Moran language

Moran
Native to India
Region Assam
Extinct ca. 1900
Language codes
ISO 639-3 None (mis)
qg1
Glottolog None

Moran (Morān) is an extinct Sino-Tibetan dialect of Assamese which was spoken in Northeast India(mostly Tinsukia district) and related to Chutia language. It was probably a transitionary local dialect of Assamese which might have been an ancestor language to the Assamese language. The name reportedly "Moran" means 'forest dweller'. It was nearly extinct by 1900.[1]

History

It can be stated that the original language of the Morans was the Deori-Chutia language as stated by the researcher W.B.Brown. During the medieval period(13th-16th century), the Morans as well as Chutias after coming in contact and partially assimilating with the invading Shans, had to resort to speaking the lingue franca(primitive Assamese) which was a mixture of their native tongue and Prakrit. This process of transition gave rise to the Moran language, which over time was again replaced by a modern form of Assamese which had a greater influence of Prakrit as well as Sanskrit.

The Moran as well as the Chutia word for water is "Di", which apparently forms the first syllable of all major rivers of Upper Assam including Dibang, Disang, Dikhou, Dikrong, Dikarai, Dihing, Digaru, Difolu, which shows that this group of people were the dominant tribe in the entire region with their seat in Sadiyal, the earliest known power and civilisation of Chutias.[2]

References

  1. ↑ PRT Gurdon, 1903, "The Morāns", Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, vol. 72, no. 1, p 36 ff
  2. ↑ Endle 1911, p. 4.
  • Moran at Brahmaputra Studies Database


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