Language Structure

General remarks on Khasi Morphology:

 
In Comparative Linguistics, Khasi would be considered as an Analytic language, having the following structural criteria:-
(1)	All the words (Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, etc) are invariable.
(2)	There is no Inflectional Morphology, i. e, Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives etc are not inflected.
(3)	Words do not reflect grammatical relationships morphologically.
(4)	Syntactic and grammatical relationships are primarily shown by word order, which is usually inflexible (e.g. SVO, SVO, O).
(5)	Words are mostly monomorphemic, a property of most isolating languages.
(6)	There are very few class maintaining and class changing Derivational prefixes. 
(7)	Particles and clitics have important grammatical functions.

It follows that any part of speech/grammatical category defined in terms of inflections, e.g., Nouns defined as “items which display certain types of inflections (e.g. Case or Number)” are problematic. Number, Gender, Case, Tense, Aspects, etc, are absent in Khasi. Therefore, all definitions for Khasi has to be in terms other than inflection e.g. Nouns (e.g., they follow Prepositions) and those which perform a specific syntactic function (e.g., as Subject or Object of a sentence). Similarly, a verb cannot be defined as items which display morphological inflections of Tense, Aspect, Voice, Mood, Person and Number.

A verb in Khasi has to be defined in terms of its function, as an element which is used as the predicate of a sentence co-occurring with a subject. The predicate can consist of a single verb (ki rwai ia ka jingrwai, ‘They sing a song’) or in combination with other verbs (ki lah ban rwai ia ka jingrwai, They can sing a song).

Because of the absence of Inflectional Morphology in Khasi, particles, especially proclitics, have important grammatical functions. Particles, defined as invariable terms with grammatical functions, form closed sets of linguistic elements different in structure and functions. They resemble words, but cannot stand on their own, being structurally dependent on a neighboring word, hence they are clitics.

 
The following are the important particles in Khasi:-
1. Negative particles      	‘ym/-m’ (not), ‘Em’ (no), ‘Khlem’ (not, past).
2. Modal Verb particles   	‘dei’ (must), ‘lah’ (can/may), ‘hap’ (must).
3. Infinitive particles 		‘ban’ (ban wan: to come)
4. Past participles		‘lah’ (lah wan: came)
5. Reflexive particles	   	‘lade’ (self) preceded by prepositions.
			‘ialade’ (to him/her self), ‘dalade’ (by him/her self)

6. Emphatic participles   	‘ma’ (‘ma nga’, I myself), ‘hi’ (‘un wan hi’)
                                                                                (He’ll come himself)
7. Relative particles		‘ba’ (‘u ba bha’, who is good)
8. Possessive participles 	‘jong’ (‘jong nga’, mine)
9. Prepositions		‘sha’ (to), ‘na’ (from), ‘da’ (by), ‘ha’ (at, in), 
			‘halor’ (on top of).
10. Conjunctions            	‘bad’ (and), ‘hynrei’ (but), ‘ne’ (or), 
			‘namar kata’ (therefore), ‘kumta’ (so, thus).
11. Nga, ngi, pha, me, phi, i., u, ka, ki  - these participles forms are a closed set of  elements with significant grammatical functions given below:-

 
a)  As Personal Pronouns used to substitute a single Noun, or a Noun Phrase.

						    Table I
	     *Personal Pronouns
			     
                              
     	   	     	         Singular		            Plural		

First Person:                 ‘nga’ (I)			       ‘ngi’ (we) 

Second Person: 	 ‘pha’ (you, F, intimate/non-formal
		 ‘me’ (you, M, intimate/non-formal    ‘phi baroh’ (you all)  }

		 ‘phi’ (you, respect/formal)	
		               
Third Person: 	‘ i ’ (he/she, respect, diminutive)
	                ‘u’  (he, M)			    ‘ki’ (they)  }

		‘ka’ (she, F)

b) As Emphatic Pronouns when preceded by the emphatic participle ‘ma’ (ma nga ‘I myself’, ‘ma phi’ you yourself)
c) As Relative Pronouns when succeeded by ‘ba’: ‘u-ba’, ‘i.-ba’ (who/which/whom, that).
d) As Passive Pronouns when preceded by ‘jong’: ‘jong nga’ (mine), ‘jong phi/pha/me’ (yours).
e) As Demonstrative Pronouns when succeeded by - ‘to’, -‘tai, -‘thie’, -‘ne’, -‘tei’.
	Singular 				Plural
This    ‘ka-ne’, ‘u-ne’, ‘i.-ne’			these ‘ki-ne’
That      ‘ka-to’, ‘u-to’, ‘i.-to’			those ‘ki-to’
That (further) ‘ka-tai’, ‘u-tai’, ‘i.-tai’             		those ‘ki-tai’

