Home > Indian History > Languages in India > Kokborok Language
Kokborok Language
Kokborok Language is a tribal language spoken mostly in the state of Tripura. It is also spoken in Bangladesh. This language belongs to Tibeto-Burman language family and its script is Koloma script.

Share this Article:

Kokborok Language, East Indian Tribal LanguageKokborok language is the native language that is spoken by the Borok people belonging to the state of Tripura. This East Indian tribal language is also spoken in the neighbouring country of Bangladesh. The term `Kok-borok` is actually a compound of the main words and these are `kok` that literally means `language, and `borok` that means `nation`. But interestingly, the second word is used to denote the Borok people who belong to Tripura. Thus, in simple terms, it can be said that Kokborok literally means `the native language of the Borok people`. Kokborok language has been present in several forms. The Kokborok script was known as `Koloma`. The history of the Borok Kings was originally written down in Kokborok language by using the Koloma script. Later on, this book was translated into Sanskrit language and again the chronicle was translated into Bengali language. Kokborok was related to the dialect of common people during Borok King`s rule in Tripura. In the year 1979, Kokborok language was documented as the official language of the state of Tripura.

Kokborok language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language family that is a sub-group of the Sino-Tibetan language group. It is the chief language family of East Asian and South East Asian regions. Kokborok language is closely associated with the Bodo language as well as the Dimasa language that are hugely spoken in the state of Assam. Further, Kokborok is also related to Garo language, which is principally spoken in the neighbouring country that is Bangladesh.

In Kokborok language, the letter `w` is used as a sign for a vowel that actually does not exist in English language. Moreover, in this language, `N` is considered as the pronunciation of nasal sound. Majority of the words in Kokborok language are formed by combining the source with an affix. Basically, there are two tones in this tribal language. There is a high tone as well as there is a low tone. In order to mark the high tone in this language, letter h is added with the vowel that symbolizes high tone. The Borok nation actually comprises several communities as well as sub-communities in Tripura, Mizoram and Assam. They have their own dialects that differ from one another.

The communities and their main dialects are mentioned below -

•Debbarma, Western
•Reang, Eastern and South-eastern
•Darlong, part of North
•Koloi
•Molsom
•Tripura, South
•Jamatia, South
•Rupini

Some of the Tripuri cultural organisations have been working effectively towards the development of the Kokborok language.


Share this Article:

Subscribe to Newsletter
Learn unknown facts about India from a curated list of informative articles.

Related Articles

More Articles in Languages in India

Development of Tamil Scripts
Development of Tamil scripts can be traced to the period just after the reign of Asoka. The Tamil script is believed to have developed from the Brahmi script.
History of Tamil Language
History of Tamil Language dates back to around the 2nd century BCE. Tamil language consists of the oldest non-Sanskrit Indian literature amongst all other Indian languages.
History of Maithili Language
History of Maithili Language can be dated back to the early fourteenth century. Maithili is now one of the national languages of India.
West Indian Languages
West Indian languages distinguish themselves with rurality and urbanity drawing the primary lines of speech.
Nagari Script
Nagari script today is classified as Devanagari, believed to have served as the ancestor of various modern-day writing.
Tamil Language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken primarily in India and other countries of South Asia. It is one of the official languages of Tamil Nadu. With a rich literary history spanning over 2,000 years, Tamil holds the distinction of being one of the oldest classical languages in the world.
Awadhi Language
Awadhi is one of the enriched languages of India, Hindi too originated from it. Awadhi, an Indo-Aryan language from the Indo-European family, originated from Ardhamagadhi Prakrit with ties to Sauraseni and Magadhi dialects.
Tamil Scripts
Tamil Scripts are used to write the Tamil language and other Dravidians languages. Tamil script varies from other Brahmi-derived scripts in numerous ways.
Bengali Language
Bengali Language evolved from Prakrit, Pali and Sanskrit and an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern India.
Gondi language
Gondi language is unusual in its formation that it contains no written versions, yet is enriched in concepts.
Pali Language
Pali Language owes its origination to Gautama Buddha and his disciples, who were chief to propagate it.
Origin of Prakrit Language
Origin of Prakrit language can be attributed to Sanskrit according to some historians. Some consider it as nature’s gift which is easily comprehensible.
Indian Language Families
Indian language families encompass diverse linguistic groups such as Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman, Tai-Kadai, and Andamanese. Indo-Aryan languages dominate northern India, Dravidian languages in the south, Tibeto-Burman in the northeast, Tai-Kadai in the northeast, and Andamanese in the Andaman Islands, reflecting India`s rich linguistic heritage and cultural diversity.
Chakma Script
Chakma script is also called Ojhapath, Ojhopath, Aaojhapath. The forms of the letters have resemblances to that of the Burmese script.
Garhwali Language
Garhwali, widely spoken by the denizens of Garhwal and East Himalayan region.
Sikkimese Language
The Sikkimese language, also known as Bhutia or Drenjongke, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken primarily in the Indian state of Sikkim. Rich in cultural significance, it features a unique script derived from the Tibetan alphabet. Sikkimese reflects the region's deep Buddhist heritage, preserving its traditions through oral and written forms.
Kharosthi Script
Kharosthi script had much to do with emperor Ashoka, who made use of this style in his Rock Edicts.
Siddham Script
Siddham script has evolved from two exceedingly respected lineage, thriving during the reign of Gupta Empire.
Indian Tribal Languages
Indian tribal languages have no legend of their own and spoken by people of ethnic groups from remote areas.
Assamese Script
Assamese script is a variation of the Eastern Nagari script. It belongs to the family to the Brahmic script family.