CHAPTER-n

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

OF THE HINDI AND THE ASSAMESE LANGUAGES

2.1. Indo-Aiyan Languages :

Hindi and Assamese are two well-developed forms of the Indo-Aryan
languages, an important branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Inspite
of difference of opinion, it is generally accepted that the period of the Indo-
Aryan languages starts way back from 1500 B.C. approximately, and thus it has
a long history of about 3500 years now, which can be divided into three stages
as old Indo-Aryan, Middle Indo-Aryan and New Indo-Aryan:
TO T B STkTOT dd SfrfT ? koo fo tjo <*? 3THFTRT W T tl cR fr 3TW cRdOs

T O c fk s rp frlT O c frr W R c k f I I *n fU 5F ffr?k d T 3T f

% ^ TOik sipNm ^ ckt s m cfk h w |-

) WI#T w k 3tF hM (SITTOTT) ?koo fo go-Hoo fogo
CO TOcfk 3lkTOf( fTOSTf) koo fo go-J<ooo fo
(O TOcfk (3TPTT3TT) tooo f o - s p ^ l 1
/ y

qPlWgsSh TOdk Slk-TOT h t f e fdk?I H fsRFl SRI : (%) W#T f

TOdk 3lk-TOT (Old Indo-Aiyan), (O TOT w k 3lk-TOT (Middle Indo-
Aryan), 0 ) T O k 3lk-TOT (New Indo-Axyan)i 3 P TOf^T TOTf
w r R cR ; ^ n k r, s i f c i a r o t o w ? f e r k m: s ir e s r i f f w T O k k s k

tot ^ ck k *kl2
1. Tiwari, Bholanath, Hindi Bhasa, p. 9
2. Sharma, Satyendranath, Asamlya Sahityar Samlksatmak Itivrtta, pp. 4-5

a /r o & i
 1 4

-^ T c W T T JU R W c fe % cffr W «|clTC; I =(o U I# T W # T

s r k -U M , o o u ssr w k a r k -u r o , (?) *? K cfk a r k -u m i s fk

^ f c l 'TO!, tRW RR %j; U#f, '5fIfcT sffc 3F7W f e f k 3*R % 3lk STTWfW

«ficWM R iRrfdcT 3114*11*11$ cpfk *cR % S k f t f e 3Rcf) |[

The earliest form of the Indo-Aryan languages is the S k ? ^FTWT or k k T

(Vedic language), i.e. language of the Vedas. The next one is known as
'55R^kTor crc>ilu=t)<rt "R^kT (Laukika or Classical Sanskrit), that is used by
a galaxy of literary gems, like Valmlki, Vyasa, Bhasa, Aswaghosa, Kalidasa,
Magha, etc. The old Indo-Aryan languages include both the Vedic language
and the Sanskrit language. T?#T (Pali), Mi+d (Prakrt) and 3M ?r ( apabhram a )
are the Middle Indo-Aryan languages, the period of which ranges from 500
B.C. upto 1000 A.D. approximately, Hki (Hindi), 3w4ki (Assamese),
(Bengalee), 3fen (Oriya), utral (Marathi), w r k (Gujarati) and w k t (Punjabi)
are the major modem Indo-Aryan languages, the period of which starts from
1000 A.D. appoximately. Both the Vedic language and the Classical Sanskrit
are popularly known as the Sanskrit language, and in this sense it is said that
the sister languages, like Hindi, Assamese and other new or modem Indo-
Aryan languages have their origin in Sanskrit, one of the oldest and richest
languages of India.