f) As Interrogative Pronouns when succeeded by ‘-no’, ‘-ei’ (the resultant forms are also question words).
	Singular				Plural
Who: ‘ka-no’, ‘u-no’, ‘i.-no’			‘ki-no’
What: ‘ka-ei’, ‘u-ei’, ‘i.-ei’                                         	‘ki-ei’

g) As Indefinite Pronouns when succeeded by -no, -ei, and reduplicated.
	Singular 				Plural
anyone,
whoever ‘ka-no ka-no’, ‘u-no u-no, ‘i.-no i.-no’        	‘ki-no ki-no’
anything,
whichever ‘ka-ei ka-ei’, ‘u-ei u-ei’, ‘i.-ei i.-ei’         	‘ki-ei ki-ei’

h) As Distributive Pronouns when succeeded by -‘wei’ and reduplicated.
 		Singular 						
One each,   ‘ka wei ka-wei, ‘u-wei u-wei, ‘i.wei i.wei’
One by me

i) As Reciprocals when succeeded by-ei, reduplicated and infixed by -ia-.
                      Singular 			Plural
Each other:  ‘ka-wei-ia-ka-wei’			‘ki-wei-ia-ki-wei’
                   ‘u-wei-ia-u-wei’
	 ‘i.-wei-ia-i.-wei’.

j) As Numeral Classifier when succeeded by -wei
                   Singular
One,          ‘ka-wei’
Single        ‘u-wei’
                 ‘i.wei’.

k) As Determiners to limit the possible range of things which the Noun can refer to and determine restrictions on the choice of the Head Nouns 
they can modify.
              Det.    N
e.g.         U      John/briew / khynnah /khulom	* U Mary/sngi /tari
                        man/person	child/boy / pen                     sun/knife

l) As Negative forms when suffixed by-m (contracted ym ‘not’).
               Positive/Affirmative		   Negative
        U wan				u-m wan
        ‘he come’				‘he not come’ (he won’t come)
						     (he’ll not come)
       ki  wan 				 ki-m  wan  
      ‘they come’			        	‘they not come’ (they won’t come)
						        (they’ll not come).


m) As forms indicating the future when suffixed by -n (contracted yn ‘will’).
	Present 				Future Time
	U wan 				u-n wan (he will come)
               Ki wan 				ki-n wan (they will come).

n)  As Person, Number and Gender Agreement Markers (PNG Ag.) for agreement and concord in a sentence.
The participles therefore have syntactic functions.
e.g.   U    khynnah    u-ba     bha   bad   u-ba    sbun
      PNG Ag                 PNG Ag                           PNG Ag   
     (III, Sg, M) boy/child    who             good     and   who          generous
    * U khynnah *ka-ba bha bad *i.-ba sbun.

Number: In Khasi cannot be defined as word classes displaying morphological contrasts such as boy (singular), boys (Plural), since ‘Number’ in Khasi is indicated by the participles discussed above (Table I), where ‘ngi’, ‘ki’ indicate more than two. Non-countable or Mass Nouns are treated as ‘singular’ e.g. u khaw (rice), ka ja (cooked rice) ka um (water), u shyiap (sand).

Gender: in Khasi has grammatical, not logical or natural Gender. The grammatical gender system in Khasi signals grammatical relationships between words in a sentence, shown by the PNG Ag. Markers discussed above.

 
           Ka      Iba      ka         wan      shane  
          PNG Ag.            PNG Ag.
        (III, S, F)     Iba      (III, S, F)        come            here.
         U        Tom      u          wan         shane 
         PNG Ag.              PNG Ag.
        (III, S, M).          (III, S, F). 

In Khasi, inanimate objects, events, states, processes etc are also assigned ‘Gender’ by preceding the relevant lexical item with a PNG Ag. marker.

	 U bnai  ‘moon’		 ka sngi  ‘sun’, ‘day’
	 U khlur  ‘star’            	 ka miet  ‘night’
	 U nar  ‘iron’              		 ka jingjia  ‘event’ ‘happening’
                                           		 Ka jingiap  ‘death’
				 Ka jingkyndeh mynsiem  ‘heartbeat’.

