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Dark Age of the Assamese language

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977: 182:, facilitated immigration from across the Bengal border to Assam. In April 1836, Persian was replaced by Bengali, as the Court language of Assam on the ground that it was very difficult and costly to replace Persian scribes who were on leave or who left the service. The services of the Bengalis then became essential in the Anglo-vernacular and vernacular schools, since school teachers were not available in adequate numbers to impart lessons in the 878: 25: 283:
In February 1874, the government revised its earlier language policy and the Commissioner stated that in the primary schools, Assamese rather than Bengali should be the sole medium of instruction. This decision made the Assamese suspect that it was a ploy by the Bengalis to supplant Assamese. Despite
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as the language of the court and educational institutions exasperated the Assamese intelligentsia and common society of Assam. As a result of this language imposition, the progress of education in Assam remained slow and deficient. Many Bengalis were brought in and employed in the schools of Assam.
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which was published for two decades, contained informative knowledge of science, history, geography and certain regional and national news and views. It is considered to have inspired the younger generation of the Assamese society, to stand up for the cause of the Assamese language. The efforts of
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Initially the imposition did not meet with any kind of protest. Rather, the Assamese elite used the language in their writings, and even in conversation, and the language policy of the government went unquestioned for almost a decade. The recruitment of Bengalis to government services increased
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can be attributed to the efforts of Manik Chandra Baruah. While accepting the cogency of Baruah's argument, P.G. Melitus, the Commissioner of the Assam valley, pointed out that, at the request of the parents of the Bengali students, arrangements should be made in Gauhati to provide instruction
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the missionaries in establishing a separate identity of the Assamese language, were notable and they received support from the Assamese intelligentsia, followed by a number of petitions and memoranda to the government. The continuous attempts of the Baptist Missionaries and men like
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There was no encouragement for the writing of school text books in Assamese, and Assamese literature suffered. This was thought to be one of the core factors behind the community conflicts that emerged between the Assamese and Bengali communities in the following decades.
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After seeing Bronson's document, it could be declared that the Main Culprits, in introducing Bengali, were the British officers who did not have the initiative to learn the Assamese language and maintained that the Assamese language was the local form of the Bengali
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must teach through the medium of Bengali. In his concluding note, however, Mellitus stated that the imparting of education in Assamese instead of in Bengali was being done at the cost of efficiency. These factors were thought to be the foundations of the
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Vigorous protests were made by the Assamese people against the implementation of Bengali as a medium in the middle and high schools of Assam. On March 28, 1903, the Chief Commissioner stated that students in the Assamese-speaking district of
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through Bengali. Although Mellitus was willing to agree to the demands of the Bengali community, the Commissioner felt that, owing to their closer ties with the community and the people of Bengal than to the Assamese, schools in
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were to be taught in Assamese. But the non-availability of Assamese texts stood in the way of implementation. A member of the Assamese elite, Manik Chandra Baruah, made a statement to the Deputy Commissioner of
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Early protests came from the American Baptist Missionaries and the educated Assamese elite section, against the language policy of the government. After realizing the need of vernacular medium to spread
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until 1873. On February 6, 1874, it was made a Chief Commissioner's province, also known as the 'North-East Frontier'. The new Commissioner-ship comprised the five districts of Assam,
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to India, aimed at restoring the Assamese language to avoid it being completely overtaken by the Bengali language. In order to restore the Assamese Language, he took the matter to the
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the Chief Commissioner's assurance that Assamese would not be supplanted, Bengali continued to be the medium in the middle grades until the late 19th century.
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Cady, John F. (1968). "MAUNG HTIN AUNG. A History of Burma. Pp. x, 363. New York: Columbia University Press, 1967. $ 12.00".
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was essentially an Assamese town, the medium of instruction in the high schools there must be Assamese. The establishment of
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as the rightful medium of instruction in the state. In 1839, William Robinson, an inspector of schools, wrote "
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for judicial and revenue proceedings and to prescribe any other language and script as a replacement.
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abruptly, leading to greater unemployment among the Assamese. The increased number of Bengali '
733:"An old building that dazzles with a legacy in legal education - Heritage / Earle Law College" 420: 393: 447:"Nathan Brown - His contribution to Assam, Eliza Brown, Pioneer of Modern Assamese Language" 8: 959: 446: 345: 331:
was the first martyr of the Medium of Instruction Movement or Madhyam Movement of Assam.
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administration of the time. Eliza Brown, Nathan's wife, was his partner in this mission.
