Page:Growth of Asamiya Language.pdf/27

MEETING OF DIFFERENT CULTURES IN ANCIENT ASAM 17 any thing in the house until she cleatis herseli specially on the third day of the mens. These rules are still very strictly observed at least in the villages, and they probably betray an Alpine culture. So much about the social side of Asamiya life. On the linguistic side too there are similar traces of Alpine immigration into ancient Asam and Eastern India for that matter. It may be surmised that the Austro-Asiatie was the prevailing speech in Northern India berfote it save way to the Dravidian (Mediterranean) language. Whatsovet ba the original characteristics of the latter, It met with the Indo-European form of speech as imported by the Alpline immigration in the third millennium B. C. Of more than half a docen danghters of the Indo-European speech, those of the Kentum group, namely the Greek and the Latin, the Celtic and the Teutonic speakers are believed to have left their original home much earlier than those of the Cent group, including the Indo-Iranian Speaker. But D. Bhartli in his Asamiya Bhag Moulik Bor (2nd Ed. pp. 14-17) cites several examples of Asamil words as dik (to bite, Sans, dow), kdm (a Irind of bird, Sans) etc, which show affilia. tion of Asamiya rather to the carlier Kestum group of Indo-European family of languages than to the later Centus group to which Indorra rian belongs Bbarali also illustrates, side by side, instances of Asamil words like jah (hot, Sans. dah), ja (annihilation, Suns, doh) etc. where in the Greek language of the Kentum group the initial d is changed into j, examples of which are so rare in the Centum group of L.A. lan- uages. "Change of d to through the influence of a near palatal vowel Is a extremely rare phenomenon in Indo-Aryan although change of dy, dhy to j jh is regular low" (ODBL). Baru makes no attempt to explain such important foets nor does he try to cite characteristies of the Dravidian perech mentioned by him. self though he would style the Mediterranean as Early Aryans. But as Guha opines that the Mediterraneand belonged to the some nicestral stock as that of the Vedie Aryans, and also since R. D. Banerji too thinks that the Mediterranean had at least a mutation with the Nordien sometime and somewhere before their entrance into India, we are inclined to think that the Mediterreens wore bifurcated from the speakers of the Kenture group of Indo-Furopens while they all lived in their original babltat. And Hutton thinks that the Klits of Aston like the Pods of Bengal, the Telegru Brahman, the Orlyn Brahmons, the Kannrese Bethman, the Siraswata Bathmans, the Chipoavan Brih mans, and the Desosta Bruas (ecording to Guha), batleally be D3