Himalayan Linguistics

Languages and Peoples of the Eastern Himalayan Region

• Structural Features of Words of the Boro, Garo, Rabha, Dimasa and Kokborok Languages of the North East India

  • CHAINARY, SWARNA PRABHA;
  • BASUMATARY, PHUKAN CHANDRA

  This study aims to discuss about word structure of the Boro, Garo, Rabha, Dimasa and Kokborok languages spoken in the North Eastern states of India. These languages fall under the Tibeto-Burman sub-family of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. There are linguistic affinities at all levels of structure among these languages. The basic vocabulary is mostly monosyllabic. More than one monosyllabic word (that is free morpheme) may be joined together as constituent to derive a new word or to form a compound word. It is a common phenomenon in the process of word formation. These languages do not possess the use of infix. An inflectional or derivational word may be formed by adding prefix or suffix (es). Suffixes may be agglutinated one after the other in a sequence to denote extended meaning (s). These are the common salient features occurring in word formation process among the Boro, Garo, Rabha, Dimasa and Kokborok languages. In this paper, chiefly the word formation process will be analyzed from structural point of view taking into consideration the grammatical categories nouns and adjectives.

• Preliminary description of Mönkha (Black Mountain language)

  • Dorji, Tenzin;
  • Dema, Sangay;
  • Bodt, Timotheus (Tim) Adrianus

  This study explores the basic grammar of Mönkha (Black Mountain language) based on the variety spoken in the Jangbi village, Trongsa, Central Bhutan. Because of its unique lexical and grammatical features, it was referred to as of the three gems of Bhutan after the investigations of the first Linguistic Survey of Bhutan conducted by George van Driem and the Dzongkha Development Commission in the years 1990-1991. The translation of Mönkha examples into Dzongkha is intended for the convenience of Bhutanese and Tibetan readers, and to facilitate the comparative study of Dzongkha and Mönkha.

• Exploring Prefix Diversity: A Comparative Analysis of the Tani Languages, Emphasizing Usage in Nominal Categorial Prefixes

  • Doley, Normoda

  Various categories of prefixes exist in the Mising language, including classifier prefixes, body part prefixes, prefixes related to vegetables, animals, fishes, kinship prefixes, directional prefixes, weather prefixes, and more. A comparative analysis has been conducted, contrasting the Mising language, part of the Eastern branch, with the Galo, Tagin, and Apatani languages, all belonging to the western Tani group. Expanding on the frequently utilized prefixes identified by JTS Sun—specifically, a-, sa-, ta-, and pa— this research delves into how these prefixes are used with nominal roots in the Tani language. The Tani languages belong to the Tibeto-Burman (Trans-Himalayan) family and lack sufficient research. This paper marks the inaugural endeavor to compare these four languages, explicitly focusing on prefixes.

   

• The Living Song of Kaīvi: Lainong Oral Tradition and Cultural Resilience in Northwestern Myanmar

  • Sainyiu, Anui

  Oral tradition serves as a vital medium for transmitting wisdom, values, and collective memory across generations. Among the Lainong people of northwestern Myanmar, Kaīvi and Kaīvi Yuīnyiū represent distinctive oral genres that embody cultural knowledge, ritual practice, and poetic expression. This study investigates these traditions through ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Lahe, Myanmar, where the Kaīvi festival continues to be celebrated. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach, the research integrates semi-structured questionnaires, in-depth interviews, document analysis, and autoethnographic reflection. Findings reveal that Lainong speakers demonstrate a strong commitment to preserving Kaīvi and Kaīvi Yuīnyiū despite the sociopolitical and urban pressures threatening their survival. The narrative-poetic form of these songs, composed in an archaic register of the Lainong language, encodes communal values and lived experiences through rich metaphorical language. This study contributes to anthropological linguistics by highlighting how oral traditions function as vehicles of identity and resilience within an endangered linguistic community.