 Case: A set of prepositions/particles indicate ‘Case’ for Nouns and Pronouns in Khasi.
                                Noun 			 Pronoun 
 Nominative:    	 u Ram                                      u  (substitute for U Ram)	
					‘he’
                  	 Ka Sita                                    ka  (substitute for Ka Sita) 
					‘she’.
 Objective:    	 ia u Ram                                   ia U
   		‘ia’ (to)     ‘to    Ram’                   ‘to him’
		ia ka Sita                                   ia ka
		‘to    Sita’                                  ‘to her’

Dative:             --do--                                    --do--
 ‘ia’ (to)   
Instrumental:    da U Ram                                 da U
                       by     Ram                                 by Him
     ‘da’ (by)      da  ka Sita 		      da ka 
                       by      Sita                                 by her

Locative:          ha u dieng
 ‘ha’ (at/in/on)    on    tree  
                        ha ka karma
                         in      room
Ablative:            na Shillong
 ‘na’ (from)          from Shillong.


Genitive/Possessive:  jong U Ram                             jong U (his)
  ‘jong’ (of)                  jong ka Sita                            jong ka (hers)

Benefactive:       na ka bynta U Ram
 ‘na ka bynta’ (for)      for          Ram
                          na ka bynta ka Sita
                               for              Sita.                     

C. 1. (c) Verb Morphology:

Finite and non-Finite Verbs:

The usual definitions of Finite verbs cannot be applied since formal morphological contrast in Tense and Moods in do not occur in Khasi. In terms of its syntactic functions, it is a form of a Verb that can occur on its own, in an independent main clause or sentence, and has a subject.

 
E. g. u bam ja 
				        S    V   O		

Non-Finite verbs in Khasi are preceded by the Particle ‘ban’ (to), which differentiates the non-Finite from the Finite Base, morphologically unmarked forms of the non-Finite are morphologically undifferentiated from the Finite forms.

 
                  Non-Finite                            Finite
         Ban bam (to eat)	-------   Kan bam soh lashai
				       She-F eat fruit tomorrow
         Ban rah (to carry)            -------   rah ia ka shuki
				      carry obj.  chair
         Ban sum (to bathe)          ------- ki sum ha pung
				      They bath in pool

Voice: In Khasi Voice is indicated in the Word Order, i.e. the grammatical subject comes at the end, as the goal of the action, and by the use of the Particle ‘shah’ to indicate the Passive Voice.

 
		S          V             O
Active Voice:	u ksew u dait ia  ka miaw 
		Dog      bite  Obj.      cat 
Passive Voice:	ka miaw ka shah  dait  ha u ksew
                          	Cat        Passive  bite         dog

‘Ka miaw’ is the grammatical subject and the goal of the action, acted upon or passive.
Another Passive construction can be expressed by the use of the Passive ‘agent’ preceded by ‘da’ (by).
          Ia ka miaw la dait da u ksew
          Obj.       cat         bite  by     dog.

Tense and Aspect:

As in other categories, clitics and Particles indicate the relationship between time and tense since there are no inflectional affixes to indicate Past, Present or Future, in the Verb. Past in Khasi is shown by the particle ‘la’, ‘lah’ before the Verb, while Future is shown by ‘yn’ (contracted form ‘n attached to the Pronoun). Action in progress is shown by the particle ‘dang’ (only in the Present time) while frequent action is shown by the particle ‘ju’. Examples are given below:-

 
		S           V       O			
Tense: Present      u/ka/ki         bam    ja 
                                                 Eat   rice 
           Past           “  “  “   la(h)    “     “
           Future          u-n/ka-n/ki-n   “    “

Aspect: Pres. Prog. U/ka/ki   dang bam ja
                                         Still/prog. eat rice
          Frequentive  “  “   “   ju       bam ja
                                     habitual/freq. 

Mood: In Khasi, the range of meanings involved e.g. uncertainty, definiteness, possibility, necessity etc are shown by Auxiliaries, and not by inflectional forms of the Verbs. The Modal Verbs/Auxiliaries in Khasi are:-

 
M.Aux.     V
‘dei’:- nga dei (ban) leit- necessity/obligation 
           I     must  Fut. go
‘hap’:- nga hap (ban) leit- necessity /obligation
               should/must
‘lah’:- nga lah ban leit-   Possibility/Ability/Uncertainty.
               may/can
      -  Phi lah ban leit- Permission.

Similarly, there is no change in the forms of the Verb in the different sentence/clause types given below:-
Indicative (statements):     u briew u leit sha Shillong
                                        man      go           Shillong
Subjunctive (with subordinate clause): lada u la(h) leit, iathuh ia ka
                                                        If        past        go    tell       her
Imperative (commands):     leit shatai
                                        go  there


Person, Number, Agreement:
These have already been discussed in the previous sections.

C.1 (d). Adjectives:
Adjectives in Khasi are preceded by the Particle ‘ba’.
ba bha  ‘good’
ba lieh  ‘white’
ba jrong  ‘tall’.


