Login
Login

Chakma language

{{Short description|Language of India and Bangladesh}}

{{Distinguish|Chak language|Chakpa language}}

{{EngvarB|date=March 2017}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}

{{Infobox language

| name = Chakma

| altname = Changhma

| nativename = {{big|{{lang|ccp|๐‘„Œ๐‘„‹๐‘„ด๐‘„Ÿ๐‘„ณ๐‘„ฆ ๐‘„ž๐‘„Œ๐‘„ด}}}}

({{lang|ccp-Latn|Changhma Bhach}})

| pronunciation = {{nowrap|{{IPA|ccp|tษ•aล‹ma batษ•สฐ|}}}}

| image = Chakma Language (Changma Bhach) in Chakma Script.svg

| imagescale =

| imagecaption = 'Changhma Bhach' in Chakma script

| states = {{hlist|Bangladesh|India|Myanmar}}

| region = *Bangladesh

| ethnicity = Chakma, Daingnet

| speakers = {{sigfig|740,000|2}}

| date = 2011-2024

| ref = {{Cite web|url=https://bbs.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/bbs.portal.gov.bd/page/b343a8b4_956b_45ca_872f_4cf9b2f1a6e0/2023-09-27-09-50-a3672cdf61961a45347ab8660a3109b6.pdf|title=Table A-1.4 Ethnic Population by Group and Sex|year=2021|publisher=Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics|page=33|access-date=22 November 2022|archive-date=15 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315104610/http://bbs.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/bbs.portal.gov.bd/page/b343a8b4_956b_45ca_872f_4cf9b2f1a6e0/2022-07-28-14-31-b21f81d1c15171f1770c661020381666.pdf|url-status=live}}{{Ethnologue28|ccp}}

| familycolor = Indo-European

| fam2 = Indo-Iranian

| fam3 = Indo-Aryan

| fam4 = Eastern

| fam5 = Bengaliโ€“Assamese

| script = {{ubl|Chakma script|Tanchangya alphabets}}

| nation = {{flag|India}} (CADC)

| ietf = ccp

| iso3 = ccp

| glotto = chak1266

| glottorefname = Chakma

| lingua = {{wikidata|property|references|P1396}}

| minority = {{ubl|{{flag|Bangladesh}}|{{flag|Myanmar}}}}

| dia1 = Tanchangya

| dia2 = Daingnet

| map = File:Chakma.map.png

| ancestor = Proto-Chakma

| ancestor2 = Sal

| ancestor3 = Medieval Chakma

}}

{{Chakma Sidebar|expanded = language}}

Chakma ({{IPAc-en|หˆ|tสƒ|ษ‘ห|k|m|ษ™|}}; autonym: {{lang|ccp|{{Script/Chakma|๐‘„Œ๐‘„‹๐‘„ด๐‘„Ÿ๐‘„ณ๐‘„ฆ ๐‘„ž๐‘„Œ๐‘„ด}}}}) is an Indo-Aryan language of the Indo-European language family, whose speakers are known as the Chakma or the Daingnet people. It has 740,000 speakers,{{e28|ccp}} with 60% residing in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh and 35% spread across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram and Tripura in India. The remaining 5% live in Myanmar. The language has it own script, the Chakma script or the ajhapat ({{lang|ccp|{{Script/Chakma|๐‘„Œ๐‘„‹๐‘„ด๐‘„Ÿ๐‘„ณ๐‘„ฆ ๐‘„ƒ๐‘„ง๐‘„๐‘„›๐‘„–๐‘„ด}}}}), which is an abugida similar other South-east Asian scripts. It is mutually intelligible with the Chittagonian language.

