Assamese | |
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Asamiya | |
অসমীয়া | |
Assamese (Ôxômiya) in Assamese script
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Pronunciation | pronounced: [ɔˈxɔmija] |
Native to | India and Bangladesh |
Region | Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland |
Ethnicity | Assamese people |
Native speakers
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15 million (2007) |
Indo-European
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Dialects | |
Eastern Nagari (Assamese) Assamese Braille |
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Official status | |
Official language in
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India (Assam) |
Regulated by | Asam Sahitya Sabha (literature/rhetorical congress of Assam) |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-1 | as |
ISO 639-2 |
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ISO 639-3 |
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Glottolog | assa1263 |
Linguasphere | 59-AAF-w |
Assamese literature | |
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Asamiya literature (By category) Asamiya |
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Asamiya literary history | |
History of Asamiya literature | |
Asamiya language authors | |
List of Asamiya writers | |
Asamiya Writers | |
Writers • Dramatists & Playwrights • Poets | |
Forms | |
Books – Buranjis – Poetry | |
Institution & Awards | |
Assam Sahitya Sabha Assam Ratna Assam Valley Literary Award Kamal Kumari National Award |
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Related Portals |
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Genealogically, Assamese belongs to the group of Eastern Indo-Aryan languages
Assamese, Asamiya or Ôxômiya (English pronunciation: /ˌæsəˈmiːz/; Assamese: অসমীয়া, Ôxômiya, pronounced: [ɔˈxɔmija]) is an Eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the state of Assam, where it is an official language. It is one of the easternmost of the Indo-Aryan languages (only proceeded by Bengali) it is spoken by over 13 million native speakers, and serves as a lingua franca in the region. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in Nagaland and parts of Assam. Nefamese is an Assamese-based pidgin used in Arunachal Pradesh. Small pockets of Assamese speakers can be found in Bangladesh. In the past, it was the court language of the Ahom kingdom from the 17th century.
The origin of Assamese language is not clear. Some believe that it originated from Kamarupi Prakrit used in ancient Kamarupa Kingdom. However it is believed that along with other Eastern Indo-Aryan languages, Assamese evolved at least before 7th century A.D from the Magadhi Prakrit, which developed from dialects similar to, but in some ways more archaic than Vedic Sanskrit. Its sister languages include Maithali, Odia, Chittagonian, Sylheti and Angika. It is written in the Assamese script, an abugida system, from left to right, with a large number of typographic ligatures. Assamese language was in use much before Bengali language was developed as Kamrupa was mentioned in Mahabharata. Kampura has its northern boundary at Koshi River (Bihar) and Orissa. Assamese influence can be very easily felt in Oriya and Maithali languages.