In a sentence, the adjectives occur within a Noun Phrase after the Noun whose attributes are specified. Adjectives can be post modified by an intensifier.
    N                                             Adj. Int.  Int.
U        briew   u-      ba             		bha  tam/bha 
PNG Ag. person PNG Ag.  Adj.Par/         good  most/very
                                   Rel.Pro
				     Int.  Int.
Ka      kot   ka-     ba      sngewtynnad  tam/bha
PNG Ag.  book  PNG Ag.  Adj.Par       nice              most/very
                                 / Rel.Pro.

Comparative and Superlative degrees are expressed by the proclitics ‘kham’ and enclitics ‘tam’, ‘eh’.

Adjectives                    	   Comparative                      Superlative
ba bha  ‘good’	         	kham bha  ‘more good’     	ba bha tam  ‘most good’
ba lieh  ‘white’       		kham lieh  ‘whiter’            	ba lieh tam  ‘whitest’
ba jrong  ‘tall’.         		Kham jrong  ‘taller’          	ba jrong tam  ‘tallest’
ba rit  ‘small’           		kham rit  ‘smaller’            	ba rit eh  ‘too small’.

C.1 (d). Prepositions:

The Khasi Particles ha, na, sha, dei, ia, have two grammatical functions (a) to indicate case (b) as Prepositions, which occur before the Noun or Noun Phrase as Proclitics. Only the latter will be considered here:-

 
 ‘ha’: to indicate location in time and space/place
in/at
        		Prep.    N
	u don ha    Shillong ha ka  por   2  baje
	he is  in/at    Shillong    at        time  2  o’clock

‘na’: to indicate the source from which the action /movement takes place.
from.

	Nga wan na Shillong
	I  come from Shillong.

‘sha’: to indicate action or motion to/towards a location, an object or thing.
to/towards
	ki wan sha Shillong
	they come to   Shillong

‘da’: to indicate the means by which an action is accomplished.
by/with
	mynta bun ki briew ki taip da u  komputer
	now    many     people      type  with     computer.

‘ia’:
	U wanrah ia ka kot
	He bring              book


Numerals:
Cardinal Numbers:

   Basic         Tens           khat-
   Numbers                {      -phew }


1 wei            10 shi phew             20 ar-phew
                    11 khat-wei             21 ar-phew-wei
2 ar              12 khat-ar               22 ar-phew-ar
3 lai              13 khat-lai                          “    -lai
4 saw                  “    -saw                       “    -saw
5 san                   “    -san                        “    -san
6 hynriew            “    -hynriew                 “    -hynriew
7 hynniew            “    -hynniew                 “   -hynniew
8 phra                  “    -phra                      “   -phra
9 khyndai             “    -khyndai       29 ar-phew-khyndai.
 
Hundreds (spah)
100 shi spah	    200 ar spah
101  “     “  wei               201 ar spah wei
102  “     “ ar                  202 ar spah ar
  |                                    |       |
  |                                    |       |
  |                                    |       |
109  “    “ khyndai           209  ar spah khyndai

To express “thousand’ Khasi borrowed the term from….. Similarly the term ‘lak’ is a borrowed word. Loan blends are formed.
1000 shi hajar   100000 shi lak
2000 ar hajar     200000 ar lak

Ordinals:  Are formed by preceding the Cardinal number with the Particle ‘ba’ (also a Rel. Pro/Adj. particle).
First     ba nyngkong (not *ba wei; this is an exception).
Second ba ar
   |
Ninth   ba khyndai.

Quantifiers:

Besides the Cardinal numbers, some irregular numerals along with Quantifiers/Clitics indicating quality and quantity are present in Khasi. The numeral and quantifier usually precede the Noun e.g.

 
	Number   Quantifier       N
	Shi           bhar       u soh 
	One         (32)            fruit
	Ar            pen        ki dieng
	Two        (80 pieces)         wood, i.e., 160 pieces firewood.
	Lai           hali        u soh
	3          (4 pieces)          fruit, i.e. 3*4=12 pieces of fruit. 
	Shi          nat          ka kait (collective, no exact numbers)
	One        bundle/bunch      banana.

Quantifiers as a class of items expressing contrast in quantity in a Noun Phrase, also occur in Khasi. E.g.

