Lexical Naturalization in Bodo: a Brief Study

LEXICAL NATURALIZATION IN BODO: A BRIEF STUDY

Raje Brahma, Research Scholar, Bodoland University,

ABSTRACT: The paper deals with Bodo Vocabulary, study to show how Vocabulary of Modern Bodo Language is full of a large number of new Bodo words and terms that have recently crept into the Bodo Vocabulary to make room for new concepts, items and ideas. This paper also show that these newly borrowed words and terms have made an empirical attempt to explore how the vocabulary of the present Bodo language is undergoing linguistic metamorphosis at the lexical level by drawing heavily from the Indian and foreignloan words as a result of several linguistic and extra linguistic factors, and how new English general words, as well as scientific and technical terms, are being incorporated into the Bodo language through various method of naturalization.

Key words: lexical, naturalization, classification, substitutions

1.0 INTRODUCTION: Bodo language belongs to Assam which falls under the Bodo group of Assam Burmese of the Tibeto-Burman languages of Sino-Tibetan language family. Bodo speakers are concentrating at Assam, West Bengal, Nepal, and Bangladesh. The Bodo group of speech community includes Kok-Borok, Dimasa, Lalung, Rabha, Garo and numbers of Assam tribes. Bodo has six vowels /i,e,a,o,ɰ,u/ and sixteenth consonant /ph, th, kh, b, d, g, m, n, ῃ, s, z, h, r, l, w, j/ systems.

1.1 DATA COLLECTION:

The data collection involved library work, and data collection from the field using interviews and with talking to friends and native Bodo speakers. Library work was done in this study to get information about the Bodo loanwords. Read and consulted many books which are related to loanwords. Most of the loanwords are collected from the internet.

1.2 NATURALIZATION:

In theory, naturalization1 is an ongoing process by which various linguistic items of language are gradually naturalized in another language by means of applying various morpho-phonological processes, which quite active in the borrower language when a need arises for increasing various linguistic and non-linguistic needs of the language users. The conditions and the motivations of naturalizations are almost to those observe in the case of lexical borrowing. Lexical borrowing refers to the adoption of individual words and large sets of vocabulary items from another language or dialect into a language. Not only lexical items but also roots and affixes, sounds even

1 Here naturalization means the admission or adoptation of foreign words or customs into general use.

JETIR1811106 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 107

© 2018 JETIR November 2018, Volume 5, Issue 11 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) grammatical process can be borrowed. Most easily borrowed items are words related to science and technology, new artifacts and cultural items.

1.2.1 SOME FACTORS OF NATURALIZATION IN BODO: The Bodo language has a long history of borrowing, as was as incorporating foreign words into its vocabulary over the last few centuries besides inheriting a large number of words and terms from Sanskrit as well as from neighboring languages. Keeping this tradition ongoing, the modern Bodo language, over the last few years, has down heavily both at lexical and morphological levels from English and many other foreign languages likes Arabic, Persians following the process of lexical and grammatical borrowing it has continued naturalizing words from these languages into its own lexical stock to augment the vocabulary to address various linguistic needs. However, after the establishment of the British regime in India, the number of Arabic and Persian words, due to sociopolitical reasons, was greatly reduced from the Bodo vocabulary giving place to English words and terms. Impact of English words and terms on the Bodo vocabulary in following ways-  Use of English language in all spheres of Bodo life and living.  Attempt for incorporating English culture and lifestyle into Bodo.  Use of English as a medium of instructions at school and college level education in state.  National and international exchange of information news, and views through English.  Regular upgraded use of internet through English.  Commercial and business transactions through English.  Large circulation of audio visual advertisements in English. Most of these factors have directly contributed to increase loan words and terms in Bodo vocabulary. Moreover, change taking place at various frontiers of Bodo life and society reflected in the domains like science and technology, film and entertainment, medicine, administration, and politics, culture and sports, foreign affairs, media, information exchange, education, etc. have inspired Bodo people to borrow loan words, and phrase into Bodo speech. Basic vocabulary or words2 are not usually borrowed in Bodo vocabulary. It can be divided into two broad groups as mentioned below- (i) The basic vocabulary (native stocks) (ii) The loan vocabulary (foreign stocks). Bodo Vocabulary, the original sources of the Bodo vocabulary are of two types. For better discussion, the following chart of Bodo vocabulary has been taken into consideration-

2 Here basic words mean those who are directly come from the original sources (Sino-Tibetan), it is called basic words.

JETIR1811106 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 108

CHART: I CLASSIFICATION OF BODO VOCABULARY

Bodo Vocabulary

Basic vocabulary Loan vocabulary3

Basic Derived Indian loaned Foreign loaned Indo-European English Dravidian Dutch Sino-Tibetan Portuguese Austric French Turkish Arabic Chinese Japanese etc.