2.2. Hindi Language:

At present, Hindi is the official language o f the Indian Union as per the
constitutional provision of Ariticle No. 343(1) :
The official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script.
The form of numerals to be used for offical purposes of the Union shall
be the international form of Indian numerals.3

3. Basu, Durga Das, Constitutional Law o f India, p. 414

 15

The development of the Hindi language, to be brought by the Union

Government as a median of expression for all the elements of the composite
culture of India has been recommended vide the Article No. 351 of the
constitution:
It shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi
language, to develop it so that it may serve as the medium of expression
for all the elements of the composite culture of India and to secure its
enrichment by assimilating with out interfering with its genius, the forms,
style and expressions used in Hindustani and in other languages of India
specified in the Eighth schedule, and by drawing, wherever necessary or
disirable, for its vocabulary, primarily on Sanskrit and secondarily on
other languages.4
Accordingly, Hindi has been so developed and enriched by various central
Government agencies that presently, it has acquired the capability of giving
exprssion to anything & everything connected with human knowledge, science
& technology and others, that are expressable through language. Today, it has
been playing a pivotal role as a link-language or lingua franca in the multi­
lingual Indian society, where no less than 1652 languages including 63 non-
Indian languages are currently in use. Hindi, including its kindred variants
Urdu and Hindustani, is used by almost 46 percent of the total population of the
country. This is one of the reasons of Hindi being accepted by the people of the
country as tipiNi, i.e. National language to be used for mutual contact in the
glorious days of the great freedom struggle, and it enjoys the same status even
today.
At present, Hindi is the State language of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh
4. Ba.su, Op. cit. p. 418
 16

and Delhi. For the people living in these ten states, Hindi is the mother tongue
or first language. It is used in some parts of Punjab also. Thus the Hindi-
speaking area is quite vast and it meets Punjabi, Kashmiri, Bengalee, Oriya,
Marathi and Gujarati in its boundaries :
Hindi is a New Indo-Aryan (NIA) language spoken in the North of India
by more than two hundred million people either as a first or a second
language. Along with English, it is the official language of India. In
addition, it is the state language of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. It is related to Punjabi in
the west, Bengali, Assamese and Oriya in the east, Gujarati and Marathi,
in the south, more remotely, to Kashmiri, in the north.5
Thus Hindi is in vogue at a large tract of the area, where New Indo-Aryan
languages are currently used. It spreads from the river Narmada in the south
upto the Himalayas in the north. In this vast area of the Hindi language we can
trace fivc huyt# or f t m # (sub-languages) and seventeen major 4lfci41 (dialects):
fr f t # 3F>T <5tR h f w ft ftsR c^fOT fr # c q cR» t l 6

f t # spit «rt ftrar f e w ft# , mm m fw *tpt, wfwiwr, ft# , 3vr f t #

rparft# cWf ftfWK I f t # f t # (sm )) f t # 3 # t tl ftT ^ fr f t # #

»
I', f t #
/
W lc f s;V3 fttftftf I
o

SSI # f# tf

ft# ^. f t s # f t # *. # # ^ . g w rw

3. ifan # x 3 # # v # f t )
•o

3 ft# ^ ^ . « # # 3. wdfrm#

5. Kaehra, Yamuna, Aspects o f Hindi Grammar, p. 1

6. Tiwawri, Udaynarayan, Hindi Bhasu ka Udgam aur Vikas, p. 218
 17
3. TPRSIFft ?. qfife W W l OWlIft)
*. m m ft (m rjt)
3. 3 ttO tpfwhI (hcfel)
X. qfeft w i i (TTTcTeft)
x. w f t * . # q l ■quit *. qmmff w #

Cf^rfHHT^rOT)
f . fV
, fU
, , , <r.

h. fe lt \ . f e r q t * . m i t ?. t f e f t i 7

The standard form (a form that is accepted, and that is why is to be accepted
& used for formal purposes) of the Hindi language (*tFim feft) is based mainly
on the Khanboll or Kauravi (tsteWk-fl or f e t ) dialect spoken in and around
Delhi, the capital city of India :
qm w 33crr I % fe t tisfeft mt strait w mteft, sfe^ hts %
stra w feft fer msft I ? t f e , ferck, ^ra^, t f e mti snfc
sifefer mwife# w qt m li8
w ph wsft, if f e t, stfc felt ml ^reWterfer # fr ml femrTT'Sir m
f e w q h i w l t w t r a i w ) m l m f e t mm t f e f e p u , s t m ^ q F i m

