The Saihriem (Faihriem, Syriem) language is spoken by a mixture of the Saihriem/Faihriem people- a sub tribe of Hmar group of tribes of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo and other ethnically closely related people such as the Aimol, Kuki, Vaiphei, in four neighbouring villages (Noxatilla, Bagbahar, Balisor, Nagathol & Saihriemkhuo villages) around Dwarbond in Bojalenga Block of Cachar District, Assam.
It is critically endangered, with the people who still speak the language numbering a few hundreds only. It was recorded wrongly as Sairang in the Census of India, 1901 and there were mere 71 speakers of the language at that time. It belongs to the Kuki-Chin branch of the Tibeto-Burman family of languages.[1]
Basic vocabulary
Saihriem language
English
Engame i hming?
What is your name?
Ke hming chu Lala a eh.
My name is Lala.
Ka lawm ie.
Thank You
I dam naw?
How are you?
Ka dam ie.
I am fine.
Tui
Water
Boruok
Air
Rilei
Soil
Nga
fish
Ar (sa)
chicken(meat)
Vawksa
pork
Sehrâtsa
beef
Kêlsa
mutton
Dailaw
lentils
Zingkar
Morning
Khawlawi
Evening
Sawngkawl
Shirt
Tatuom
pants
Hmarcha
chilli
Samatarai
Orange
Thinghnatui
Tea
Lungsiet taka tui mi pek ta.
Please give me water.
Lungsiet taka bu mi pek ta.
Please give me food (rice).
Lungsiet taka an mi pek ta.
Please give me curry (side dish) vegetable / meat.
1999, Robin D. Tribhuwan, Preeti R. Tribhuwan, Tribal dances of India ( Encyclopaedic profile of Indian tribes, volume 1), page 117: […] 21 clans. They are Biete, Changsan, Chawrai, Darngawn, Faihriem, […] and Zote. The past tradition suggests that each clan had a dialect of its own but nowadays a common dialect used by the Hmar people was developed by Christian missionaries
1902, B.C. Allen, B.A., I.C.S., Census of India, 1901. Volume IV. Assam. Part I. Report. Print. Chapter VIII, page 90.
External links
[1] Saihriem language documentation in the Computational Resource for South Asian Languages (CoRSAL) archive