While the basic vocabulary (native stocks) includes derived words from the Sino-Tibetan origin words, the loan vocabulary (foreign stocks) includes words borrowed from Arabic, Persian, Portuguese, English, Japanese, Burma, Chinese, Dutch, France and other languages are borrowed into Bodo at different points of time as a result of contacts asked from various sociopolitical factors such as invasion, colonization, commercial and business activities, intercultural communication and exchange of technological, technical and scientific information etc. At present, words and terms borrowed from these languages have become a part of the modern Bodo vocabulary. And these are in regular use in speech and writing of the native Bodo people. In the case of lexical adaptation, borrowed loan words are forced to undergo phonological and morphological operations to be naturalized with the existing lexical stock of the Bodo language. The phonological and morphological adaptations are quite robust, frequent, and productive in case of naturalization English words in Bodo lexical stock. However, some loan words have directly entered into the Bodo vocabulary without changing their forms at the time of their entrance into the Bodo language. In general, naturalization of loan words in Bodo has taken place in three broad ways: (i) Phonology (ii) morphology and (iii) lexicon.

1.3 DATA ANALYSIS:

I have collected total 200 using loan words, which are comes from different language family into Bodo vocabulary. I have shown in another article, the list (table) presents the naturalization of words in the Bodo vocabulary with regard to their source origin. Selected loan words are analyzed here.

3 Here loan vocabulary means those who are indirectly come from foreign words by adaptation.

JETIR1811106 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 109

1.3.1 Phoneme substitutions in Bodo vocabulary:

This kind of naturalization conforms to those loan words sound, where replacement is applicable between the close phonetically equipment segments of the languages. Some examples belonging to each type of change are obtained from the Bodo text corpus database and presented below-  /q/→/kh/, /k/ Bodo language is lack of /q/ pharyngeal sound; as such type of sounds is adopted with voiceless. Velar sound /kh/, which is available substitutions in Bodo language.

Change source Bodo Glossary /q/ ˃/kh/ /haqim/ /हहहहह~हहहहह/ Wiseman /q/ ˃/kh/ /baqi/ /हहहह~हहहह/ balance

/q/ ˃/kh/ /qanun/ /हहहहह~हहहहह/ law

As seen example, pharynx /q/ is changed into voiced & voiceless velar /kh/, /k/ in Bodo loanwords.

 /x/→/kh/, /k/ The laryngeal sound velar fricative /x/ is not in Bodo. Hence, loanwords terms having a /x/ sound are substituted with /kh/ sound- Change source Bodo Glossary /x/ ˃/kh/ /tarix/ /हहहहह/ date /x/ ˃/kh /karxana/ /हहहहहहह/ factory /x/ ˃/k /xizana/ /हहहहह/ revenue /x/ ˃/kh /xabar/ /हहह/ news  Word front consonant deletion: Deletion source Bodo Glossary /s/ /stan/ /than~हहह/ place

/t/ /tsunsmi/ /sunami~हहहहहह/ tsunami

/v/ /vakil/ /ukil~हहहह/ advocate

 Word internal consonant deletion: deletion source Bodo glossary

/t/ /chutti/ /suthi~हहहह/ holiday

/r/ /cartoon/ /khathun~हहहहह/ cartoon

/t/ /li:chi/ /lesu~हहहह/ litchi

 Word final consonant deletion: deletion source Bodo glossary

JETIR1811106 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 110

/h/ /masalih/ /mosla~हहहहह/ a kind spicy mixture

/h/ /almirah/ /almari~हहहहहह/ almirah

/s/ /pass/ /phas~हहह/ pass

 Word consonant insertion: Insertion source Bodo Glossary

/ῃ/ /balthi/ /balthiῃ~हहहहहहह/ bucket

/g/ /naῃal/ /naῃgal~हहहहहह/ plough

 Word internal vowel deletion: Deletion source Bodo Glossary

/o/ /mahout/ /mahut/ mahout4

/e/ /cheesa/ /seha~हहहह/ glass

/e/ /paneer/ /हहहह/ paneer

/i/ /fail/ /phel~हहह/ fail

/i/ /train/ /tren~हहहहह/ train

 Word final vowel deletion: Deletion source Bodo Glossary

/a/ /dana/ /dan~हहह/ gift

/a/ /rama/ /ram~हहह/ king ram

/i/ /jhali/ /jhal~हहह/ duplicate

/a/ /ramayana/ /ramayan~हहहहहह/ ramayana

/i/ /asli/ /asɰl~हहहह/ original

/a/ /guna/ /gun~हहह/ quality

/e/ /table/ /tebul~हहहहह/ table

/e/ /bhumi/ /bhum~हहह~हहहहह/ earth

/a/ /gnana/ /gian~हहहहह/ knowledge

4 The word mahout derives from the hindi words mahaut(हहहह) and mahavat (हहहहह), and originally from the Sanskrit mahamantra (हहहहहहहह)…this word derives ultimately from the Sanskrit term karinayaka.