                                                     NP
baroh  ‘all’                              baroh ki briew
                                                all  
bun    ‘many’, ‘several’ ‘much’  bun ngut ki briew
                                             many Cl.     people/person
				u don bun ka spah
                                                 has much  wealth/riches
katto katne ‘some’                 katto katne ngut ki briew
                                                some       Cl.     people/person     

Adverbs: Consist of a heterogeneous group of items whose most frequent function is to specify the mode of action of the Verb, or qualities belonging to actions. These are sub-classified as

 
Temporal Adverbs: Expressed by bound prefixes ‘myn’ -to indicate action, usually in the past e.g.
mynhyndai  ‘long ago’ ‘in ancient times’
mynwei   ‘in past times’
mynhynnin  ‘yesterday’
mynnor  ‘lately’ ‘a short time ago’

‘la’ - to indicate the mode of action in the future,
lashai  ‘tomorrow’
lashisngi  ‘day after tomorrow’
la shemtaiew  ‘a wek from now’ ‘next week’
la shemsnem  ‘next year’.

Other Temporal Adverbs include bunsien ‘many times’, ‘often’; haduh ‘until the end’ ‘till’, kloi (kloi) ‘speedily’, ‘quickly’, hala karta 
‘endlessly’, ’forever’ etc.
Myn- and la- are attached to deictic morphemes like -ta, -ne, etc (mynta ‘now’, mynne ‘earlier’,) and Interrogative morphemes like 
-no (mynno ‘when?’ lano ‘when?’).

Adverb of Place: expressed by bound prefixes hang-, ha-, nang-, na-, sha-, mar-, etc.

hangtai  ‘there’              nangtai  ‘from there’
hangto  ‘there’ (near)    nangto  ‘from there’(near)
hajan  ‘near’                 najan  ‘from nearby’
halor  ‘on top of’           nalor  ‘from above’.
shadien  ‘behind’         markhap  ‘nearby’
shakhmat  ‘in front’     markhmat  ‘in presence of’

When attached to Interrogative morphemes -no, -ei, they form question words:-

hangno ‘where’                questioning the location, place
haei ‘where’	}

nangno ‘from where’         questioning the location, place as the source (of the  action)
naei         “      “	}

E. LEXICON

 
1. Structure Semantic Field: 
Body Parts:

Khasi                                                        English
1.  Khlieh.                                                             	Head.
2.  Khmat                                                             	Eyes.
3.  Khmut                                                              	Nose.
4.  Shkor                                                                   Ears.
5.  Shyntur                                                     	Mouth.
6.  Shyllangmat                                                	Forehead.
7.  Shniuh Khmat                                                 	Eyebrows.
8.  Irmat                                                                 	Eyelids.
9.  Pyllewkhmat                                                      	Pupil.
10. RmiangShyntur                                              	Lips.
11. Thylliej                                                          	Tongue.           
12. Bniat                                                             	Teeth.
13. Dohbniat                                                    	Gums.
14. Tyngam                                                            	Gaws.
15. Thliewkhmut                                                       	Nostrils.
16. Bniatksew                                                            Canine.
17. Bniat am                                                         	Wisdom tooth.
18. Ksingshkor                                                    	Ear drums.
19. Durkhmat                                                     	Face.
20. Ngap                                                                	Cheeks.
21. Rngap(rengngap)                                                                   
22. Tmoh                                                        	Chin.
23. Ryndang                                                              Neck.
24. Tyrpeng                                                       	Shoulders.
25. Kti                                                                    	Hand.
26. Ksah                                                                  	Muscles.
27. Ksangkti                                                     	Arm.
28. Tymbuit                                                        	Elbow.
29. Slakti                                                              	Palm.
30. Shympriahkti                                                     	Fingers.
31. Shadem                                                          	Chest.
32. Jymbuin                                                             	Breast.
33. Kpoh                                                         	Stomach.
34. Syngkai                                                              	Waist.
35. Skhep                                                                 	Hip.
36. Lbong                                                               	Thigh.
37. Khohsiew                                                   	Knees.
38. Pungkjat                                                         	Leg.
39. Slakjat                                                              	Feet.
40. Pohjat                                                                 Sole.
41. Shympriahkjat                                                 	Toe.
42. Matsohlah                                                    	Ankle.
43. Ryngdangkti                                                      	Wrist.
44. Ti-kmie                                                           	Thumb.
45. Ti-kdew                                                               	Index.
46. Ti-pdeng                                                            	Middle finger.
47. Ti-duh                                                              	Little finger.
48. Khohwah                                                             	Calf.
49. Mationg                                                         	Iris.
50. Ryngdangkjat                                              	Neck of the leg.
51. Khongdongjat                                            	Heel.
52. Tohtit                                                               	Armpit. 

