India is rightly called the epitome of the world-which statement is true, apart from other consideration, both anthropologically and linguistically, As far as the languages are concerned, India is representedalmost all the families of the world-Indo-European, Mongolian, Dravidian, Austric, etc. This position is as well true even about North Eastern India. This region, a small part of the country as it is, abounds in languages belonging to quite a few families and groups. As for example, one may find in this region Assamese of the Indo-European family, Khasi of Monkhmer family, Ahom of the Chinese-Siamese family, Miri of the Tibeto-Burman family, etc. All these languages of the North Easte, along with their various dialects had been surveyed by the consultants and associates of the illustrious linguist Dr. George Abraham Grierson and the results of the surveys were systematically and said work includes all known languages and dialects of India and is, therefore, too vast for a researcher interested in a particular region to handle and too expensive for any individual to acquire. Nevertheless, the culture, sociology and languages of the North East are gaining growing interest in India and abroad. Keeping these facts in view: these selections from Dr. Grierson’s magnum opus have been compiled with a view to presenting a complete linguistic picture of the region. Care has been taken so that all predominant families and groups are well represented. It is fervently hoped that the scholars interested in the languages and culture of the North East India will find this volume useful.
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