[INDOLOGY] Assam

[Lubomír Ondračka]

This is exactly the point. The whole Barak Valley region in South Assam 
(districts Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj, now renamed to Sribhumi) is 
not only "Bangla-influenced", but is almost completely Bengali speaking 
(you will not hear Assamese here at all, only Hindi, Manipuri and some 
tribal languages here and there).

To be more precise, the spoken language here is not a standard Bengali, 
but Sylheti, which some linguists regard as a separate language, not 
just a dialect of Bengali.

L.

On 9/29/2025 3:15 AM, Buchta, David via INDOLOGY wrote:
> The sign does have a র (ra) written as in the Bangla script rather than 
> the standard Asamiya ৰ. From what I could figure out, this seems to be 
> somewhere in the southern part of Assam, right near the border with 
> Bangladesh, so the language there might be strongly Bangla-influenced.
> --
> David Buchta, PhD
> Senior Lecturer in Sanskrit
> Department of Classics
> Brown University
> 
> 
> On Sun, Sep 28, 2025 at 5:26 PM Matthew Kapstein via INDOLOGY 
> <indology at list.indology.info <mailto:indology at list.indology.info>> wrote:
> 
>     Please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that Assamese and
>     Bengali scripts are identical, save for two additional characters in
>     Bengali that I don’t see in the sign.
> 
> 
> 
> 
>     On Sun, Sep 28, 2025 at 23:13, Jahnabi Barooah Chanchani
>     <jahnabi at umich.edu <mailto:On+Sun,+Sep+28,+2025+at+23:13,
>     +Jahnabi+Barooah+Chanchani+%3C%3Ca+href=>> wrote:
>>     A quick note that the script is not Assamese, but Bengali.
>>     Also, the third word in the second line is pattrālaya. I wonder if
>>     that means post office in this context?
>>
>>     On Sun, Sep 28, 2025 at 2:15 AM Nagaraj Paturi via INDOLOGY <
>>     indology at list.indology.info <mailto:indology at list.indology.info>>
>>     wrote:
>>
>>         The news report has the place name Patiyala Basti
>>
>>         The text has madhyapaaTiyaalaa in both the lines.
>>
>>         On Sun, Sep 28, 2025 at 11:15 AM Matthew Kapstein via INDOLOGY
>>         < indology at list.indology.info
>>         <mailto:indology at list.indology.info>> wrote:
>>
>>             Hi Patrick,
>>
>>             I think the first word should actually be sthānam.
>>             It seems to be part of a longish address of the
>>             SannyāsībāDī temple named just above, not a verse.
>>             Same thing in Assamese script at the top.
>>
>>             Best
>>             Matthew
>>
>>
>>             On Sun, Sep 28, 2025 at 04:59, patrick mccartney via
>>             INDOLOGY < indology at list.indology.info <mailto:On+Sun,
>>             +Sep+28,+2025+at+04:59,+patrick+mccartney+via+INDOLOGY+
>>             %3C%3Ca+href=>> wrote:
>>>             Dear Friends,
>>>
>>>             In the following news article about a couple of
>>>             'Sanskrit-speaking' villages in the borderlands of Assam,
>>>
>>>             https://www.sentinelassam.com/north-east-india-news/
>>>             assam-news/assam-sanskrit-revived-in-two-border-villages-
>>>             in-karimganj <https://www.sentinelassam.com/north-east-
>>>             india-news/assam-news/assam-sanskrit-revived-in-two-
>>>             border-villages-in-karimganj>
>>>
>>>             there is an image which appears to have a Sanskrit verse
>>>             on the sign, which reads:
>>>
>>>             rayānam-madhyapatiyālā, patanjali yogamārgaḥ
>>>             grāma madhyapātiyālā, pan?tālayaḥ pecāyālā
>>>
>>>             I have not had much success in deciphering this. I think
>>>             these are possibly local place or family names. Though,
>>>             I'm not sure.
>>>
>>>             If anyone has some greater insight, I would be pleased to
>>>             hear from you.
>>>
>>>             Thank you.
>>>
>>>             Patrick
>>>
>>
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>>
>>
>>         -- 
>>         Nagaraj Paturi
>>         Hyderabad, Telangana-500044
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>     -- 
>>     *JAHNABI BAROOAH CHANCHANI*
>>     PhD Candidate
>>     Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
>>     University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
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