Similarities of the Chakma language with Sanskrit, Maghadi Prakrit and with Pali is visible referring it to be a classical language. This suggests that the Chakmas have been present in the Indian subcontinent since ancient times. Cultural exchanges with neighboring communities have led to the adoption of Indo-Aryan and Arakanese terms. Studies suggest that the language may have originally been a Tibeto-Burman language before transitioning into an Indic language. However, there are abundant of vocabularies used in the Chakma language that do belong neither to Indo-Aryan nor Tibeto-Burman linguistic group, likely originating from their ancestral language. Historically, a Mongoloid group that settled in the Himalayan foothills spoke a Tibetan-related language but gradually incorporated Aryan vocabulary.{{cite magazine |last=Chakma |first=Jyotirmoy |date=Aprilโ€“July 2010 |title=Origin and Evolution of Chakma Language and Script |url=https://mcdf.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/chakma-language-and-script.pdf |magazine=Kriti Rakshana |location= |publisher=National Mission for Manuscripts |page= |access-date=}}{{cite conference |last1=Ganguly |first1=Siddhartha |last2=Talukdar |first2=Sakya Prasad |title=A Linguistic Description of Chakma Language |url=http://sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf8/ganguly1996linguistic.pdf |conference= |work=Pan-Asiatic linguistics : proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Languages and Linguistics, January 8โ€“10, 1996 |publication-place=Thailand |publisher=Institute of Language and Culture for Rural Development, Mahidol |publication-date=1996 |page= |access-date= |oclc=35320776}}

History

{{Further|Chakma script#History of Chakma writing system}}

= Origins and Early Development =

The earliest form of the Chakma language appears to have been distinct from both Indo-Aryan and Tibeto-Burman languages. Evidence for this comes from a significant portion of the Chakma vocabulary, which does not closely resemble words in either linguistic group. This suggests that early Chakma may have belonged to an isolated or lesser-documented linguistic lineage before later influences shaped its development.

Historical migration patterns indicate that the Chakma people likely moved from Magadha (modern Bihar, India) to Arakan (Rakhine State, Myanmar) before settling in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. During this journey, their language encountered and absorbed elements from Pali and Sanskrit, particularly in religious and administrative contexts. At the same time, interactions with Burmese and Arakanese speakers introduced phonetic and structural adaptations, though the core vocabulary remained distinct.

= Medieval Chakma =

File:A_sample_of_Paw'rangpulu_used_by_Chakma_Luri(Buddhist_priest).png

The Chakma and Daingnet people now speak what may be considered divergent dialects of Magadhi Prakrit. However, this is due to language shift from a Tibeto-Burman language; that medieval language may have been related to Sak{{cite book |last=Bradley |first=David |title=Medieval Tibeto-Burman Languages |date=2002 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-12424-0 |editor-last=Beckwith |editor-first=Christopher I. |page=83 |chapter=The Subgrouping of Tibeto-Burman}} or ChairelVoegelin, Charles Frederick & Florence Marie Robinett Voegelin. 1977. Classification and Index of the World's Languages. New York: Elsevier. {{ISBN|0-444-00155-7}} (and therefore of the Brahmaputran branch).

Scholars discovered nearly century-old Chakma manuscripts bound in animal hide, preserved by the Chakma community. Displayed at a seminar in Pecharthal, Tripura, these texts cover history, culture, music, herbal medicine, and Buddhism. Written in Chakma script on handmade tree-bark paper, the ink was sourced from China via Myanmar. Over 3,000 such manuscripts exist, with some now conserved by Tripura University. This discovery highlights the rich literary heritage of the Chakma language.{{Cite news |title=Chakmas exhibit literary cache |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/north-east/chakmas-exhibit-literary-cache/cid/392187 |work=The Telegraph |date=29 August 2012}}

= Modern Chakma =

It is officially recognized by the government of Tripura in India and also by the government of Bangladesh. In India, it is also spoken primarily in the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) which consists of the Tuichawng constituency of Lawngtlai district in Mizoram and many places in Tripura.

Although there were no Chakma language radio or television stations as of 2011, the language has a presence in social media and on YouTube. The Hill Education Chakma Script website provides tutorials, videos, e-books, and Chakma language forums.{{Cite web| title = Languages: Online Activism To Save Chakma Language| work = Rising Voices| access-date = 2 September 2012

| date = 29 November 2011| url = http://rising.globalvoicesonline.org/blog/2011/11/29/languages-online-activism-to-save-chakma-language/}}