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lost its independence and came under a new regime of foreign domination known as the
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Inter-rebel Group Dynamics: Cooperation or Competition: the Case of South Asia
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Colonialism, Language and Politics, Origins of the Language Dispute in Assam
892: 239: 135: 89:, the Bengali language was imposed over Assamese as the British took over 912: 171: 139: 614:. New Delhi: Ashok Kumar Mittal Concept Publishing Company. p. 91. 151: 107: 254:
in 1846. Primarily intended for the propagation of Christianity, the
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The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
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is a 37 year long time-frame, from 1836 to 1873, during which
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The History of Assam from Yandaboo to Partition 1826-1947
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Situating Assamese Middle Classes, the Colonial Period
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The Life of Nathan Brown, Early American Missionary
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(1990). 13: 14: 1026: 334: 75:Dark Age of the Assamese language 976: 975: 876: 513:"The Assam Legislative Assembly" 248:Grammar of the Assamese Language 23: 775: 750: 725: 692: 677: 662: 633: 618: 603: 511:Saikia, Hiranya (11 May 2012). 278: 122:With the British annexation of 588: 560: 545: 530: 504: 461: 439: 412: 385: 358:History of Assamese literature 325:Medium of Instruction Movement 32:This article needs editing to 1: 644:. Guwahati. pp. 360–361. 419:Christina S. Furtado (2007). 378: 965:December 2014 Assam violence 142:. Thus Assam came under the 7: 684:Chattopadhay, D.K. (1990). 351: 323:of 1960 and the subsequent 130:in 1826 as a result of the 10: 1031: 950:Assam separatist movements 537:Kalita, Ramesh C. (2011). 482:10.1177/000271626837800164 368:Assamese Language Movement 321:Official Language Movement 213:Reaction to the imposition 180:Partition of Bengal (1905) 117: 973: 942: 921: 885: 874: 855: 847:Timeline of Assam History 842: 640:Neog, Dimbeswar (1962). 552:Barpujari, H.K. (1998). 269:Anandaram Dhekial Phukan 34:comply with Knowledge's 625:Barpujari, H.K (1998). 612:Social History of Assam 395:Women in Peace Politics 392:Paula Banerjee (2008). 762:www.telegraphindia.com 737:www.telegraphindia.com 210: 595:Majumdar, P. (2014). 449:. Onlinesivasagar.com 196: 190:requiring the use of 144:Bengal Administration 669:Goswami, P. (2012). 398:. Sage. p. 71. 1015:Assamese literature 960:2012 Assam violence 610:Bose, M.L. (1989). 148:Khasi-Jaintia Hills 43:improve the content 943:Contemporary Assam 217:The imposition of 170:; but leaving out 1000:Assamese language 987: 986: 432:978-0-549-34002-7 405:978-0-7619-3570-4 373:Assamese language 311:Earle Law College 307:Cotton University 132:Treaty of Yandabo 128:Bengal Presidency 83:Assamese language 71: 70: 63: 1022: 1010:History of Assam 979: 978: 880: 836:History of Assam 829: 822: 815: 806: 805: 799: 798: 796: 794: 779: 773: 772: 770: 768: 754: 748: 747: 745: 743: 729: 723: 722: 696: 690: 689: 681: 675: 674: 666: 660: 659: 653: 645: 637: 631: 630: 622: 616: 615: 607: 601: 600: 592: 586: 585: 583: 581: 572: 564: 558: 557: 549: 543: 542: 534: 528: 527: 525: 523: 508: 502: 501: 465: 459: 458: 456: 454: 443: 437: 436: 416: 410: 409: 389: 265:Gunabhiram Barua 261:Hemchandra Barua 208: 184:Bengali language 134:, the prominent 66: 59: 55: 52: 46: 27: 26: 19: 1030: 1029: 1025: 1024: 1023: 1021: 1020: 1019: 990: 989: 988: 983: 969: 938: 917: 903:Kachari Kingdom 898:Chutiya Kingdom 881: 872: 851: 838: 833: 803: 802: 792: 790: 789:. 