53.  Jabieng                                                              Brain.
54.  Shynrong khlieh                                              	Skull.
55.  Thied                                                                	Nerves.
56.  Thied iohsngew                                            	Auditory Nerves..
57.  Ryndang                                                       	Throat.
58.  Tang lyer                                                          	Wind pipe.
59.  Thied snam                                                     	Veins/Artery.  
60.  Tang nguid                                                   	Food pipe/Oesophagus.
61.  Dohnud                                                        	Liver.
62.  Klongsnam                                                 	Heart.
63.  Khyllai                                                          	Kidneys.
64.  Tor                                                              	Ribs.
66.  Snier/Nyllang                                                   	Intestines.
67.  Nierbah                                                            	Large intestines.
68.  Shyieng                                                            	Bone.
69.  Pdot                                                                	Adam’s apple.
70.  Plakhun                                                           	Uterus/Womb.
71.  Shniuh                                                               	Hair.
72.  Tmain                                                               	Moustache.
73.  Niuhmoh                                                         	Beard.
74.  Mainker                                                          	Whiskers.


Body Waste: 

75. Eitmat                                                                 Rheum.
76. Eitmut                                                               	Mucus.
77. Eitkor                                                                  Earwax.
78. Umbiah                                                             	Saliva.
79. Kyrkhah                                                         	Phlegm.
80. Jyneh                                                                 	Belch.
81. Prie.                                                                    Vomit (Matter vomited from the 
                                                                                           Stomach).
82. Umksang                                                         	Bile juice.
83. Ummat                                                          	Tears.
84. Ksang                                                                 	Gall bladder.
85. Lab                                                                 	Spleen.
86. Umjung                                                          	Urine.
87. Panjung                                                           	Badder.
88. Eit                                                                     	Stool.
89. Ksuit                                                                 	Pus.
90. Sohpet                                                              	Navel.
91. Tyrsim                                                              	Nails.
92. Sniehdoh                                                        	Skin.
93. Sniehkhlieh                                                       	Scalp.
94. Thyllie                                                            	Dandruff.
95. Jyrwiangkhlieh                                                                              
96. Lieweit                                                             	Anus.
97. Lynti khakhun                                                	Vagina.
98. Nyllong                                                                Rectum.
99. Jinglong shynrang                                            	Male organ.
100. Jinglong kynthei                                             	Female organ.
101. Jingshong                                                      	Buttock.
102. Met                                                                	Body.
103. Rynieng                                                       	Stature.
104. Ksem                                                            	Fart.


Kinship Terminology:

1.  Ki kmie ki kpa                                                 	Parents.
2.  Kmie                                                            	Mother.
3.  Kpa                                                                    	Father.
4.  Ki khun                                                         	Children.
5.  Khun                                                               	Child.
6.  Khun shynrang                                              	Son.
7.  Khun kynthei                                                  	Daughter.
8.  Shipara                                                             	Siblings.
9.  Hymmen shynrang                                             	Elder brother.
10. Hymmen kynthei                                               	Elder sister.
11. Para shynrang                                                 	Younger brother.
12. Para kynthei                                                        Younger sister.  
13. Mei ieid                                                        	Maternal- grand mother.
14. Pa ieid                                                            	Maternal- grand father.
15. Meikha                                                        	Paternal- grand mother.
16. Parad/pakha                                                  	Paternal grand father.
      Ksiew                                                            	Grand children.

Kinship terms: (Maternal side) 

17. Meisan, Meiheh                                                  	Mother’s eldest sister.
18. Meideng                                                        	Mother’s elder/younger sister.
19. Meirit                                                             	Mother’s Younger sister.
20. Meiduh                                                          	Mother’s Younger sister
21. Mama                                                                	Mother’s brother.
22. Marangbah/maheh                                          	Mother’s eldest brother.
23. Madeng                                                           	Mother’s elder/younger brother.
24. Marit                                                                 	Mother’s younger brother.
25. Maduh                                                             	Mother’s younger brother.

Kinship terms: (Paternal side)

26. Kha                                                                   	Father’s sister.
27. Kharangbah/khaheh                                      	Father’s Elder sister.
28. Khadeng                                                      	Father’s elder/younger sister.
29. Kharit                                                            	Father’s younger sister.
30. Khaduh                                                             	Father’s youngest sister.
31. Pakhynnah                                                       	Father’s brother.
32. Pasan                                                             	Father’s Elder brother.
33. Padeng                                                          	Father’s Elder/Younger brother.
34. Parit                                                                  	Father’s younger brother.
35. Paduh                                                             	Father’s youngest brother.
36. Nia                                                                	Mother brother’s wife.
37. Ni/Ma                                                             	Father sister husband.
38. Kong                                                                	Address term for Woman.
39. Bah                                                                    	Address term for man.
40. Rangbah                                                       	Elder/Older people.