In 2012, the government of Tripura announced the implementation of Chakma language in Chakma Script (or Ajhฤ Pฤแนญh) in primary schools of Tripura. Imparting of education up to the elementary stage in the mother tongue is a national policy. To begin with, Chakma language subjects in its own scripts has been introduced in 87 primary schools in Chakma concentrated areas in Tripura."{{Cite web| last = Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network| title = Chakma script to be introduced in Tripura| work = E-Pao! Headlines | access-date = 2 September 2012| date = 31 August 2012| url = http://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=20..010912.sep12

}}{{Cite book|url=https://kokborokoml.tripura.gov.in/chakma|title=Chakma Language, The Directorate of Kokborok & Other Minority Languages, Govt. of Tripura, India}}

"In preparation for the January 2014 education season, the national curriculum and textbook board has already started printing books in six languages ... Chakma, Kokborok (Tripura community), Marma, Santal, Sadri (Orao community) and Achik."{{Cite web| last = Chowdhury| first = K. R.| title = Native tongue offers ethnic children a good start| work = khabarsouthasia.com| access-date = 2 June 2013| date = 21 May 2013| url = http://khabarsouthasia.com/en_GB/articles/apwi/articles/features/2013/05/21/feature-01| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130625042339/http://khabarsouthasia.com/en_GB/articles/apwi/articles/features/2013/05/21/feature-01| archive-date = 25 June 2013| url-status = dead}}

Mor Thengari (My Bicycle) was Bangladesh's first Chakma-language movie. However, it was banned in Bangladesh due to its controversial plot.{{Cite web|date=11 December 2015|title=Bangladesh's Censor Board Blocks the Country's First Chakma-Language Film|url=https://globalvoices.org/2015/12/11/bangladeshs-censor-board-blocks-the-countrys-first-chakma-language-film/|access-date=21 June 2020|website=Global Voices|language=en}}

Phonology

= Vowels =

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

|+Vowels

! FrontCentralBack
Close

| {{IPA link|i}} || || {{IPA link|u}}

Close-mid

| {{IPA link|e}} || || {{IPA link|o}}

Open-mid

| {{IPA link|ษ›}} || || {{IPA link|ษ”}}

Open

| {{IPA link|รฆ}} ||{{IPA link|a}}

|

= Consonants =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+Chakma Consonants

! colspan="2" |

!Labial

!Dental

!Alveolar

!Post-
alveolar

!Palatal

!Velar

!Glottal

rowspan="3" |Plosive

!voiceless

|{{IPA link|p}}

|{{IPA link|t}}

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|k}}

|

voiced

|{{IPA link|b}}

|{{IPA link|d}}

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|ษก}}

|

breathy

|{{IPA link|bสฑ}}

|{{IPA link|dสฑ}}

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|ษกสฑ}}

|

rowspan="2" |Affricate

!voiceless

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|tสƒ}}

|

|

|

voiced

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|dส’}}

|

|

|

rowspan="2" |Fricative

!voiceless

|

|

|{{IPA link|s}}

|({{IPA link|สƒ}})

|

|

|{{IPA link|h}}

voiced

|

|

|{{IPA link|z}}

|

|

|

|

colspan="2" |Nasal

|{{IPA link|m}}

|

|{{IPA link|n}}

|

|

|{{IPA link|ล‹}}

|

colspan="2" |Trill/Tap

|

|

|{{IPA link|r}}

|{{IPA link|ษฝ}}

|

|

|

colspan="2" |Approximant

|{{IPA link|w}}

|

|{{IPA link|l}}

|

|{{IPA link|j}}

|

|

  • {{IPA|/p/}} can be heard as {{IPA|[ษธ]}} in intervocalic and word-final positions.
  • {{IPA|/t k/}} can be heard as {{IPA|[tฬชสฐ x]}} in word-initial and intervocalic positions.
  • A {{IPA|/สƒ/}} sound is rare, and in some cases, is a free variant sound of {{IPA|/s/}}.{{cite thesis|last=Tanchangya|first=Shanta Rakshit|date=December 2013|type=BA|title=A comparative study of vowels in Chakma and English|publisher=BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh|url=http://dspace.bracu.ac.bd:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10361/3173/09203010.pdf|access-date=15 November 2018|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225083428/http://dspace.bracu.ac.bd:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10361/3173/09203010.pdf|url-status=dead}}{{Cite book|last=Bhattacharyya|first=Sumana|title=A Linguistic study of Chakma|publisher=University of Calcutta|year=2004}}

