LANGUAGE IN INDIA

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Volume 25:7 July 2025
ISSN 1930-2940

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MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF GOALPARIYA: A STUDY OF ITS WORD STRUCTURE, CLASSES AND FORMATION IN DHUBRI AND GOALPARA DISTRICTS OF ASSAM

Fahmida Akhtar, M.A. and
Dr. Baishalee Rajkhowa

Abstract

Goalpariya belongs to the Indo-Aryan group of dialects which is commonly referred to as Deshi Bhasha or Deshi Kota, meaning "local language." It has been found that Goalpariya exhibits agglutinative and partly inflectional features as the dialect adheres to a subject-object-verb (SOV) word order and employs postpositions. By analysing the word structure, classes and formation, the research aims to contribute to a deeper and more systematic understanding of the language’s morphological features. It has also been found that in Goalpariya, the vocabulary is enriched through the nativization of words from Hindi, Arabic, Urdu, Persian and English.To support the analysis, illustrative examples have been provided for each category and process discussed. This paper presents a morphological analysis of the Goalpariya language in the Dhubri and Goalpara districts of Assam, India, with a specific focus on word structure, word classes and word formation processes.

Keywords:Morphological features, Goalpariya, word structure, word classes, word formation processes

Introduction

Goalpariya (ISO 639-3!) is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken in the Dhubri and Goalpara districts in Assam. The linguistic classification of Goalpariya remains a subject of scholarly debate. While Datta (1973) recognized it as a distinct language, Chowdhury (1992) categorized it as a dialect of Assamese. Earlier, Grierson (1963) and Kakati (1935) classified it under Rajbanshi. Among native speakers, however, it is commonly referred to as Deshi Bhasha or Deshi Kota, meaning "local language." According to the 2001 Census of India, the number of Goalpariya speakers is estimated to be around 10 million.

The morphological typology of the language is agglutinative and partly inflecting. It follows subject-object-verb (SOV) word order and it is postpositional. This study focuses on the morphological aspects of Goalpariya, specifically examining its word structure, the classification of word classes, and the processes of word formation. By analysing these core elements, the research aims to provide a detailed account of the language’s morphological system and its typological features within the Eastern Indo-Aryan linguistic landscape.

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

Fahmida Akhtar, M.A. Linguistics
Research Scholar, Department of English
The Assam Royal Global University
fahmidaakhtar6360@gmail.com
&

Dr. Baishalee Rajkhowa
Associate Professor, Department of English
The Assam Royal Global University
Baishalee.rajkhowa@rgi.edu.in
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