Skip to main content

Full text of "Linguistic Survey Of India Vol V Part I Indo Aryan Family Eastern Group"

See other formats 


ASSAMESE.
Talk shoving tie vumler of speakers of A*same»e tnfroviaces of India oilier tUn Assam-contA.

1. ••
	" Name of Province.
 ___________ ^ _______ _*____
	=====
 Number of Speakers.
	EBMAUKB.


	Brought forward
	679
	

5
	Central Provinces and feudatories
	Nil.
	

6
	Madras, feudatory States and Agencies      .
	Nil.
	

7
	Sortn-Western Provinces, Oadh and Native
 Oj-A^AO                                                            .                        •                        *                       •                       •
	16
	

8
	fotat68   •        «       •  , Punjab and Feudatories   .
	1
	

9
	Nizam's Dominions  .....
	27.1
	

10
	
	'so. '
	

	Baroda   .»•••••
		
11
	
	SB,
	

	Mysore   »-•••*                •
		
12
	"D «<?*v*1^O.TlO)*                                 *                  *                  •                  •                 '
	60
	* No Census was taken of the languages spoken in Rajpntana and Central India. For want of

	t\a3puLana,        »        «        •
		
13
	/^l-__i__rtl  Tr>|1lo'                     a                 •                 »'               •                •
	35
	better information I have given the number of people of Assam birth.

	V/cnuTail JLTUM**     •                •
		
14
	, T
	'SB.
	

	Aimer&"j*Lerwara      •••*•*
		
•   15
	
	Nil.
	

	Coorg     ,*••••*
		
1 £
	.
	Nil
	

10
	j\ftflpTflir           •«••••
 TOTAL
	
	

		791
	
The total number of speakers of Assamese in India is therefore as follows:—

Total number pf people speaking Assamese at home                       . 1,435,950

„          „             „      elsewhere in Assam       .      10,811

elsewhere in India

791

GBAKD TOTAL of people who speak Assamese in India

. 1,447,552

Assamese Literature.

The Assamese are justly proud of their national literature.   In no department have
they been more successful than in a branch of study in
which India is as a rule curiously deficient.1 Remnants of
historical works that treat of the time of Bbagadatta, a contemporary of the great
Kuru-PaSohala war of the Maha-hharata, are still in existence. The chain of historical
events* for the last six hundred years, has been carefully preserved, and their
authenticity can be relied upon. These historical works, or bwanjis as they are styled
in Assam, are numerous and voluminous. According to the customs of the country, a
knowledge of the hurafijis was an indispensable qualification to an Assamese gentleman;
and every family of distinction, as well as the Government and the public officers, kept
the most minute records of contemporary events. In the year. 1829 Haliram Dbekial
Phukan published in the Bengali, language a brief compilation from the burafijis;
and in 1844, Eadha-nath Bor Barua and Ka^-nath Tamuli Phukan published at the
11t is a noteworthy coincidence, that the other country of India which is famous for its historical works—Kashmir—
possesses a language which to the philologist presents many points of linguistic affinity with Assamese. The extreme eaat of
i mlia Here meets with the extreme west.