10 April 2015 781: 780: 776: 766: 764: 756: 755: 751: 741: 739: 731: 730: 726: 711: 697: 693: 682: 678: 667: 663: 647: 646: 638: 634: 623: 619: 608: 604: 593: 589: 579: 577: 570: 566: 565: 561: 550: 546: 535: 531: 521: 519: 509: 505: 466: 462: 452: 450: 445: 444: 440: 433: 425:. p. 136. 417: 413: 406: 390: 386: 381: 354: 337: 281: 271:helped restore 232:People of Assam 215: 209: 203: 120: 67: 56: 50: 47: 40: 36:Manual of Style 28: 24: 17: 12: 11: 5: 1028: 1018: 1017: 1012: 1007: 1005:1800s in India 1002: 985: 984: 974: 971: 970: 968: 967: 962: 957: 955:Assam Movement 952: 946: 944: 940: 939: 937: 936: 934:Assam Province 931: 929:Colonial Assam 925: 923: 922:Colonial Assam 919: 918: 916: 915: 910: 908:Kamata Kingdom 905: 900: 895: 889: 887: 886:Medieval Assam 883: 882: 875: 873: 871: 870: 865: 859: 857: 853: 852: 850: 849: 843: 840: 839: 832: 831: 824: 817: 809: 801: 800: 774: 749: 724: 709: 691: 676: 661: 632: 617: 602: 587: 559: 544: 529: 517:TIMES OF ASSAM 503: 476:(1): 187–188. 460: 438: 431: 411: 404: 383: 382: 380: 377: 376: 375: 370: 365: 363:Colonial Assam 360: 353: 350: 349: 348: 343: 336: 335:External links 333: 329:Muzammil Haque 280: 277: 214: 211: 201: 119: 116: 103:, an American 69: 68: 31: 29: 22: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1027: 1016: 1013: 1011: 1008: 1006: 1003: 1001: 998: 997: 995: 982: 972: 966: 963: 961: 958: 956: 953: 951: 948: 947: 945: 941: 935: 932: 930: 927: 926: 924: 920: 914: 911: 909: 906: 904: 901: 899: 896: 894: 891: 890: 888: 884: 879: 869: 866: 864: 861: 860: 858: 856:Ancient Assam 854: 848: 845: 844: 841: 837: 830: 825: 823: 818: 816: 811: 810: 807: 788: 784: 778: 763: 759: 753: 738: 734: 728: 720: 716: 712: 706: 702: 695: 687: 680: 672: 665: 657: 651: 643: 636: 628: 621: 613: 606: 598: 591: 576: 569: 563: 555: 548: 540: 533: 518: 514: 507: 499: 495: 491: 487: 483: 479: 475: 471: 464: 448: 442: 434: 428: 424: 423: 415: 407: 401: 397: 396: 388: 384: 374: 371: 369: 366: 364: 361: 359: 356: 355: 347: 344: 342: 339: 338: 332: 330: 326: 322: 317: 312: 308: 304: 300: 296: 291: 285: 276: 274: 270: 266: 262: 257: 253: 249: 245: 241: 235: 233: 229: 223: 220: 206: 205:Maheswar Neog 200: 195: 193: 189: 185: 181: 177: 173: 169: 165: 161: 157: 153: 149: 145: 141: 137: 133: 129: 125: 115: 113: 112:British India 109: 106: 102: 98: 96: 92: 88: 87:British India 84: 81:eclipsed the 80: 76: 65: 62: 54: 51:February 2020 44: 39: 37: 30: 21: 20: 893:Ahom kingdom 791:. 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During 981:Category 868:Kamarupa 719:24261217 352:See also 316:Goalpara 273:Assamese 252:Orunodoi 244:Assamese 202:—  160:Goalpara 303:Gauhati 219:Bengali 192:Persian 118:History 105:Baptist 95:Bengali 79:Bengali 863:Davaka 717:  707:  496:  488:  429:  402:  301:, and 299:Bengal 295:Kamrup 290:Kamrup 176:Curzon 168:Cachar 164:Sylhet 571:(PDF) 494:S2CID 228:Amlas 124:Assam 91:Assam 795:2019 769:2019 744:2019 715:OCLC 705:ISBN 656:link 582:2019 524:2019 486:ISSN 455:2011 427:ISBN 400:ISBN 309:and 267:and 162:and 73:The 478:doi 474:378 996:: 785:. 760:. 735:. 713:. 652:}} 648:{{ 573:. 515:. 492:. 484:. 472:. 263:, 154:, 150:, 828:e 821:t 814:v 797:. 771:. 746:. 721:. 658:) 584:. 526:. 500:. 480:: 457:. 435:. 408:. 166:- 64:) 58:( 53:) 49:( 45:. 38:.

Index

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Bengali
Assamese language
British India
Assam
Bengali
Nathan Brown
Baptist
missionary
British India
Assam
Bengal Presidency
Treaty of Yandabo
Ahom kingdom
British Raj
Bengal Administration
Khasi-Jaintia Hills
Garo Hills
Naga Hills
Goalpara
Sylhet
Cachar
Cooch Behar
Curzon
Partition of Bengal (1905)
Bengali language
Persian
Maheswar Neog

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