125/24853. ISSN 1934-5275. https://hdl.handle.net/10125%2F24853 ↩
"It was Brown who had the unfortunate idea of associating the name of the Deori with that of the (Assamese speaking) Chutiya." (Jaquesson 2017:8–9) - Jaquesson, François (2017). "The linguistic reconstruction of the past: The case of the Boro-Garo languages". Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. 40 (1). Translated by van Breugel, Seino: 90–122. doi:10.1075/ltba.40.1.04van. https://doi.org/10.1075%2Fltba.40.1.04van ↩
(Jaquesson 2017:8) - Jaquesson, François (2017). "The linguistic reconstruction of the past: The case of the Boro-Garo languages". Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area. 40 (1). Translated by van Breugel, Seino: 90–122. doi:10.1075/ltba.40.1.04van. https://doi.org/10.1075%2Fltba.40.1.04van ↩
"The extant literature on Deori (Brown 1895; Brandreth 1878; Grierson 1909; Goswami 1994) associates the language of the Deori community with the Chutiyas, "the original language of Upper Assam" (Brown 1895:5). At present, there is no evidence of closeness of the Deori language to the language spoken by the Chutiya community." (Acharyya & Mahanta 2019:516) - Acharyya, Prarthana; Mahanta, Shakuntala (2019). "Language vitality assessment of Deori: An endangered language". Language Documentation & Conservation. 13: 514–544. hdl:10125/24853. ISSN 1934-5275. https://hdl.handle.net/10125%2F24853 ↩
Coupe, Alexander R.; Kratochvíl, František (2020), "Asia before English", The Handbook of Asian Englishes, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. 13–48, doi:10.1002/9781118791882.ch2, ISBN 978-1-118-79188-2, S2CID 225196053, retrieved 12 January 2021 978-1-118-79188-2 ↩
Kishor Deori, Chuperemago(1997) https://archive.org/details/chuperemago ↩