Koch is a
Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the
Koch people of
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
. It is primarily spoken in the Indian states of
Meghalaya
Meghalaya (; "the abode of clouds") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeast India. Its capital is Shillong. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the Assam: the United Khasi Hills an ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
, and
Lower Assam and in the northern parts of the country
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
, where it serves as a major means of communication among the
Koches (including
Koch-Rajbongshi) and other ethnic groups in the region. Koch language is written with Assamese, Bengali, Roman scripts.
There is an organization Koch Krorang Mathop in Tura,
Meghalaya
Meghalaya (; "the abode of clouds") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeast India. Its capital is Shillong. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the Assam: the United Khasi Hills an ...
which publishes Koch materials, such as books, an annual Koch magazine. Koch Development Forum is also working on the promotion of the Koch language among the Koch people who have now switched their language to
Indo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages, or sometimes Indic languages, are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. As of 2024, there are more than 1.5 billion speakers, primarily concentrated east ...
.
The state and National Anthem of Assam in Koch :
Dialects
The Koch language is currently represented by five surviving dialects, which are as follows:
# Harigaya,
# Tintikiya,
# Wanang/Swmbri,
# Chapra and
# Margan
''Short representation of the various dialects:''
Geographical distribution
Koch is spoken in:
*
Assam
Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
:
**
Baksa district
Baksa district ( or ) is an administrative district in the Bodoland Territorial Region of Assam, one of the North-Eastern states of India. The administrative headquarters is at Mushalpur. Manas National Park is a part of this district.
Etymo ...
- Hodi or Koch Mandai
**
Bongaigaon district - Madaci Koch, Koch
**
Darrang district - Hodi or Koch Mandai
**
Dhemaji district - Hodi or Koch Mandai
**
Dhubri district - Madaci Koch, Koch
**
Goalpara district - Madaci koch, Kocho koro, Hodi or Koch Mandai
**
Kokrajhar district - Madaci Koch, Koch
**
Lakhimpur district - Hodi or Koch Mandai
**
Nagaon district
Nagaon district is an administrative district in the Indian state of Assam. At the time of the 2011 census it was the most populous district in Assam, before Hojai district was split from it in 2016.
History
Bordowa was the birthplace of the ...
- Hodi or Koch Mandai, Kocho koro
**
Udalguri district
Udalguri district (Pron:ˌʊdʌlˈgʊəri), also known as Odalguri, is a district in the Bodoland Territorial Region of the state of Assam in Northeastern India. Udalguri town is the headquarters of the district.
Etymology
The name Udalguri den ...
- Hodi or Koch Mandai
**
Sonitpur district - Hodi or Koch Mandai
**
South Salmara district - Hodi or Koch Mandai, Koch
*
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
: Hodi or Koch Mandai and Kocho koro
*
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
: Rajbongshi koch
*
Meghalaya
Meghalaya (; "the abode of clouds") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeast India. Its capital is Shillong. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the Assam: the United Khasi Hills an ...
:
**
East Khasi hills - Hodi alias Koch Mandai
**
West Garo Hills district - Koch
*
Tripura
Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...
: Hodi or Koch Mandai or koch
*
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
: Rajbongshi koch
Notes
References
*
*Dialects
"Different Dialects"
*Koch language report by UNESCO World Atlas of Languages
*Koch Dictionary
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