View source for Kokborok grammar

{{Short description|Grammar of the Kokborok language}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{citationstyle|date=February 2020}}

'''Kokborok grammar''' is the grammar of the [[Kokborok]] language, also known as '''Tripuri''' or '''Tipra''' which is spoken by the [[Tripuri people]], the native inhabitants of the state of [[Tripura]]. It is the official language of [[Tripura]], a state located in [[Northeast India]].

== Syntax ==
The principal structures of [[affirmative (linguistics)|affirmative]] sentences in Kokborok are the following:

{{interlinear|number= a)|italics2= yes|italics1= no|style1= font-weight:bold;
|Subject Complement
|Naisok {chwrai kaham.}
|Naisok {boy good}
|Naisok is a good boy.}}

{{interlinear|number= b)|italics2= yes|italics1= no|style1= font-weight:bold;
|Subject Object Verb
|Naisok mai chao.
|Naisok rice eat
|Naisok eats rice.}}

{{interlinear|number= c)|italics2= yes|italics1= no|style1= font-weight:bold;
|Possessive Subject Question
|Nini (bu)mung tamo?
|Your name what
|What is your name?}}

{{interlinear|number= d)|italics2= yes|italics1= no|style1= font-weight:bold;
|Subject Question Verb
|Nwng {tamoni bagwi} phai?
|You {what for} come
|Why have you come?}}

{{interlinear|number= e)|italics2= yes|italics1= no|style1= font-weight:bold;
|Subject {Verb and Question}
|Nwng thangnaide?
|You {will go}
|Will you go?}}

{{interlinear|number= f)|italics2= yes|italics1= no|style1= font-weight:bold;
|Subject {Verb and Command}
|Nwng thangdi.
|You go
|You go.}}

== Person ==

In Kokborok grammar use of the notion of [[Grammatical person|'person']] is almost absent; the form of verb is same for one who speaks, one who is spoken to, and one who is spoken about.

== Number ==

In Kokborok there are two [[Grammatical number|numbers]]: Singular and plural. The plural marker is used at the end of the noun or pronoun. There are two plural markers: ''rok'' and ''song''. ''Rok'' is universally used while ''song'' is used with human nouns only.
The plural marker is normally used at the end of the noun or pronoun. But when the noun has an adjective the plural marker is used at the end of the adjective instead of the noun.

Examples:

* ''Bwrwirok Teliamura o thangnai''. These women will go to Teliamura.
* ''O bwrwi naithokrok kaham rwchabo''. These beautiful women sing very well.

== Gender ==

In Kokborok there are four [[Grammatical gender|genders]]: masculine gender, feminine gender, common gender, and neuter gender. Words which denote male are masculine, words which denote female are feminine, words which can be both male and female are common gender, and words which cannot be either masculine or feminine are neuter gender.

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|+ Gender examples
| ''chwla'' || man – masculine
|-
| ''bwrwi'' || woman – feminine
|-
| ''chwrai'' || child – common
|-
| ''buphang'' || tree – neuter
|}

There are various ways to change genders of words:

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|+ Using different words
| ''bwsai'' || husband || ''bihik'' || wife
|-
| ''phayung'' || brother || ''hanok'' || sister
|-
| ''kiching'' || male friend || ''mare'' || female friend
|}

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|+ Adding ''i'' at the end of the masculine word
| ''sikla'' || young man || ''sikli'' || young woman
|-
| ''achu'' || grandfather || ''achui'' || grandmother
|-
| colspan="4" | When the masculine words ends in ''a'', the ''a'' is dropped.
|}

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|+ Adding ''jwk'' at the end of the masculine word
| ''bwsa'' || son || ''bwsajwk'' || daughter
|-
| ''kwra'' || father-in-law || ''kwrajwk'' || mother-in-law
|}

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|+ Words of common gender are made masculine by adding suffixes, like ''sa'', ''chwla/la'', ''jua'' and feminine by adding ''ma'', ''jwk'', ''bwrwi''
| ''pun'' || goat || ''punjua'' || he goat || ''punjwk'' || she goat
|-
| ''tok'' || fowl || ''tokla'' || cock || ''tokma'' || hen
|-
| ''takhum'' || swan || ''takhumchwla'' || drake || ''takhumbwrwi'' || duck
|}

== Case and case endings ==

In Kokborok there are the nominative, accusative, instrumental, ablative, locative and possessive [[Grammatical case|cases]].

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|+ Case suffixes
| [[Nominative]] || ''o''
|-
| [[Accusative]] || ''no''
|-
| [[Instrumental case|Instrumental]] || ''bai''
|-
| [[Ablative]] || ''ni''
|-
| [[Locative]] || ''o''
|-
| [[Possessive case|Possessive]] || ''ni''
|}

These case suffixes are used at the end of the noun/pronoun and there is no change in the form of the noun.

== Adjective ==

In Kokborok the [[adjective]]s come after the words they qualify. This rule is strictly followed only in the case of native adjectives. In case of loan adjectives the rule is rather loose. Kokborok adjectives may be divided into four classes:

# pure adjectives
# compound adjectives
# verbal adjectives
# K-adjectives

The first three classes may include both native and loan words. The fourth class is made of purely native words.
e.g.:

# ''hilik'' – heavy, ''heleng'' – light
# ''bwkha kotor'' – (heart big) – brave, ''bwkha kusu'' – (heart small) – timid
# ''leng'' – tire, ''lengjak'' – tired, ''ruk'' – to boil, ''rukjak'' – boiled.
# ''kaham'' – good, ''kotor'' – big, ''kisi'' – wet.

== Numerals ==

Kokborok [[Numeral (linguistics)|numeral]]s are both [[decimal]] and [[vigesimal]].
# sa
# nwi
# tham
# brwi
# ba
# dok
# sni
# char
# chuku
# chi

* ''ra'' – hundredth
* ''sara'' – one hundred
* ''sai'' – thousandth
* ''sasai''- one thousand
* ''rwjag'' – a [[lakh]]

A numeral is organised as:

{{interlinear|indent=3
|top= ''chisa''
|chi + sa
|ten + one
|11}}

== See also ==
* [[Meitei grammar]]
* [[Tripuri language]]
* [[Chinese language]]
* [[Burmese language]]
* [[Languages of India]]
* [https://www.netoday.in/kokborok-kok-ni-laibuma-tripura/ Kokborok History]

== References ==

* ''A simplified Kokborok Grammar, by Prof. Prabhas Chandra Dhar, 1987''



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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kokborok Grammar}}
[[Category:Kokborok]]
[[Category:Sino-Tibetan grammars]]