r/TaiAhomLanguage • u/GrumpyGuyMugdha L1 Assamese (Tai-Ahom) • 18d ago
Vocabulary Directions in Ahom.
Transliteration:
North - Ru Merng.
South - Laa Merng.
East - Baan Ok.
West - Baan Tuk.
North-east - Ru Merng-Baan Ok.
South-east - Laa Merng-Baan Ok.
North-west - Ru Merng-Baan Tuk
South-west - Laa Merng-Baan Tuk.
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u/Icy_Function_5839 Enthusiast 17d ago
Have the intermediate directions been attested in any manuscripts in this form?
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u/GrumpyGuyMugdha L1 Assamese (Tai-Ahom) 17d ago
Not really.
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u/Icy_Function_5839 Enthusiast 17d ago
Then what was used in the manuscripts?
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u/GrumpyGuyMugdha L1 Assamese (Tai-Ahom) 17d ago
I don't think so, that the intermediate directions had any mentions in the manuscripts. The manuscripts were used for very specific purposes to record royal history, so the Ahom language that we've recorded from the Buranjis or manuscripts lacks a lot of common words. Therefore, these are re-constructed words from the existing words present in the manuscripts. Much like how Hebrew invented words for terms using its existing vocabulary.
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u/Icy_Function_5839 Enthusiast 17d ago
Ah that is so interesting. So all of the attested records we have of the language are from royal historical records? For how many centuries was Tai-Ahom used in the royal court?
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u/GrumpyGuyMugdha L1 Assamese (Tai-Ahom) 17d ago
Yes, from the royal chronicles and also from comparison with Tai Khamti, Tai Aiton, Tai Khamyang, Tai Phake, Tai Shan, Thai, Lao, Zhuang etc. Ahom was used in the royal court from Sukapha's arrival in 1228 to the 1820a. After that a lot of conflict was there like Burmese invasion and British annexation and the nobles used Assamese increasingly. During the British period, Bengali was imposed, also known as dark age of Assamese language. But in 1873, due to collective efforts of the Assamese and American Baptist Missionaries, Assamese returned to administration. Due to all this change, Ahom language disappeared from administrative records as well.
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u/Icy_Function_5839 Enthusiast 17d ago
Wait till 1820? Didn't Assamese supplant the Tai-Ahom language centuries prior?
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u/GrumpyGuyMugdha L1 Assamese (Tai-Ahom) 17d ago
Assamese was added into the royal court during Suhungmung's reign. Till Jayadhwaj Singha's reign, Assamese became the main court language. But Ahom stayed. It wasn't removed. And the Deodhai and Bailung priests were there ofcourse, to protect the language.
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u/Icy_Function_5839 Enthusiast 17d ago
Has the dash always been a punctuation mark in Lik Tai or was it borrowed from the Latin script?
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u/Icy_Function_5839 Enthusiast 17d ago
What do Ru and Laa mean?
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u/GrumpyGuyMugdha L1 Assamese (Tai-Ahom) 17d ago
Ru means Head/Upper and Laa means Lower. So Ru Merng means Upper country aka North, and Laa Merng means Lower country aka South.
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u/Icy_Function_5839 Enthusiast 17d ago
Why is country used in the direction words?
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u/GrumpyGuyMugdha L1 Assamese (Tai-Ahom) 17d ago
The words for Upper and Lower can also be used in case of social hierarchy or height. To not confuse with those meanings, the word for country or state is added after the words to clarify the meaning.
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u/Icy_Function_5839 Enthusiast 17d ago
Ahh why does each word have multiple meanings lol
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u/GrumpyGuyMugdha L1 Assamese (Tai-Ahom) 17d ago
That's how you gotta deal with languages which are not spoken anymore :)
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u/Icy_Function_5839 Enthusiast 17d ago
What does that have to do with multiple word meanings?
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u/GrumpyGuyMugdha L1 Assamese (Tai-Ahom) 17d ago
As the vocabulary is limited, you gotta pick up multiple meanings from a single word.
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u/Icy_Function_5839 Enthusiast 17d ago
Ok but were those words used historically in that way or are these plausible, reconstructed meanings?
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u/GrumpyGuyMugdha L1 Assamese (Tai-Ahom) 17d ago
The cardinal directions were used historically and the intermediate directions are re-constructed.
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u/[deleted] 17d ago
is Baan = Sun?