Terms for Cousins:
There are 3 types.
    1.  Consanguine Parallel Cousins.
    2.  Affinal    Parallel Cousins.
    3.  Cross Cousins.

The reference terms for the 3 types are 
41. Para arkmie                                      	 CPC
42. Parakha                                               APC
43. Bakha                                                  CC

Terms Referring In-laws
44. Kyiaw                                                 	Husband mother/wife mother.
45. Kthaw                                                	Husband father/wife father.
46. Kynum                                              	Wife brother/sister husband.
47. Kong Kynsi/Hymmen kynsi              	Wise elder sister/Husband elder sister.
48. Para kynsi                                           Wife younger sister/Husband younger  
                                                                 sister.
49. Mynkew                                               Husband/Wife sister.
50. Kynsi                                                   Wife sister/husband sister.


Colour Terminology:
Basic colours are:
1. Iong                                                     	Black.
2. Lieh                                                     	White.
3. Saw                                                     	Red
4. Jyrngam                                               	Green.
5. Stem                                                     Yellow.
    
Derived terms:
6. Helio                                                     Purple.
7. ktieh                                                     Brown.
8. Lyoh                                                     Grey.
9. Suin bneng                                            Skyblue.
10. Soh                                                     Orange.

Cooking terminology:
Utensils: Ki tiar shet.
1.  Khiew                                                  Pot.
2.  Pliang                                                  	Plate.
3.  Pela                                                     Cups.
4.  Shamoit                                               Spoons.
5.  Siang                                                   Serving/table spoon.


2. Basic Vocabulary (Noun):

Names of animal                                      	Kyrteng jong ki mrad.
Miaw                                                        	Cat.
Ksew                                                        Dog.
Khnai                                                        Rat.
Masi                                                         Cow.
Blang                                                        Goat.
Langbrot                                                  	Sheep.
Kada                                                    	Donkey.
Kulai                                                     	Horse.
Hati                                                        	Elephant.
Myrsiang                                                	Fox.
Khla                                                        	Tiger.
Sing                                                       	Lion.
Shrieh                                                     	Shrieh/Monkey
Shniang                                                	Pig.
Muid                                                    	Buffalo.
Kyndad                                               	Rhinocerous.
Ud                                                          	Camel.
Skei                                                      	Deer.
Masilur                                                    	Ox.
Niangkhlaw                                            	Boar.
Ksih                                                          Seal.
Jakoid                                                       Frog.
Bsein                                                        Snake.
Syiar                                                         Hen.
Han                                                          	Duck.
Syiar ryngkuh                                          	Cock/Rooster.

Dohkha                                                     Fish.
Lun                                                           Tadpole.


Birds:                                                       Sim:
Khasi                                                        English.
Tuta                                                          Parrot.
Paro                                                          Prgion.
Saro                                                          Sparrow.
Thring                                                        Crane.
Khlieng                                                      Eagle.

Plants:
Dieng                                                        Tree.
Jingthung                                                  Plants.
Syntiew                                                     Flower.
Siej                                                           Bamboo.
Lakait                                                        Banana tree.

Natural objects:
Metbneng                                                  Planets.
Bnai                                                           Moon.
Khlur                                                          Star.
Sngi                                                           Sun.
Lum                                                           Mountain.
Wah                                                           River.
Khyndew                                                    Earth.
Dewlynnong                                                Island.
Pynthor                                                      Paddy field.
Lyngkha                                                     Cultivated field.
Pung                                                          Wells.
Nan                                                            Lake.
Umpohliew                                                  Spring.
Mawsiang                                                   Rock.
Lumrit                                                         Hill

Jumai/khynniuh                                          Earthquake.
Pyrthat                                                       Thunder.
Leilieh                                                        Lightning.
Slap                                                           Rain.
Thah                                                          Ice.
Ior                                                              Snow.
Phria                                                          Hailstone.
Lyoh                                                          Cloud.
Lyer                                                           Wind.
Kyllang                                                      Cyclone.

Names of weeks:
Sngi Nyngkong                                           Monday.
Sngi Ba ar                                                  Tuesday.
Sngi Balang                                                Wednesday.
Sngi Palei                                                   Thursday.
Sngi Thohdieng                                           Friday.
Sngi Saitjain                                               Saturday.
Sngi U Blei                                                 Sunday.

Months:
Kylla lyngkot                                              January.
Rymphang                                                  February.
Lber                                                           March.
Iaiong                                                         April.
Jymmang                                                   May.
Jylliew                                                       June.
Naitung                                                      July.
Nailur                                                         August.
Nailar                                                         September.
Risaw                                                        October.
Naiwieng                                                    November.
Nohprah                                                     December.

