Meitei grammar (), sometimes also known as Manipuri grammar (), is the whole system and structure of Meitei language (also known as Manipuri), consisting of syntax and morphology (including inflections) and also phonology and semantics.
The Meitei language clearly has characteristics of the Tibeto-Burman language group. These features include three types of velar nasal sounds, many words that sound the same, changes in the meaning of verbs, repeating or expanding words, final particles, a focus on aspect (how an action is happening) instead of tense (when it happens), no gender marking, a verb-final sentence structure, and a system where verbs are formed by adding many suffixes and fewer prefixes.
Nouns Case The declension of nouns is very simple.Primrose, Arthur John. A Manipuri Grammar, Vocabulary, and Phrase Book: To which are Added Some Manipuri Proverbs and Specimens of Manipuri Correspondence. India: Assam Secretariat Press, 1888. p. 2, 3 The terminations are- Cases Meitei suffices Examples Description Nominative case -na mi-na a man (mi alone is often used). Genitive case -gi mi-gi of a man. Dative case -da mi-da (also mingonda*) to a man. Accusative case -bu mi-bu a man. Ablative case -dagi mi-dagi (also mingondagi*) from a man. Locative case -da maphamda in a place Number The plural in the case of human beings is formed by adding "sing"/"shing" (meitei: -ꯁꯤꯡ) to the word and declining in the same manner as in the singular, as :-
mising, ꯃꯤꯁꯤꯡ - men. Misinggi, ꯃꯤꯁꯤꯡꯒꯤ - of men, etc.
There is no plural form for animals and other things. "Kheibik" and "pumnamak", all, or "yamna", many, are used to indicate plurality. Gender Gender, in the case of animals, is indicated by the addition of "laba" (meitei: ꯂꯥꯕ) for the masculine and "amom" (meitei: ꯑꯃꫭꯝ) for the feminine, as :--
Sagol laba, ꯁꯒꫭꯜ ꯂꯥꯕ- a stallion. Sagol amom, ꯁꯒꫭꯜ ꯑꯃꫭꯝ - a mare.
In the case of human beings, gender is indicated by the addition of "nupa"/"nipa" and "nupi"/"nipi", but only when the same word is used for both male and female, as:-
macha-nupa, ꯃꯆꯥꯅꯨꯄꯥ - a son. macha-nupi, ꯃꯆꯥꯅꯨꯄꯤ - a daughter.
Pronouns The personal pronouns are : "ai"/"ei" or "eihak" - I, "nang" or "nahak" - thou/you, "ma" or "mahak" - he/she/it.Primrose, Arthur John. A Manipuri Grammar, Vocabulary, and Phrase Book: To which are Added Some Manipuri Proverbs and Specimens of Manipuri Correspondence. India: Assam Secretariat Press, 1888. p. 4
The form ending in "hak" is honorific. The plural is formed by adding "khoi" to the singular non-honorific form. Pronouns are declined in the same way, as "mi", a man.
Singular
Case First person pronouns Second person pronouns Third person pronouns Nominative case eina nangna mâna Genitive case eigi nanggi magi Dative case eingonda nangonda mângonda Accusative case eibu nangbu mâbu. Ablative case eigondagi nangondagi mangondagi.
Plural
Case First person pronouns Second person pronouns Third person pronouns Nominative case eikhoi nakhoi mâkhoi. Genitive case eikhoigi nakhoigi mâkhoigi.
Demonstrative pronouns The demonstrative pronouns are asi, or masi - this. adu, or madu - that.
"Asi" is also used in the same sense as "adu". Interrogative pronouns The interrogative pronouns are kana or kanano - who? kadai - what? Relative pronouns Relative pronouns are not used. A verbal participle with "asi" or "adu" is used in the place of relative pronouns, as:
The man who came yesterday leaves to-day = "ngarang lakpa mi adu ngasi chatkani."
Adjectives All adjectives end in "ba", and an initial "a" may always be prefixed without altering the meaning, as:-
Good - aphaba, or phaba. Large - achauba, or chauba.
Adjectives can be declined like verbs, as :-
It was very good "masi yamna phare," where "phaba" has been changed into "phare" to give the word a past meaning. "Ba" is changed into "bi" in the feminine. Adjectives have no plural form.