f e t t a b l e t I , f e f e # r $ kra r ( P ^ w h I , 3 f , f e t ) f i qf fa # t i f e qwf

t m fe fe qm a# % f e w % m m f? ftt# w i m f e t cRn w #> s t r a w

m# met qfert qt t i i W l mi # t i 9

As a major dialect of the Hindi language Khanboli is currently spoken in

the area of erstwhile Kuru Janapada (fv$ mtqq) and present day places, like
Delhi city, Meerut, Gajiabad, Rampur, Muradabad, Bijnaur, Mujaffamagar,
Saharanpur, plains of Dehradun and the neighbouring areas:
7. Dr. Nagendra, (Ed.), Hindi Sahitya ka Itihas, p. 23
8. Tiwari, Bholanath, Hindi Bbasa, p. 85
9. Tiwari, Loc. cit
 18

w s W i PwfcffisM w r ! -»M if «fi# wirft growra, Rm 4K h*s,

fiR W R , wingt, ^o$=r %■ ^ h Nft, 3wf^it cWT sfk f e n
f^rracT % o.
^TFT!10
Owing to political reason, i.e. for being in use in and around Delhi, the
capital city of India, Khanboli has emerged as the standard form of the Hindi
language. Earlier, in the medieval period of Hindi literature, the dialects of a w t
(Avadbi) and (Braja) were the prominent literary and cultural media in the
Hindi speaking area :
* r s i a f e * m * jpm I A an* ^ w

% if I in

Although Hindi is said to be originated from the Sanskrit language, but the
immediate origin of different Hindi dialects are (Sauraseni% sr^RTWf
(Ardha Magadhi) and (Magadhi) apabhramsas. The Khanboli dialect,
from which the standard Hindi has been developed is originated from the northern
form o f the Sauraseni apabhraihsa :
lasted ( « ) mm w M mm % ^ t far I f
We may trace a few forms and features o f the Hindi language even in Psli
(500 B.C —I A. D. approximately.) The percentage of such linguistic forms and
features of Hindi were gradually increased from Pali to apabhramsas (500 A.D.
approximately). Around 1000 A.D the percentage of the Hindi forms and features
reached to such a proportion (it became more than 50%) that the identity of a
separate language coming out of apabhramsa was clearly established. However,
at this point Hindi was greatly inflimced by the apabhramsas, but this influence
went on decreasing, and by about 1500 A.D. Hindi became folly free from the
apabhramsas:
10. Verma, Dhirendra, Hindi Bbasa ka Itihas, p. 64
11. Sharma, Devendranath, BbasavijSan Id Bbumika, p. 136
12. Tiwari, Bholanath, HindiBbasa, P. 33
 19

W T3<T ¥RT I nt eft TR frlfrf ft fftclft <?PTft % WfRT

ft 3 T # ftFJM 3Tk ftt ^Tcft I cmT 3T9W if 3=lft 3Tft ft) c|fe fT tj| | ? fip^T

m fftWRR W f t T ffftw fcRT ^TfT I f e ? o o o fo % tjcf f ^ \ m 3 ^ n ¥ 35f ¥R 7

5TT TPhcTTI13

w m rt fipft ^ ftfc sw ^ Tsrf a m r f t r a h ^ orfatf $f$, ^ m,

TFsiWFft, wrsi, fftFRT) wt ¥ r g ^ wm I, T$?#ff, srshTPiftf o tt u t w onqw

ft to o o f o % 3TRPTRT 3 ^ ¥ cT | f l 14

After being bom in and around 1000 A. D., the Hindi language has been
growing and developing very fast being influnced mainly by Sanskrit, Arabic,
Persian and English from time to time. At present, Hindi has a long history of
about 1000 years of its growth and development, which can be divided mto
three periods, viz, ^ lifted (AdikaJa, 1000 A.D.-1500 A.D.),WRTM (hadhyakala,
1500 A.D—1800 A.D) and ^tef (Adhunikakala, 1800 A.D. onwards):
fl^ft \ o o o fo ft ftcpa; tftft-ftft aw w nm ?ooo it

l l 3¥% f T ? ° ° o ftr ffftfRT 3T?tarT fft^TRT ^ cfk ^Teft ¥ ftfeT WTffT I

(?) snferM (?ooo fo ft ?qoo fo)

