LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 17:2 February 2017
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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A Sociolinguistic Study on Hunphun-Tangkhul
Kinship Terminology

Yatmi Luikham, Ph.D. Research Scholar

Abstract

Hunphun-Tangkhul/hunphun is originally the dialect of the hunphun village which is the district headquarter of Ukhrul in Manipur state. The district comprises of 221 villages with a population of 183,998 as per 2011 census, with almost all the villages speaking a dialect of its own. Hunphun tui ‘hunphun dialect/language’ is the dialect adopted as the Lingua franca of the Tangkhul-Naga Community. The dialect is better known by the people as tangkhul tui ‘Tangkhul language.’ Genetically, it belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language family. Human language cannot occur out of the social context; it is inextricable from the social norms. The changes in the social norms of hunphun-tangkhul are reflected in the kin terms used among the community. Correct usage of Kinship terms were strictly maintained in the past. However, in the present day, the uses of these terms have been liberalised to such an extent that judging kin relation superficially by kin terms in use is not always reliable. Discussion on marriage, the terms of Address and terms of Reference taking age, sex, generation, cultural-hereditary based hierarchical terms in each clan, kin group (matrilineal, patrilineal)as an important social variable determining the kinship terminology are taken under study. Semantic extension of the kin terms and influx of loan terms are evidence of change in the kinship terminology. The paper attempts to advocate on the reciprocative nature of language and society through a descriptive presentation of change in the use of hunphun-tangkhul kinship terminology.

Keywords: Hunphun-Tangkhul, Kinship Terminology (KT), Patrilineal, lineage, clan, Cultural-Hereditary Hierarchy

1. Introduction

From the point of view of linguistics, the linguistic items used to refer human relationship with each other are broadly termed as kinship terminology. Kinship terms vary from society to society. The terms considered disrespect in one society may have positive effect in another. As is in American society, referring to older brother or older sister by his/her name has no negative entailment, while in most Indian societies it is received with contempt and considered impertinent. Kinship terminology among the hunphun-tangkhul is carefully defined as it has the connotation of one’s position in the family and in the society. The misuses of these terms result in offense in many cases. In hunphun-tangkhul, calling grandparents or an elderly person fit to be ones’ grandparents by name is an insolent manner. To this there’s an age-old saying that such person would stumble on the road and fall. However, the use of these terms may deviate when there’s a change brought about in the society which affects the mentality of the people living in that society. R.L.Trask(2010) also asserts language change as a result of how individuals and groups perceive themselves and their relation to others.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.


Yatmi Luikham, Ph.D. Research Scholar
Department of Linguistics
Manipur University
Canchipur-795003
Manipur
India
ayat.luikham@gmail.com
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