Verbs The conjugation of the Meitei verb is very complex. According to Arthur John Primrose (1888), no language has such a variety of tense forms to express present, past, or future action as found in Meitei language. Most of the varieties have distinct meanings of their own. Every verb has also a negative and interrogative form conjugated in all tenses except the interrogative future like the simple verb. The Meitei linguistic system divides the verb into present, past, and future tenses. They also have an imperative tense form under the present tense forms they classify what in English grammar is called the perfect tense. There are no less than eight different present tense forms with corresponding forms for the past and future tenses.Primrose, Arthur John. A Manipuri Grammar, Vocabulary, and Phrase Book: To which are Added Some Manipuri Proverbs and Specimens of Manipuri Correspondence. India: Assam Secretariat Press, 1888. p. 5
There is no difference in the terminations of a tense, singular or plural, for the first, second, and third persons except in the imperative, which is irregular.
The subjunctive mood is expressed by a participle ending in "labadi" or "rabadi". The "labadi" is used when the verb root ends in a consonant, "rabadi" when the root ends in vowel.
The rule for the interchange of "l" and "r" is also observed in other tenses, "r" is always used after a vowel, "l" after a consonant.
Participles The present participle ends in "duna" as:-
Touduna - doing.Primrose, Arthur John. A Manipuri Grammar, Vocabulary, and Phrase Book: To which are Added Some Manipuri Proverbs and Specimens of Manipuri Correspondence. India: Assam Secretariat Press, 1888. p. 9
The past participle ends in "khiduna" or "luduna", as:- Chatkhiduna - having gone. Touruduna - having done.
The future participle ends in "laga" or "raga" as "chatlaga," "touraga."
The participle ending in "lingaida" or "ringaida" means at the time of doing a thing, as "when I was going there I saw him" = "aina asida chatlingaida maboo aina uram-mi."
The participle in "kadabagi" or "nanaba" is used to express a purpose, as, "you make preparations to go" = "nang chatna-naba thourang tou."
Participle in "ringaida" or "lingaida" - at the time of doing a thing.
At the time of doing - tou-ringaida At the time of going - chat-lingaida.
Participle in "gadabagi" (kadabagi) or "nanaba" - in order to do a thing.
I am arranging to do it - ei tou-gadabagi thourang touri
I am arranging to go - ei chat-kadabagi (chat-nanaba) thourang touri.
Participle in "rabadi" or "labadi" - if I do a thing.
If you do it - tou-rabadi I shall go - eina chat-kani If I go - eina chat-labadi I will tell him - eina mangonda haigani
Participle in "banina" or "panina" - because.
Because I did it he is pleased - eina toura-banina ma nungaire. Because I went he was angry - eina chat-panina ma saore.
Participle in "gadaba" - must do a thing.
Verbal noun in "bani" or "pani".
The man who does - tou-bani. The man who goes - chat-pani. The man who did - tou-khrabani. The man who went - chat-kadabani The man who shall do - tou-gadabani. The man who shall go - chat-kadabani.
These verbal nouns can be used in the different tense forms, but the three forms given above are in general use, the other forms are rarely used.
In sentences such as the following: "the work which is being done is good," "the work which has been done is good," the passive tense forms are expressed by participle forms preceding the noun to which they are related, as, the work which is being done is good - "touriba thabak adu fei;" "the work which has been done is good" - "toukhriba thabak adu fei."
After words like "kari" (what), "karam" (why), and other interrogative adverbs, a form is used ending in "page" or "bage", for example, "what are you doing?" - "nang kari touriage?" "How did you go?" - "nang karam chat-lubage?"
