Kom is a
Kuki-Chin language
The Kuki-Chin languages (also called Kuki-Chin-Mizo, Kukish or South-Central Tibeto-Burman languages) are a branch of 50 or so Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in northeastern India, western Myanmar and southeastern Bangladesh. Most speakers of the ...
of
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
. Kohlreng is usually considered a dialect of Kom, but may be a distinct language.
Speakers of Kom live in the hilly provinces of
Northeastern India
, native_name_lang = mni
, settlement_type =
, image_skyline =
, image_alt =
, image_caption =
, motto =
, image_map = Northeast india.png
, ...
. The dialect of
Manipur
Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a States and territories of India, state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It ...
has at least partial mutual intelligibility with the other Kuki-Chin dialects of the area, including
Thadou,
Hmar
Hmar may refer to:
*Hmars or Hmar people
*Hmar language
Hmar language, also known by its endonym Khawsak Ṭawng, belongs to the Kukish languages, Kukish branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages, Sino-Tibetan family of languages. The speakers of ...
,
Vaiphei,
Simte,
Paite, and
Gangte languages.
,
Koireng and
Chiru
The Tibetan antelope or chiru (''Pantholops hodgsonii'') (, pronounced ; ) is a medium-sized bovid native to the northeastern Tibetan plateau. Most of the population live within the Chinese border, while some scatter across India and Bhutan in ...
speakers also understand Kom.
Geographical distribution
Speakers of Kom are found in the northeastern Indian states of Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, and Tripura. The majority of the population lives in eastern and central
Manipur
Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a States and territories of India, state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It ...
, concentrated in 22 villages located in
Churachandpur district
Churachandpur District ( Meitei pronunciation: ''/tʃʊraːˌtʃaːnɗpʊr/''), is one of the 16 districts in the southwestern corner of the Indian state of Manipur that covers an area of . It is named after the Meitei King Churachand Singh, ...
,
Tamenglong district
Tamenglong district ( Meitei pronunciation:/tæmɛŋˈlɒŋ/) is one of the 16 districts of Manipur state in northeastern India.
History
In 1919, the British Government established four sub-divisions office in Manipur Hills known as North Eas ...
,
Senapati district, and
Bishenpur district (''
Ethnologue''). In Devi (2011:81),
[Devi, Ch. Sarajubala. 2011. "Linguistic Ecology of Kom." In Singh, Shailendra Kumar (ed). ''Linguistic Ecology of Manipur''. Guwahati: EBH Publishers.] these 22 villages are listed as Sinam Kom, Theiyong Kom, Laikot Kom, Ichum Kom, Kom Keirap, Khoirentak, Sagang, Luikhumbi, Lallumbung, Mantak, Tuiringkhaison, Samulamlan, Chinglanmei, Bungsalane, Lananphai, Ngairong, Mungrushi, Sambangyan, Tonsen tampak, and Khulen.
Devi (2011:80)
lists some important Kom villages and localities as:
*Makokching, Saikul, and Sinam-Kom of
Senapati District
*K.R. Lane of
Imphal
Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the ...
*National Game village of Imphal
*Kharam, Ichum of
Imphal West District
*Thayong of
Imphal East District
, native_name_lang = Meitei
, other_name = omp, Nongpok Yumphal
, nickname =
, settlement_type = District of Manipur
, image_skyline = Imphal War ...
*Sengpanjar, Kangathai, Khoirentak, and Kom-keirap of
Bishnupur District
Bishnupur district ( Meitei pronunciation: /ˌbɪʃnʊˈpʊə/) is a district of Manipur state in northeastern India.
Origin of name
Its name is derived from a Vishnu temple located at Lamangdong.
Geography
Bishnupur town is the administrati ...
*Greater Sagang of
Churachandpur District
Churachandpur District ( Meitei pronunciation: ''/tʃʊraːˌtʃaːnɗpʊr/''), is one of the 16 districts in the southwestern corner of the Indian state of Manipur that covers an area of . It is named after the Meitei King Churachand Singh, ...
*Tonsen and Mahou-tera of
Chandel District
Chandel district ( Meitei pronunciation:/ˌtʃænˈdɛl/) is one of the 16 districts of Manipur state in northeastern India.
As of 2011 it was the second least populous district in the state, after Tamenglong. In December 2016, a part of the d ...
*Mantak of
Kakching
)
, native_name_lang = mni
, other_name =
, settlement_type = town
, image_skyline =
, image_alt =
, image_caption =
, nickname =
, pushpin_map ...
and
Chandel district
Chandel district ( Meitei pronunciation:/ˌtʃænˈdɛl/) is one of the 16 districts of Manipur state in northeastern India.
As of 2011 it was the second least populous district in the state, after Tamenglong. In December 2016, a part of the d ...
s
Phonology
Kom is a tonal language with three tones.
Similarities
Although Kom language is a kuki chin language it share the most similarities with one of the Naga tribe called "INPUI". Both share several similarities from verb to nouns etc. Example Bu is refer to Food in Kom similarly Inpui also used the same.
;some others examples:
*Kom- Hongtro (come here)
**Inpui- Hongo (come)
*Kom- Ongtro (sit down)
**Inpui- Ongtawo (sit down)
References
Further reading
Kom (India): Kolhreng (Speech variety #12161) (n.d.).
External links
Kom Profile at the Endangered Languages Project*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5CxxM4tvn8
{{Languages of Northeast India
Southern Naga languages
Languages of Manipur
Endangered languages of India
Endangered Sino-Tibetan languages