= Tones =

Chakma is a tonal language, it has contrastive tones; differences in the pitch of the speaker's voice can distinguish words.{{Cite journal|last=Pal|first=Animesh K.|date=1965|title= Phonemes of a Dacca Dialect of Eastern Bengali and the Importance of Tone|journal=Journal of the Asiatic Society|volume=VII|pages= 44โ€“45 |quote= The tonal element in Panjabi as well as in Eastern Bengali has been noticed in respect of various new ways of treating the voiced aspirates and 'h'.}}{{citation|last=Masica|first= Colin P.|title=The Indo-Aryan Languages|year=1991|publisher= Cambridge University Press|page=102|quote= Glottalization is often connected with tone and in the East Bengali cases seem to be related to the evolution of tone from the voiced aspirates.}}{{cite web | url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=haj | title=Hajong | publisher=The Ethnologue Report | access-date=19 November 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061115092134/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=haj | archive-date=15 November 2006 | url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Language & Scripts โ€“ Chakma Autonomous District Council |url=https://www.cadc.gov.in/language-scripts/ |access-date=2025-02-09 |language=en-US}}

Writing system

{{main|Chakma script}}

The Chakma script is an abugida that belongs to the Brahmic family of scripts. Chakma evolved from the Burmese script, which was ultimately derived from Pallava.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RGHfVGV5A5wC&q=chakma+script+burmese%2Cp214&pg=PA214|title=Genesis of Indigenous Chakma Buddhists and Their Pulverization Worldwide|isbn=9788178357584|last1=Talukdar|first1=S. P.|year=2010|publisher=Gyan Publishing House }}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jWP0BwAAQBAJ&q=chakma+script+burmese&pg=PA28|title = Mru: Hill People on the Border of Bangladesh|date = 11 November 2013| publisher=Birkhรคuser |isbn = 9783034856942}}{{cite web |url=http://unicode.org/L2/L2009/09187r-n3645r-chakma.pdf |title=Proposal for encoding the Chakma script in the UCS |website=Unicode}}

Sample text

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:{{Cite web |title=UDHR โ€“ First article, all languages |url=https://unicode.org/udhr/assemblies/first_article_all.html |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=unicode.org |archive-date=28 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228040017/https://unicode.org/udhr/assemblies/first_article_all.html |url-status=dead }}

{{Fs interlinear|๐‘„๐‘„ฌ๐‘„‰๐‘„ด ๐‘„Ÿ๐‘„š๐‘„ช๐‘„ฅ๐‘„ด๐‘„ฅ๐‘„ช๐‘„š๐‘„ด ๐‘„ฅ๐‘„ด๐‘„ค๐‘„™๐‘„ฉ๐‘„š๐‘„ด ๐‘„‰๐‘„ง๐‘„ข๐‘„จ ๐‘„ƒ๐‘„ฌ๐‘„‡๐‘„ด๐‘„‡๐‘„ช๐‘„ƒ๐‘„จ ๐‘„Ÿ๐‘„ง๐‘„ข๐‘„ด๐‘„ก๐‘„˜ ๐‘„ƒ๐‘„ข๐‘„ด ๐‘„ƒ๐‘„ง๐‘„™๐‘„จ๐‘„‡๐‘„ข๐‘„ด ๐‘„ฃ๐‘„ง๐‘„š๐‘„ฌ ๐‘„ฃ๐‘„ฐ ๐‘„Ž๐‘„ง๐‘„š๐‘„ด๐‘„Ÿ๐‘„ง ๐‘„ƒ๐‘„ง๐‘„š๐‘„ด๐‘…‚ ๐‘„–๐‘„ข๐‘„ข๐‘„ด ๐‘„๐‘„จ๐‘„๐‘„ฌ๐‘„‡๐‘„ด ๐‘„๐‘„ช๐‘„˜๐‘„ด๐‘„™๐‘„จ ๐‘„๐‘„ฌ๐‘„‡๐‘„ด๐‘„‡๐‘„š๐‘„จ ๐‘„ƒ๐‘„‰๐‘„ฌ๐‘… ๐‘„ฅ๐‘„ฌ๐‘„š๐‘„ง๐‘„–๐‘„ด๐‘„–๐‘„ฌ ๐‘„ƒ๐‘„Ÿ๐‘„ข๐‘„ด ๐‘„›๐‘„ฌ๐‘„‡๐‘„ด๐‘„‡๐‘„ช๐‘„š๐‘„ฌ๐‘„ฃ๐‘„ด๐‘„ฃ๐‘„ฏ๐‘„ƒ๐‘„จ ๐‘„˜๐‘„ฎ๐‘„ฃ๐‘„ด ๐‘„Œ๐‘„จ๐‘„–๐‘„ด๐‘„–๐‘„ง๐‘„ฃ๐‘„ฐ ๐‘„ƒ๐‘„ง๐‘„‹๐‘„›๐‘„ง๐‘„ข๐‘„ง๐‘„• ๐‘„ƒ๐‘„ช๐‘„Œ๐‘„จ๐‘„–๐‘„ด๐‘…‚|Baeg manussun svadin gori aekkui morjada ar udhigar lwnae loi dzawnmw oan. Tarar bibaek buddee beakkani aageh. Saenwtte aamaar baekkunelei dol sittawloi songporona usit.|All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.|indent=2|lang=ccp}}