(R) P W I ft R^oo fo)
(3 ) 3 fT frfe 'em ( ? H° o f o f t 3PT cPF)15

In its long history, we come across a good number of names, like

ftsTT, a f, etc. used for Hindi. These varaities are primarily
based on the Hindi dialect spoken in and around Delhi with a little linguistic
differences especially in the vocabulary mainly due to the contact between the
Arabs, the Afghans, the Persians, the Turks,etc. and the local Hindi speaking
population:

13. Tiwari, Bholanath, Hindi BIuisu kl Samracnu, p. 20

14. Tiwari, Bholanath, Hindi BhasS, ft. 99
15. Tiwari, Bholanath, Hindi BhfisS klSariirjcnS, pp. 21-23
 20

<qM % 3 $ if % 3#ftrF Rf SRSjfc

fl^RcTFft *fT ftspiMl, y | % 4 \F3T, ftsft, 3 f SJlfc m ft) 3?#! flcfl l i 16

The names Hindi, Hindustani and Urdu are confusing. It is generally

accepted that all these varaities are based upon the language spoken around

Delhi-Meerut and began developing around the twelfth or thirteenth century

as a result o f contact between the Arabs, Afghans, Persians, Turks, etc.

and the local residents. The language that was used for mutual interaction

between the foreigners and the native population was variously labelled

Rexta (mixed), Urdu (camp) and Hindi or Hindawi or Hindustani (Indian) . 17

The word (.Hindi) is said to be derived from a Sanskrit word frFg

(Sindhu), initially meaning a river and later on its neighbouring areas as well.

The word frPJ had undergone many changes (ft° frpf > TU® f t^ > +

— fe fte > fipfr) mainly due to persian influence, and finally the word

{Hindi), meaning a language of the 'H ind, i.e. India came into being :

* V «i& u r o M V * w * ti * lfc *
ii . V -v A „„ ‘ f , i* .A , ‘P , A 1 _v ..A, & , N .. A
3TR reral ^ TBRw FU W Z 3fK ¥1 t I W f t cWT FR

% f e f t ’ RT 1M V TFRft) RTO 5PT t l 18

TNV yas w* m n f e f ' ft rftt 1 1 ‘ftp j’ ‘ftp?' ^

ft M l S T R IP t p 3TRPTRT R P | q f> R F T C I F ? R Fg FT^

Ittfr ft w p p : ark f t R t w s f e w f e arft m ‘frp ? tiftFr’ i ft

lu ft RRcT % Stfrpft wpif % ’ifftftw ftft Uq; ftft W F^ft ftr 3?*f ft

fTcTT W cFtT g f f e ' FT^f, $ RIFT WT ft W i fftl ft ftlft

16. Tiwari, Udaynarayan, H indi Bhasa ka Udgam a w Vikas, p. 186

17. Kachru, Yamuna, A spects o f H indi Grammar, p. 1
18. Verma, DMrendra, H indi BhSsa ka IdhSs, p. 58
 21

qq W cPl% % W | ‘fe q qq I qqR> ‘tf^ T ^T 3 lM

‘I f W snfq wt % # f e j f e r ^ q f i ‘ft*3’ *ft ‘fF^Nr qq # qfetfcfq ^ q

I ajfr w® $?r ai«f l i Tt*r qq’l19

‘f l ^ f ^ qq tjer <srf ‘fw^er (fro ffr^> qqo qq' | i

ir if e ? fipr 5Rt qpfT % ffrq w qrq qq q # T i t m t i 20

The script usually used for the Hindi language is (Devanagari),

which is originated from the qfTlfl (Brahml) script, one of the oldest scripts of
the country :
The Hindi language is commonly written, like the Sanskrit, in the
Devanagari alphabet.21