Negative and Interrogative forms
Each of the eight forms for the present and past tenses have corresponding negative and interrogative forms. There is only one future negative and interrogative form. It is unnecessary to give all the different negative and interrogative forms for the present and past tenses as only two or three forms are in general use. The conjugation of the verbs "touba" and "chatpa" in their negative and interrogative forms is given below:Primrose, Arthur John. A Manipuri Grammar, Vocabulary, and Phrase Book: To which are Added Some Manipuri Proverbs and Specimens of Manipuri Correspondence. India: Assam Secretariat Press, 1888. p. 10 Negative Conjugation Present tense (to do) Present tense (to go) Touroi, toude chat-loi. Touramde chat-lammoi. Past tense (to do) Past tense (to go) Toudre, tourudre chatte, chatlam-dre Touramdre chat-ludre. Future tense (to do) Future tense (to go) Touraroi chat-laroi
Interrogative Conjugation
Present tense (to do) Present tense (to go) Toubra, toura-bra chatlibra, chat-pra chatloidra, chat-tabra Toudabra, toudrabra Past tense (to do) Past tense (to go) Tourabra, tou-rambra chatlurabra, chat-lambra. Tourudabra, touramdra chatludra, chatlamdra. Future tense (to do) Future tense (to go) Tougera, Tougadra chat-kera, chat-kadra
Adverbs English adverbsPrimrose, Arthur John. A Manipuri Grammar, Vocabulary, and Phrase Book: To which are Added Some Manipuri Proverbs and Specimens of Manipuri Correspondence. India: Assam Secretariat Press, 1888. p. 35, 36, 37 Meitei equivalents Again
Alike
Already
Also Amuk.
Amattâni.
Houjik.
Adusung. Always
Apart
Backwards
Below
Before
Behind
Daily
Downwards
Early
Elsewhere
Hence
Here
Hitherto
How
Immediately
Like
Little
Monthly
Much
Namely
Never
Nearly
No
Now
Often
Once
Out
Opposite
Only
Perhaps
Probably
Quickly
Since
Soon
Sometimes Mahousâ (leikhûk).
Tôpna (tôngngânna).
Tungdâ.
Makhada.
Mamângdâ (hânna).
Matungdâ.
Numit khuding.
Kumthabada.
Nganna.
Mapham amada.
Asômdagi.
Asida.
Houjik phâoba.
Karamna.
Houjik mak.
Mannana.
Khajikta.
Thakudingda.
Yamna.
Adumak.
Khaknattabâ.
Kharanangairê.
Natte (mai).
Houjik.
Hanna hanna.
Amarak.
Mapân.
Mâiyôk nana.
Makta.
Karigumba.
Wôiba mâllê.
Thûnâ.
Asidaraktagî.
Kharleiraga.
Karikarigumbada. Somewhere
Then
There
Thus
Together
Unless
Until
Upwards
Very
When?
Well
Whence
Whence?
Where?
Where
Why?
Yes
Yearly Karigumba mapham-da.
Mâduda.
Madarakta.
Maram asidaraktagî.
Lôinana.
Nattarabadi.
Adupkimakhai.
Mathak lõmda.
Yamna.
Kadaungei.
Phai.
Adudagi.
Kadaidagi?
Kadai?
Aduda?
Kari?
Hôi.
Chahi khuding.
Prepositions English prepositionsPrimrose, Arthur John. A Manipuri Grammar, Vocabulary, and Phrase Book: To which are Added Some Manipuri Proverbs and Specimens of Manipuri Correspondence. India: Assam Secretariat Press, 1888. p. 38 Meitei equivalents According to
Above
After
Among
At
Before
Behind
Below
Beside
Between
For
From
In, Into
Of
On
Out Matunginna.
Mathakta.
Matungda.
Marakta.
Da (affix).
Mamangda.
Matungda.
Makhada.
Manakta.
Marakta.
Damak.
Dagi (affix).
Manungda.
Gi (affix).
Thakta.
Mapândâ To
Till
With
Without Youba.
Phâoba.
Lôinana.
Nattana.
Conjunctions English conjunctions Meitei equivalents Although
And
As
so
Because
But
Else
For
However
If
Likewise
Or
Wherefore
Yet Tinnaba hâiba.
Haibabu.
Amasung.
Adum adumnâ.
Karamnâ.
Tauigumbasung.
Nattarabadi.
Karamna, maramna.
Adumakpu.
Adumna, badi.
Su, adumna (suffix).
Wairabasung.
Aduna.
Tauigumbasung.
See also Meitei literature Meitei proverbs
Bibliography A Grammar of Meithei, By Shobhana Lakshmi Chelliah · 2011 Manipuri Grammar, By Chungkham Yashwanta Singh · 2000 Manipuri grammar, By D. N. Shankara Bhat, M. S. Ningomba · 1997 Manipuri Grammar, By Nand Lal Sharma · 1987 Reciprocal Constructions in Meitei and Nyishi
References