[Assam] Fwd: [asom] Re: Assam or Asom Mailing List

[bg]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Pracheng Hazarika <prachengh at yahoo.com>
Date: Aug 14, 2006 2:27 AM
Subject: [Assam] [asom] Re: Assam or Asom Mailing List
To: assam-owner at assamnet.org

Dear System Admin,

I wanted to post the following message to assamnet which was bounched back.
perhaps you can post it.

Thanks,

Pracheng Hazarika
**********************************************************************************

The Assamese nation has more pressing problems but I suppose it is easier
for the intellectuals and powers to be to create and then solve a non-issue.

I completely agree with Mr. Rabin Barua that let it be Assam in English and
Oxom in Oxomia. However, I have to disagree with some of the reasons and
analysis. Here are my reasons. Its long list I know. What better way to
spend time for a kharkhowa than Adda :)

First of all, I think a better comparison of Assam and Oxom is with
Sindhu/Hindu/Indu/India instead of India/Bharat. Assam and Oxom are related
unlike India and Bharat.

 Assam and Osom being originally associated with a particular ethnic group
in present Assam; and Osom, Oxom and even Assam  derivative words
associated  with "the land of the" Assam people. Assam being associated with
an uneven land doesn't make sense to me. If Assam were any more flatter (see
Dibrugarh, Xiboxagor, Golaghat for example) rivers wouldn't flow. I have
seen more hilly areas in the Deccan plateau.

Second, I am not aware of any self-reference in the bu-ran-ji to  Shyam
Syam, Sham, Shan, Syam. I might be wrong here, and if you can find an
original  source I would stand corrected.

 As far as I know there is reference to Kham-Tai. A word that makes sense
in  the context with Tai religious traditions, the paik system and even
calling the kings Swargodeo. I wouldn't take what the people in Thailand or
Burma call themselves very seriously without proper research since,
especially Thai language and culture, it is a corrupt  version of Tai with
strong Pali and Xongoskrit  influence. Probably a Mon who are Budhist and
Khmer who were (are?) Hindu influence.  In fact, there are Tai ethnic groups
in uper Assam who are called Syam since apparently they came from Thailand
in the 18th century or so.

The point is: the Tai's that are referred to as Assam or something similar
never called themselves Shyam or something similar to that. I am ready to be
corrected on this.

Third, I think in addition to written records such as bu-ran-ji sometimes
oral traditions contain a lot of truth.  One should pay attention to these
as simplest explanations might be the right one. The oral tradition among
the Tai's who were called Assam whom I will refer as Ahoms from now is that
their Tai ancestors were call Osom/Asom by others (for reasons that we do
not have to get into. The meaning of Osom should be self-evident.) and over
time it came to be known as Ahom.

This is interesting because in Tai language (not the one they speak in
Thailand which has lot of non-Tai words) there is no "sa" or "sha" sound. It
is just "ha". Surprise, surprise people in Xiboxagor have trouble
pronouncing  "sa" sounds.  In Tai there are "cha" sound but if there is no
"sha" sound I would hazard a guess that mixing these two sounds would matter
at all! Very much like the difficulty of Assamese speakers in Xiboxagor in
distinguishing "cha" and "sha" in Hindi.

BTW there are no two sets of "ta", "da", etc., in Tai unlike say Hindi.

In conclusion, I wonder if losing the "sha" like sounds in Assamese is due
to the Tai speakers attempt at speaking what we call Assamese now long time
ago.  How it might have become "x" like sounds I wouldn't know.  The words
Xiboxagor and Hibohagor sounds very similar  for example.

I doubt Assam, Asyam is  of Tai origin. There are no "sha" in Tai only "ha".

Also, do speakers in lower Assam have the "sha" sound? In Tai there are no
"sha" sounds and because of that I can imagine "cha" and "sha" becoming
mixed up since there is always "ha".

One complaint against Mr. Rabin Barua.  I think the word "Mongolian" culture
is impolite.  Its a term coined by the same bunch of ignorants who called
the original people in America "Indians".  The only well known Mongol gruoup
in south Asia I know of are the Mongol descendants of Babur, the Moguls.
In  Assam, the main language  groups  besides  Assamese/Bengali  are Tai,
Tibeto-Burmese and  Mon-Khmer.  It wouldn't make sense to me to lump all the
"other" languages into one "Mongolian" group which has to do with the people
of Mongolia. Try having a three way communication in say Khamjang, Garo and
Khasi.  It is not at all clear to me how you can conclude that the  "x"
sound is of Indo-Aryan origin so easily. I have given some circumstantial
evidence of why the "sha" sound might have disappeared from the Xiboxagor
dilect of Assamese if you will because of Tai influence.  I had read
somewhere that some Moran people in uper Assam still have kept their
original language alive.

 It will be interesting to at least compare the basic sounds required in the
different languages of Assam. As far as I can tell, Tai language and
Xiboxagoria Assamese have the same basic sounds. However, Tai is a tonal
language like most east Asian languages unlike Assamese.

In the end, its is Assam in English and Oxom in Oxomia for me.

Best,


Pracheng Hazarika

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