2.3. Assamese Language

At present, Assamese is the State language (TPI qm ) of Assam, a small
state of the great Indian Republic. It is accepted as one of the eighteen major
Indian languages (Assamese, Manipuri, Bengalee, Oriya, Tamil, Telegu,
Malayalam, Kannada, Konkani, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Hindi,
Urdu, Nepali, Sindhi and Sanskrit) vide the Eighth Schedule of our Constitution.
Assamese is spoken mainly in the Brahmaputra valley from Sadiya in the east
upto Dhuburi in the west. Thus, the Assamese language is in vogue in the
easternmost part of the area, where Neo-Indo-Aryan languages are currently
spoken. It meets Bengalee in the west, and in the remaining three sides it meets
the languages, like Aka, Dafla, Adi, Mishmi, Khamti, Nokte, Singphou, Ao
Naga, Angami, Kuki-Chin, Meitei, Lushai, Chakma, Khasi, Garo, etc. belonging
to non-Indo-Aryan families, like Sino-Tibetan (Tibeto-Chinese), Austric, etc :
Assamese is the easternmost New-Indo-Aryan language spoken in the
Assam valley districts with Lakhimpur in the extreme east and Goalpara
19. Tiwari, Bholanath, H indi Bbasa i d Samracna, pp. 18-19
20. Tiwari, Bholanath, H indi Bhasa, p. 23
21. Kellogg, S.H., Grammar o f the H indi Language, p. 1
 22

in the extreme west. It meets Bengali in the west and is surrounded on

all sides by speeches belonging to altogether different fam ilies o f which
the principal are the Tibeto-Burm an and the Khasi (o f the M onM nner

fam ily).22

In the areas in Assam, where Assamese is in use it is not the only vernacular,
rather, a good num ber o f non-A ryan languages o f the Tibeto-Burm an branch o f

the Sino-Tibetan family and the Austric family, like Boro, Dirnasa, Tiw a (Lalung),
Deuri (Sutiya), Rabha, Karbi (M ikir), M ising (Miri), Tai (A hom ), etc. with

comparatively smaller number o f speakers are spoken here. A few tribal and

non-Tribal languages, like Garo, Khasi, Naga, Mizo, M anipuri, Tripuri, etc.
having separate home-lands in the nighbouring areas are also spoken in Assam.
Further, few languages, like Saontali, Munda, Kharia, Bhumij, etc. are also
current am ong the tea garden labourers who have migrated from other states o f
the country. M oreover a few non-Tribal languages, like Bengali, H indi, Oriya,
Nepali, Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam, M arathi, Punjabi, etc. are also in use among
the migrated population. Thus the linguistic position o f the state o f A ssam is
very peculiar, and it can be regarded as a mini-India :
Assam is not a unilingual state. It is a multilingual state. A ssam speaks
m ore than 35 mother tongues and these are as follows :
1. Indigenous main link language o f the state : A ssam ese.

2. Indigenous major Tribal languages o f the state:- B oro, Karbi,

M ising, Dirnasa, Rabha, Deori, Tiwa, etc.

3. Indigenous m ajor Tribal and Non-Tribal languages having

separate home states in the North Eastern R e g io n : G aro, Khasi,

Naga, Mizo, Manipuri, Bishnupuri, Kuki, Ih a d o , H m ar, Tripuri,

Holam, etc.

22. Kakati, Banikanta, Assamese : Its Formation and Development, p.l

 23

4. Inter-state migrated Tea-Garden Tribal languages : Saontali,

Oraon, Munda, Kharia, Goudi, Bhumij, etc.

