Survival Phrases in Nagamese: the Lingua Franca of Nagaland

Nagaland in the north eastern frontiers of India is a linguist’s paradise where not less than 23 different indigenous languages are spoken in full vigor. Though English is the official language in Nagaland, It is Nagamese (a pidgin/creole arising out of Assamese, Hindi, English and various Naga languages) which rules the roost across the state. Though the origin of Nagamese is unknown, it is evident from the accounts of Lt. Bigges (Tour Diary 1841) that this pidgin was in vogue before the British soldiers set their feet in the Naga Hills. The earliest record of Nagamese is found in Hutton (1921) with a few lexical items and phrases in the pidgin. Hutton (1921) says

‘the Assamese as spoken in the Naga Hills is peculiarly well adapted for the reproduction of Naga idioms as a vehicle of interpretation. It makes a better lingua franca for the Hills than Hindustani or English would, the substitution of which for Assamese has been occasionally suggested.’

Hutton is referring to Nagamese when he is writing of Assamese of Naga Hills. Similarly Haimendorf (Von Furer Haimendorf, The Naked Nagas, 1939, London) writes

‘Fortunately many people including children spoke fluently Nagamese, the lingua franca of entire Naga Hills’.

The spread of Nagamese according to Sreedhar (M.V. Shreedhar, 1985, Standardized Grammar of Naga Pidgin, Mysore) is due to several factors. He cites the construction of roads, penetration of Marwari traders in far flung areas, and various state and central agencies bringing Non-Nagas in Nagaland as the primary reason for the spread of Nagamese. It is absolutely clear that neither colonization nor subjugation was responsible for the birth of Nagamese.

Today Nagamese is used for diverse inter-lingual communication situations such as Schools, markets, hospitals, legislative assembly, and even in churches. Moreover the emergence of a unified Naga identity irrespective of tribal affiliations has led to situations where it has acquired the role of a mother tongue for the children born out of wedlock of people from two different communities. Nagamese is increasingly used in informal conversation though formal discourse is still done in English or any other indigenous language. Youth use it profusely among themselves on the streets of Kohima, Dimapur, Mokukchung and outside Nagaland etc.

Knowing a little of Nagamese in Nagaland comes handy when one decides to visit this beautiful state in the Far East. Nagamese is like a song you would like to sing time and again.

Here are some SURVIVAL PHRASES in Nagamese based on Dr. N. Khashito Aye’s book titled Nagamese: the Lingua Franca of Nagaland, 2007 (published by Christian Education Ministry, Sugar Mill, 5^th Mile, Dimapur- 7977112, Nagaland).

SURVIVAL PHRASES in NAGAMESE

English	Nagamese	Hindi
Please come in	aahibi	आईए।
Please sit down	bohibi	बैठिए।
Where do you live?	aapuni kot thaake?	आप कहाँ रहते/रहती हैं?
My house is in Agra	mor laagaa ghar Agrate aase	मेरा घर आगरा में है।
What is your name?	aapuni laagaa naam ki aase?	आपका क्या नाम है?
My name is Prakash	mor laaga naam prakaash aase	मेरा नाम प्रकाश है।
How are you?	kenekaa aase?	आप कैसे हैं?
I am alright	Bhaal hi aase	मैं ठीक हूँ।
What happened?	ki hoise?	क्या हुआ?
What is the price of this?	itu kiman dam ase?	इसका दाम क्या है?
lower down the price	olop kom koribi	कुछ कम कीजिए।
That will do	hoise	हाँ यह ठीक है।
I don’t want	amaake naalaage	मुझे नहीं चाहिए।
At what time you will come?	aapuni kimaan baajite aahibo?	आप कितने बजे आएंगे।
I will come tomorrow at 8 o’clock	aami kaali aat bajite aahibo	मैं कल आठ बजे आउंगा।
Please drive the car	gaari chalaabi	गाड़ी चलाईए।
Drive slowly	aaste chalaabi	धीरे चलाईए।
Stop	rukhibi	रोकिए।
Turn it	ghuraabi	घुमाईए।
To the left	left phaale	बाईं ओर।
To the right	right phaale	दाईं ओर।
This way	itu phaale	इस तरफ।
That way	hitu phaale	उस तरफ।
Which way?	kun phaale?	किस तरफ?
Go straight	sida jabi	सीधा जाईए।
Do you like it?	aapuni itu bhal laage?	क्या यह आपको पसंद है?
Where are you going?	aapuni kot jabo?	आप कहाँ जा रहे/रही हैं?
I am going to market	moi market jai aase	मैं बाज़ार जा रहा हूँ।
Where has he gone?	taar kot jaise?	वह कहाँ गए/गई हैं?
I will come tomorrow	aami kali aahibo	मैं कल आउंगा।
Vitsaho and kitoka have come	vitshao aaru kitoka aahise	वित्साहो और कितोका आए हैं।

And I end this piece with a Nagamese Love song by Kevilinuo Vizo:

Moi laagaa darling

Moi laagaa darling bishi sunder,

Tai laagaa bosti moi najaane,

Beraai beraai kenaa thing bekhaaise

Biyanpabi salam di aase

Ek din noholie, dui din noholie

Love kuribo etu time te koi dibo de,

Eki logote rastaa rastaa beraabo,

Itu din rukhi aase darling.

Post photo courtesy: http://miyzone.blogspot.com/2007/08/different-houses-nagaland-heritage.html

The wound from within

Colonial rule in India is a history of isolation and separatism. And India is still trying to come in terms of the differences arising out of this history. Take for example the North-East India. North-East India is a cultural mosaic or a colorful kaleidoscope on its own lying in the North-Eastern frontier area of India which touches China, Burma(Myanmar), Bangladesh and Bhutan.

India’s independence in 1947 led to the emergence of a new nation consisting primarily of British India. But it also inherited the problematics of it. Due to various reasons, North-East India drifted towards a state of alienation resulting in insurgency or calls for sovereignty. In the course of time these nationalistic aspirations turned uglier and murky for both the government and the insurgent groups (commonly known as Undergrounds).

Today North-East India is still burning with the flames of seeds sown long time ago. This state of affair needs us to re-examine the role of the so called main stream society specially of the people living in Hindi belt in the above context. Recently I wrote a an article (which I actually started as a letter) on this issue titled ‘ मुख्यधारा के बरक्स हाशिए का समाज-पूर्वोत्तर ‘. To read this article (Pdf) click on the link below

The margins in the main-scape: North-East India