Shared Vocabulary between Meiteilon and Tai Varieties and Pre‐Modern Language Contact on the Indo‐Myanmar Border ¹

Abstract

This article examines lexical and phonological evidence for language contact between Old and modern Meiteilon (Manipuri) and Tai varieties, identifying loanwords relating to domestic life, trade and literary culture. Comparative data from Shan dialects and Old Meiteilon manuscripts such as the Cheitharon Kumpapa are employed in contextualising these borrowings. It argues that, while there is some evidence for tonal borrowing and areal phenomena, it is unlikely that the majority of either population was ever bilingual. Moreover, borrowings relating to writing indicate the adoption or intensification of a book culture in Manipur mediated via Tai cultural influence. Additionally, it is argued that tonal correspondences suggest multiple contact strata over a long period of time. Thus, this paper situates Manipur within wider Tai‐Tibeto‐Burman contact, challenging narratives of cultural isolation by proposing that mercantile, marital and political ties underpinned lexical transfer. Methodologically, the paper combines philological readings of puyā manuscripts with phonological reconstruction and comparative lexical analysis, showing the ways in which micro‐level phonetic detail can inform specificity in macro‐level historical connections.