5. Inter-state migrated major non-Tribal language: Bengali, Hindi,
Urdu, Oriya, Nepali, Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam, Marathi,
Punjabi, etc.23
Assamese is the major one among the languages that are used in Assam. It
is the mother tongue or first language for about 60% of the total population of
the state and the rest 40% population whose mother-tongues are non-Assamese

languages, are also well conversant with Assamese to use it as a link language.
Assamese is a link language not only for the non-Assamese speaking people of
Assam, but it was and still it is a link language for the people of the neighbouring

states of Arunachal Pradesh (earlier known as NEFA), Nagaland, Meghalaya,

etc. The various linguistic forms, like Nefamese, Nagamese, Meghamese
(Khasimese and Garomese), etc. which are bom out of mixing of Assamese
with the local languages, are ample proof of this fact. Thus mixed forms of
Assamese have been serving as the lingua franca in the North Eastern Region
of India:

It is also spoken in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. In

Arunachal, Assamese is the only language for mutual communication

among the different language speakers. In Nagaland a mixed form of

Assamese is serving as the lingua franca.24

The sub-languages (3U4IU1), dialects and sub-dialects (3W#RTF) of
the Assamese language may be shown in a tabular form as follows :

23. Boro, Thaneswar, ‘A Note on the Tribal languages o f Assam and the necessity o f their
Teaching’, an article published in the book under the title, ‘ Tribal languages’, pp. 65-66
24. Goswami, Upendranath, A n Introduction to Assamese, p. 1
 2 4

Language Sub-languages Dialects Sub-dialects

Assamese 1. Eastern Assamese
2. Western Assamese (1) K lm rupi: (a)Western Kamrupl
(b) Middle Kamrupl
(c) Southern Kamrupl
(ii) Goalpariya: (a) Eastern Goalpariya
(b)Westem Goalpariya
Thus, we can trace mainly two sub-languages within the Assamese
language, viz, stotN t (Eastern Assamese) and Ttf§rat arouNr (Western
Assamese). The form of Assamese, that is spoken in the eastern part of Assam,
i.e. in the upper Assam districts, is called aw4kl (Eastern Assamese). On
the other hand, the form of Assamese, that is spoken in the western part of
Assam, i.e. in the lower Assam districts, may be termed as hfesft STHukl (Western
Assamese) :
ZTOFTR SraribtT iTTOlifai M l # <|ZT TOTZ TOPf T ft :
3Tm N t «tt zifz-apprc: *rm s p qfem arii^R sroriNr m TOTfz-3riprc stmti
zmfz-TOcrrc wrarar 3p stiw m h to nw ■ dNicmra i^nfr
qFtcfT dNldM<l<tl ZTOTO 3TO 3t#TOT efilTOM id did 3TTTO# ZTOM125
-Zn^IMSTf c$ % 3TTOhlT # TTfH TOT#f if WTZT WT TMdT I : TO)
TOFT TO ^ srnwr ^!7T ^TT ^
stwi Iro# srt •m i site zrororif if mzt *tr I : 3tPftot
jftcfidMRi fa # if #faf! riTOvPrikr z t o m (rifaft) ark arfaror w t f t
fa # ii 'dHdldl W FFlt ZTOTO (^tcft)I
As far as the dialects of the Assamese language are concerned, we do not
trace any such distinctive forms within Eastern Assamese. There is a great
25. Goswami, Upendranath, Asamlya Bhasa am Upabbasa, p. 57
 25

amount of homogenity within it. However, Dr. G.C. Goswami, on basis of a

close scrutiny of the phonology and morphology, has divided the Eastern
Assamese into two dialects or dialects groups: the Eastern and the Central
dialects. There are two major dialects, namely, (Kamrupl) and JlHid4<Utl
(Qoalpariya) within the Western Assamese. The Kamrupl dialect is spoken in
the area of the undivided Kamrup district. It has three major sub-dialects: Rfemt
an d ^fw t Kamrupl, spoken in and around Barpeta
is some what different to that spoken in and around Nalbari, and then Kamrupl,
spoken in the southern bank of the river Brahmaputra, especially in the areas of
Boko, Chhaygaon and Palasbari, is to some extent different to both. These three
local forms of the Kamrupl dialect may be termed as Ffemi (Western

