What is kokborok?

What is Kokborok?

Kokborok is the native and most widely spoken language of the Tripuri people, the indigenous inhabitants of Tripura. It belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language group, under the Sino-Tibetan family.

Recognition as Official Language of Tripura

Date of Recognition: January 19, 1979

On this date, Kokborok was officially recognized as one of the official languages of Tripura by the state government.

The recognition was done to promote and preserve the language, identity, and culture of the indigenous communities.

Official Language Status in TTAADC

TTAADC Formation Date: January 18, 1982

Kokborok as Official Language of TTAADC: From the early 1980s, soon after the creation of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), Kokborok was adopted as the official language for governance and communication within the council areas.

Purpose: To enable local governance in the mother tongue of the tribal population and ensure effective administration in tribal regions.

Use in Education & Literature

Introduced in schools from primary to higher education levels.

Kokborok is taught up to college and university level in Tripura.

Tripura University offers courses in Kokborok language and literature.

Textbooks are available in Kokborok, mainly written in Bengali script and sometimes in Roman script.

Institutions Promoting Kokborok

Kokborok and Other Tribal Languages Department, Government of Tripura.

TTAADC Language Wing supports Kokborok education and publications.

Tripura Board of Secondary Education (TBSE) conducts exams in Kokborok.

✍️ Scripts Used

Primarily: Bengali script

Increasing use of: Roman (Latin) script

Ongoing debates and movements exist for adopting a standardized script.

Geographic Distribution

Spoken in almost all districts of Tripura, especially in tribal areas.

Also spoken in parts of Assam, Mizoram, and Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh.

Speakers

Estimated over 1 million native speakers.