JETIR1811106 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 111

/a/ /masa/ /mas~हहह/ month

 Vowel adaptation strategies: The vowel adaptation process includes  Vowel insertion: Insertion source Bodo Glossary /o/ arth/ /ortho~हहहह’/ meaning

/i/ /hotax/ /hatasi~हहहहहह/ nervous

/i/ /zat/ /jati~हहहह/ caste

/a/ /dhar/ /dahar~हहहहह/ loan

 Vowel substitution:

Substitution source Bodo Glossary

/u/→/a/ bus /bas~हहह/ bus

/a/→/e/ /bag/ /beg~हहह/ bag

/u/→/a/ /number/ /nambar~हहहहहहह/ number

/a/→/e/ /medal/ /medel~हहहहह/ medal

/u/→/o/ /pundit/ /pundit~हहहहहहह/ pundit

/i/→/u/ /li:chi/ /lesu~हहहह/ litchi

/u/→/o/ /dukan/ /dokan~ह’हहह/ shop

/a/→/e/ /tren/ /train~हहहहह/ train

/u/→/a/ /gulam/ /golam~ह’हहह/ slave

Same way the voiced affricate /d/ is altered in Bodo and to become voiced palatal /j/

Change source Bodo Glossary /d/→/j/ /hadir/ /hajir~हहहहह/ present  /v/→/u/: Labiodentals /v/, which is not present in the phonemic inventory of Bodo. The segments is adopted as vowel /u/ Change source Bodo Glossary /v/→/u/ /vakil/ /ukil~हहहह/ advocate  /sh//ch//x/,/sh →/s/

JETIR1811106 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 112

Fricative /sh/ is simplified as alveolar fricative /s/ in adaptation as well indicating the Bodo loanwords-

Change source Bodo Glossary /ch/→/s/ /chabi/ /sabi~हहहह/ key

/c/→/s/ /cinta/ /sinta~हहहहहह/ tension

/x/→/s/ /maxul/ /masul~हहहहह/ fine

/c/→/s/ /caka/ /sakha~हहहह/ wheel

/ch/→/s/ /chutti/ /suti~हहहह/ holiday

/ch/→/s / /li-chi/ /lesu~हहहह/ litchi

The effect of alter is usually noticed when a consonant or vowel added/inserted to the word of a given word. The further notes are that influences of borrowing the mention above word are modified.

1.4 CONCLUSION:

There are a large number of loan words and terms in Bodo vocabulary. This topic has great scope of investigation and analysis. Almost all the conditions and factors of lexicon borrowing are aptly applicable to naturalizations, since it is nothing but an internal sphere of lexical borrowing when phonemes, morphemes, words, terms, and other linguistic items of one language are being gradually naturalized in another language by means of adoption and adaptation.

REFERENCES

1. Dash, Niladri Sekhar: A Descriptive Study of Bengali Words Cambridge University Press, 2015 2. Bhattacharjya, Promod Chandra: A Descriptive Analysis of the Bodo Language, University publication Department, G.U, Second Edition, March 2007 Department of publication, G U, 1982 3. Basumatary, Phukan: An Introduction to the Boro language. Mittal Publication, New Delhi, India. 2005 4. Basumatary, P: Comparative Vocaburary of Boro- Garo Languages A Structural Analysis, Nilima Prakashani, Baganpara, Baksa (BTAD) 2014 5. Basumatary, Phukan Chandra. Functional Representation of Nominal Affixes in Rabha Language, in quest Journal, Vol. 2, No 12, 2014, pp. 22-32. Download from www.questjournals.org on 15 April, 2015 at 1.45 P.M. 6. Brahma, Raje. Loan words in Bodo vocabulary: a brief study (IMPACT:IJRHL) Vol. 4, issue 3, Mar 2016,15-28 7. Chainary, Swarna Prabha. A few Similarities found in Boro and Kok-Borok: The Two Languages of North- East India INPACT: IJRHAL Vol. 2, Issue 6, January 2014, PP 25-34. Download from www.impactjournals.us on 23rd March, 2015 at 1.35 PM.

JETIR1811106 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 113

8. Paul, H.C. A vocabulary of Perso-Arabic Words in Bengali, A Thesis Submitted to the Gahati University (1978), unpublished Thesis, Burman Area Vol. 24.2, (2001): PP-41-55.

JETIR1811106 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 114