respectively. The Goalpafla dialect is spoken in the area of the undivided Goalpara
district, and we can trace two major sub-dialects in it, namely, Rfeqi rWiwrM
(Western Goalparlya) and RF=ff uMlerhkl (Eastern Goalpariya).
Here, the peculiar forms of the Assamese language developed mainly due
to mixing of the mother tongues by the tea-garden labourers, the Muslim
population dweiing in the riverine areas and the tribal population of Assam, are
also worth mentioning.
The present-day standard form o f the Assamese language (RFFfJ or uff

arodhn) is based on Eastern Assamese current in the upper Assam districts,

especially in and around Sivasagar. Earlier, till the seventeeth century A.D.
when the centre of literary importance was in the western Assam, Kamrupl
enjoyed the status of common language for literary expressions :
jw r 3?TqTcr Mh nfe 33T uff

rpiTi 26

26. Goswami, Upendranath, A s a m ly S B hSsa Sru UpabhSsS, p. 57

 26
37TWR *TW $ ^f*TFT W f % 3RPJ *TFFS
SJTO l l

The standard dialect of Assamese is that form of speech which is prevalent

in and about Sibsagar. Over the upper part of die Assam Valley the language
is everywhere the same. As we go west, we find a distinct dialect, which
I call western Assamese, spoken by the people of Kamrup and eastern
Goalpara.27
Like the other Neo-Indo-Aryan languages, namely, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi,
Gujarati, Punjabi etc. Assamese language was also bom off apabhmmsa (eastern
form of Magadhi, which may be called Kamrupl Prakrt, rather Kamrupl
apabhmmsa) around 1000 A.D., and since then it has been growing and
developing very steadily:
!H#T ffs 'w rtw nRlft w f F fosw ra
3 S T T WR U*W< ^ E F T il W K l S R W k r Wm k i W

^ | 2 8

-Irak w q h ^rk pwft Hfcr aftt (crwftI) ‘aroik %

kn rarcgqf % strptrt siwfcn w % f^rcr m k fan, w raf
k 3 fe c F R T J3TJI

Since 1000 A.D. till today the history of growth and development of the
Assamese language is almost of one thousand years, which can be divided into
three distinct periods, viz, Urtfk aronkr (Early Assamese, 1000 A.D. —1600
A.D., approximately), 3w4kl (Middle Assamese, 1600 A.D.. —1800)
A.D., approximately) and sefi N t (Modem Assamese, 1800 A.D.,
onwards) :
27. Grierson, G..A., Linguistic Survey o f India, Vol. v, part 1, p. 394
28. Goswami, Satyendranath, Asamlya Sahityar Samlksatmak Itivrtta, p. 4
 27
cTcTcTftUT ^ 3ffwNf TOR ftpSWR f*T-ftlf?r Rift; W l# f t f e

