ABSTRACT
Asamiya, pronounced ɒхɒmіɒ, is the major language spoken in the northeastern part of India beyond West Bengal. It is the language of Assam which is pronounced ɒxɒm by the native speakers and the word Asamiya has been derived from Assam (ɒxɒm) with the adjectival affix -īyā, meaning ‘of, ‘relating’ or ‘belonging to’. Assam (ɒxɒm) the name of the state, is of recent origin; and so is Asamiya (ɒxɒmia) the name of the language (Kakati 1972:1–4).
