When Words Go Wrong: The Silent Erosion of Manipuri Language

Khumukcham Shantikumar Singh *

"Ibemma napabung da khoirammu." This is a line from a popular Manipuri movie in which an elderly actor tells her new daughter-in-law to pay obeisance to the father-in-law. Obediently, the young lady kneels down and touches the elder's feet. It's a customary and respectful gesture. However, something is not right there. Isn't "khurummu" the correct word?

This subtle shift - from "khurummu" to "khoirammu" reflects a creeping trend where phonetic accuracy in Manipuri is being replaced with what sounds more fashionable or modern. Even educated circles could be seen using this term "khoiramba" instead of "khurumba."

Why? Is the original term no longer elegant enough? Has "khoiramba" become a fashionable variant - or is it simply an error we've normalized?

Manipuri is a phonetic language, where the sound of a word is intrinsically linked to its spelling and meaning. A small alteration in sound - from khu to khoi - can change the meaning of the word entirely or render a word meaningless. Yet, these mispronunciations are creeping into everyday language, films, dramas, even official events, without scrutiny.

This casual negligence isn't just verbal. I recently visited the beautiful Imphal Peace Museum at Nambol, run with the support of the Tourism Department.

The exhibits were informative -until I came across two glaring spelling errors on wall displays: "Lai Harouba" and "Cheirouba." Our vibrant festival "Lai-Haraoba," was displayed as "Lai Harouba," and "Cheiraoba," the Manipuri New Year, was written as "Cheirouba."

How could such fundamental spelling errors occur at a museum meant to showcase our culture to visitors, both local and international? When I asked the museum's caretaker for a feedback register, I was told there wasn't one - only a visitor's log. I didn't want to scribble criticism there.

Contacting the department through their website was of no success. At this level, such mistakes are unacceptable. It was both surprising and saddening to see such basic errors. Are we too careless, or have we stopped caring?

Let's look at another example, which is quite popular among Gen Z and Gen Alpha these days, "Yamna phajeiye, eidi Ngoubana loire" or "Ngourehe", often said when admiring a beautiful girl. But linguistically, "ngouba" implies "wheatish" or even "fried." Clearly, not what one intends when expressing admiration. Again, it's a matter of sound and meaning - the "ou" entirely shifts the intent.

Then there's the inconsistency in common terms like "Ema" (mother) and "Echan" (sister), nowadays. Based on our phonetics, they should be "Ima" and "Ichan." If this trend continues, don't be surprised if we start spelling our capital as "Emphal" instead of "Imphal."

When we see respected figures on screen and official institutions that are supposed to promote our culture making such mistakes, it really sends a troubling message. While these errors might seem insignificant on their own, together they reveal a worrying pattern: the slow erosion of our language.

If we allow these mistakes to go uncorrected, they can become the norm. And when they're repeated often enough, they seep into movies, newspapers, textbooks, government documents, and ultimately, they impact the future generations.

We, as a community, really need to step up and be more aware and proactive about the use of correct terminology, especially in public forums and the media. We can't let carelessness or ignorance take away from the beauty and precision of our language. We must not let the slow erosion of our language go unnoticed.

Let's communicate with purpose, write with care, and teach with accountability - before it's too late.