Speak Your Roots

Tag: maramdialect

  • The Maram Dialect

    The Maram Dialect

    U dak thoh "C" u dei u wei na ki dak ba kongsan bha uba ki briew kiba kren ïa ka shnat-ktien Maram ki pyndonkam bha. Une u dak thoh pat um ju lah ban ïeng marwei ha katei ka shnat-ktien. La ju pyndonkam ïa u ha ryngkat u dak thoh "H" (u "c" ha khmat bad u "h" hadien – "ch") kum ha ki kyntien chuki (shuki), chet (shet), bichar (bishar) bad kumta ter ter.

    The letter "C" is an important letter for those who speak the Maram dialect, which they use from time to time. However, "C" cannot be used by itself in this dialect. It is usually placed together with "H" ("c" in front and "h" following – "ch") in words like "chuki" (shuki/ chair), "chet" (shet/ cook), "bichar" (bishar/ judge) and so on and so forth. ✍️🆎

    The compound letter "ch" is a significant letter in the Pnar and Bhoi dialects too.
    Khublei Shibun @the_maram_dialect for sending this informative contribution! 😄🙏
    All photos are from @the_maram_dialect

  • “Koh” “Chchaw” Maram

    In the Maram dialect, the affixes "Koh" instead of "Bah" and "Chchaw" instead of Kong are used. "Koh Ja"- my mother tells me that this particular nickname is given to someone notorious. The name is in close reference to a "Koh Ja", an infamous man who lived much before her time of whom villagers apparently suspected of being a "menshohnoh". So when boys misbehave, they say "en nan koh Ja" or "he resembles Koh Ja".

    "Chchaw Bih"/ "Kong Bih"/ "Bih Bih"/ "Ka Bih"- I've always found this nickname intriguing as "Bih" in Khasi also means poison. Additionally we even have "Bihrit", "Bihheh", "Bihdeng" if there are many female siblings. "Chchaw Mem" is also another intriguing nickname. My mother says that this is particularly used for the fair skinned girl child (considering that they call a white woman a Mem/ Ma'am).

    The Maram dialect is spoken in the West Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya. The variety of dialects spoken enriches a language giving it depth and scope. 🗣️🗣️

    Thank you @laia.naomi for this contribution! 🤗🤗