Numbers:
Wei                                                         	One.
Ar                                                            	Two.
Lai                                                            Three.
Saw                                                          Four.
San                                                           Five.
Hynriew                                                    	Six.
Hynniew                                                   	Seven.
Phra                                                          Eight.
Khyndai                                                    	 Nine.
Shiphew                                                    Ten.
Khat wei                                                    Eleven.
Khar ar                                                      Twelve.
Arphew                                                     	 Twenty.
Shispah                                                     Hundred.
Shihajar                                                     Thousand.
Shi lak                                                       Lakh.
Shi klur                                                      Crore.

Verbs:
bam                                                           eat.
Dih                                                            drink.
Iaid                                                            walk.
Iam                                                            cry.
Rkhie                                                         laugh.
Rwai                                                          sing.
Mareh                                                        run.
Thiah                                                         sleep.
Tylliat                                                       	 grind.
Dung                                                         pound.
Tep                                                           cover/bury.
Shong                                                       sit.
Ieng                                                          stand.
Im                                                             live
Iap                                                            dead
Ieit                                                            love.
Dom                                                         angry.
Shun                                                         hate.
Shut                                                          brush.
Thied                                                        sell.
Die                                                            buy.
Thngan                                                      hungry.
Sliang                                                        thirsty.
Suh                                                           stich.
Thain                                                         weave/knit.
Pule                                                           read.
Thoh                                                          write.
Niew                                                          count.
Kren                                                           talk.
Sngap                                                        listen.
Ong                                                           say.
Shrut                                                         graw.
Leit                                                           go.
Btuit                                                          slip.
Kynjat                                                       kick.
Kyrdem                                                     trample.
Niat                                                          push.
Bret                                                          throw.
Kem                                                         catch.
Tan                                                           pull.
Teh                                                           tie.
Wad/thud                                                  search.
Shad                                                        dance.
Jngi                                                          swim.
Fall                                                           hap.
Sum                                                         batch.

Adjectives:
Duk                                                         poor.
Riewspah                                                 rich.
Stad                                                        intelligent.
Biej                                                         dull.
Sngaid                                                     fat.
Raikhoh                                                   thin.
Buittuh                                                    cunning.
Khriat                                                      cold.
Shit                                                         hot.
Syiad                                                       luke warm.
Jem                                                         soft.
Eh                                                           hard.
Rben                                                       thick.
Stang                                                      thin
Jaituh                                                      lazy.
Smat                                                      
Thiang                                                     sweet.
Jew                                                         sour.
Kthang                                                    bitter.
Thymmai                                                 new.
Rim                                                         old.
Jrong                                                       tall.
Lyngkot                                                   short.
Heh                                                         big.
Rit                                                          small.
Pdeng                                                     medium/middle.
Iar                                                           broad.
Khyndiat                                                 little.
Shibun                                                    many.
Khim                                                      narrow.
Pyllun                                                     round.
Kdor                                                       crooked.
Kylluid                                                    loose.
Jlih                                                         smooth
Khain                                                     rough.
Bha                                                        good.
Nep                                                        sharp.
Luin                                                        blunt.
Sniew                                                     bad.
Suki                                                       slow.
Kloi                                                        quick.
Kmen                                                     happy.
Sngewsih                                               sad.
Tieng                                                     afraid.


Adverbs: Khasi is very rich in Adverbs:
Suki suki                                              slowly.
Stet stet                                               quickly.
Wut wut                                                fast.
Kthang ngang ngang                              very bitter.
Thiang ngai ngai                                    very sweet.
Jew slew slew                                       very sour.
Pjah slam slam                                     very cold.
Khluit tar tar                                          very hot.

Prepositions:
Ha                                                        On.
Hapoh                                                   in.
Sha                                                       to.
Na                                                         from.

Question Words:
Kaei                                                      what.
Balei                                                     why.
Haei                                                      where.
Mynno                                                   when
Kumno                                                   how.

Conjunction:
Bad                                                       and.
Lane                                                      or.

Interjection:
Ani  
Wow
Ish

Pronouns:
I       Person       		Sg                 Pl                                          
                          		nga               ngi                                               
 		    	‘I’                 ‘We’

II        Person 		Sg                Pl                       
                    		Phi               Phi                      
                                   	‘You’           ‘You’

III        Person             	Sg                 Pl                      
               	Fem             	ka                                           
                                  	‘She’                 
               Mas              	U                   
                                  	‘He’               They
               Hon              	I