A History of Assam c23.16

c23.16

For more than ten years after the annexation, Assamese was the language of the Courts in the Brahmaputra valley proper, but it was then superseded by Bengali, which also became the medium of instruction in the schools. The people protested loudly and often, but for a long time without any result. It was not until Sir George Campbell became Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal that Assamese was restored to the position which it ought never to have lost. This is not the place to review the old argument as to whether Assamese is a distinct language or merely a dialect of Bengali. It may be pointed out, however, that the possession or otherwise of a separate literature is generally regarded as one of the best tests to apply, and that, if this be taken as the criterion, Assamese is certainly entitled to rank as a separate language. Assamese is believed to have attained its present state of development independently of Bengali; and it is the speech of a distinct nationality which has always strenuously resisted the efforts which have been made to foist Bengali on it.