fry m RR-3Tlfc ^T Rlftfr aRR^TT, T O STO^TT 3M TO|fe> 3RT*m29

-TOFT ¥R ft 3TOkT TOT % ftiTOT RJT fR-ftfTOFT fTO W R iTOT W TOR

% R3T3W: # C f R RT TO-3Tfft RT TOft 3RJ#TT, TORcff 3RPlkr 3?ft STRflW

3TOtRT!
For the convenience of grouping linguistic peculiarities, the history of
Assamese language may be broadly divided into three periods :
(i) Early Assamese: from the fourteenth to the end of the sixteenth
century. This again may be split into (a) the Pre-Vaishnavite
and (b) the Vaishnavite sub-periods.
(ii) Midddle Assamese : form the seventeenth to the beginning of
the nineteenth century. It is a period o f the prose chronicles of
the Ahom court.
(iii) Modem Assamese: from the beginning of the nineteenth century
till present tim es.30
Although it is said that the Assamese language was bom around 1000
A.D., we can get an information about the separate identity of the speech of
ancient Kamarupa,—from which Assamese is derived,—in the account of Hiuen
Tsang, the Chinese pilgrim who visited the kingdom of Pragjyotisa-Kamarapa
(as Assam was known by that time) in 643 A. D. He observed that the language
spoken in Kamrupa differed a little from that of Mid-India. This speech of
Kamarupa referred to by Hiuen Tsang was nothing other than the eastern form
o f the MagadhT apabhramsa, which may be termed as Kamarupl apabhramsa.
We may get some idea about the language spoken in the then KSmraupa from

29. Goswami, Satyendra Narayan, Nairn Prabandha, p. 17

30. Kakati, Banikanta, Assamese: Its Formation and Development, pp. 11-12
 28

the unearthened stone or copper plate incriptions of the Varman kings, like

Bhaskaravarman, Vanamaia varman, Balavarman, Ratnapala, Indrapaia,

Dharmapala, etc. ranging from the sixth-seventh to the twelfth century A.D.

Although written in Sanskrit, specimens of KamarupT or Early Assamese have

croped into these inscriptions.

Although it is a fact that the flow of the Indo-Aryan language entered the

then kingdom of Kamarupa through North Bengal, it came directly from the

territory of Videha-Magadha, and not from proper Bengal as some people think. It

may also be remembered that North Bengal, including parts of East Bengal was

under the pale of the ancient kingdom of Pragjyotisa-Kamarupa. As Nathan

Brown observes :

The opinion that the present language of Bengal is the parent of Assamese,
is irreconcilable with facts. It is well known that there had been no influx

of Bengalis into this province prior to the Mohammedan invasion, at

which time the language was established in its present form. Very few of

the Brahmanas of Assam have any connection or fellowship with those of

Bengal, they trace their origin to the upper province of India. 31

Assamese is a Magadhan speech. Coming from the regions of Videha-

Magadha through North Bengal, Assamese entered into Kamrupa or

Western Assam where this speech was first characterised as Assamese.32

The word (Asamrya) is derived from the word (Asam) with

the adjectival affix (-iya) meaning ‘o f , ‘related to’ or ‘belonging to’. Thus

the etymological meaning of the word SRTHtifT is ‘of Asam’, ‘related to Asam’

31. Brown, Nathan, Grammatical Notes on the Assamese Language, Introduction, pp. IX-X
32. Goswami, Upendranath, A Study on Kamrupi : A Dialect o f Assamese, p. 1
 29

or ‘belonging to Asam’, and it is used to indicate the major language of the

state of (Asam). The anglicized form of the word aro4kl is ‘Assamese’.
Being based on the English word ‘Assam’, the word ‘Assamese’ is built on the
same principle as Chinese, Japanese, Balinese, Javanese, etc.:
Assamese is the anglicized name of Asamiya, the major language spoken
in the north-eastern part of the country beyond West-Bengal. It is the
language of Assam, pronounced axam by the native speakers, and hence
the word Asamiya (axamlya) is derived from Asama plus adjectival affix
- T meaning ‘of, ‘relating’ or ‘belonging to’.33
y a

The script usually used for the Assamese language is the firffo
(Assamese Script) which is originated from the Wflft (BramhI Script) through
the 'JJH-fcffo (Gupta Script) and the RissWI^I or grfileF (Kuril Script):
srariki f i s-trctt McW'tkt fMq i irk sro ctr M W
^ 9 uo f t - M q i34

-SWrikT faft f t *TRcT qft T3FpF> FtcRT M q ll ^tcT I - ¥T§ft 3tk 3*1%
f e f e c f %% w i # m f%rPn • o

Thus Assamese, an Aryan language by origin, adopted, reared and used

mostly by the non-Aryan population has been developing in its own way since
the time of its inception.

33. Goswami, G. C., Structure o f Assamese, p. 1

34. Goswami, Upendranath, Asamiya Lipi, p. 45