Educational institutions

The Chakma language is being taught in many government and private schools in India (Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh) and Bangladesh. The Chakma language was officially introduced in primary schools by the government of Tripura under The Directorate of Kokborok & Other Minority Languages in 2004 through Bengali script and since 2013 through Chakma script (also known as Ajhฤ Pฤแนญh). Presently, the Chakma language is being taught in 87 schools.

References

{{Reflist}}

  • Cฤแน…mฤ, Cirajyoti and Maแน…gal Cฤแน…gmฤ. 1982. Cฤแน…mฤr ฤg pudhi (Chakma primer). Rฤแน…amฤแนญi:Cฤแน…mฤbhฤแนฃฤ Prakฤล›anฤ Pariแนฃad.
  • Khisa, Bhagadatta. 2001. Cฤแน…mฤ pattham pฤt (Chakma primer.) Rฤแน…amฤแนญi: Tribal Cultural Institute(TCI).
  • Singฤ. 2004. Phagadฤแน…

External links

{{incubator|code=ccp}}

{{Commons category-inline|Chakma language}}

  • [http://uni.hilledu.com/download-ribenguni/ Unicode Font for the language]
  • [http://hilledu.com Chakma Script] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115054019/https://hilledu.com/ |date=15 January 2020 }}
  • [http://hillbd.com Chakma Bangla Blog]
  • [https://languagetools-153419.appspot.com/ccp/ Chakma Prototype Keyboard]
  • [https://languagetools-153419.appspot.com/ccp/convertUI/ Chakma Unicode Converter]
  • [https://languagetools-153419.appspot.com/ccp/downloads/ Available Chakma Unicode Font]
  • {{Cite web

| title = Chakma alphabet, pronunciation and language

| work = Omniglot

| access-date = 2 September 2012

| url = http://www.omniglot.com/writing/chakma.htm

}}

  • {{cite book |last=Nawaz |first=Ali |year=2012 |chapter=Tribal Languages |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Tribal_Languages |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh}}
  • {{Cite news

| title = Honour for writers

| work = The Telegraph โ€“ Calcutta (Kolkata)

| access-date = 2 September 2012

| date = 7 January 2009

| url = http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090108/jsp/jharkhand/story_10359861.jsp

| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130104221125/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090108/jsp/jharkhand/story_10359861.jsp

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = 4 January 2013

}}

{{Subject bar |d=Q32952 |commons= y |commons-search= Category:Chakma language |n= y |wikt= y |wikt-search= Chakma language |b= y |s= y |v= y |voy-search= Chakma language }}

{{Languages of Bangladesh}}

{{Languages of India}}

{{Languages of Burma}}

{{Eastern Indo-Aryan languages}}

Category:Eastern Indo-Aryan languages

Category:Languages of Bangladesh

Category:Chakma

Category:Languages of Mizoram

Category:Languages of Tripura

Category:Languages of Arunachal Pradesh

Category:Languages of Myanmar