Assamese

(Answers must be written in Assamese)

Paper I

Section A: Language

• History of the origin and development of the Assamese language-its position among the Indo-Aryan Languages-periods in its history.
• Developments of Assamese prose.
• Vowels and consonants of the Assamese languages-rules of phonetic changes with stress on Assamese coming down from Old Indo-Aryan.
• Assamese vocabulary-and its sources.
• Morphology of the language-conjugation-enclitic definitive and pleonastic suffixes.
• Dialectical divergences-the standard colloquial and the Kamrupi dialect in particulars.
• Assamese scripts-its evolution through the ages till 19th century A.D.

Section B: Literary Criticism and Literary History

• Principles of literary criticism up to new criticism.
• Different literary genres.
• Development of literary forms in Assamese.
• Development of literary criticism in Assamese.
• Periods of the literary history of Assam from the earliest beginnings, i.e. from the period of the charyyageets with their socio-cultural background: the proto Assamese-Pre-Sankaradeva-Sankaradeva-post Sankaradeva-Modern period (from the coming of the Britishers)-Post-Independence period. Special emphasis will be given on the Vaisnavite period, the gonaki and the post-Independence period.

Paper II

This paper will require first hand reading of the following text and the questions will be designed to test the candidate’s critical ability.

Section A

• Rãmãyana (Ayodhya Kãnda only) -- by Madhava Kandali.
• Pãrijãt-Harana -- by Sankaradeva.
• Rãsakrïdã-by Sankaradeva (From Kirtana Ghosa).
• Bargeet -- by Madhavadeva
• Rãjasûya -- by Madhavadeva.
• Kãthã-Bhãgavata (Books I and II) -- by Baikunthanath Bhattacharyya.
• Gurucarit-Kathã (Sankaradeva’s Part only) -- edited by Maheswar Neog.

Section B

• Mor Jeevan Soñwaran -- by Lakshminath Bezbaroa.
• Kripãbar Barbaruãr Kãkatar Topola -- by Lakshminath Bezbaroa.
• Pratimã -- by Chandra Kumar Agarwalla.
• Gãoñburhã -- by Padmanath Gohain Barua.
• Monamatî -- by Rajanikanta Bordoloi.
• Purani Asamîyã Sãhitya -- by Banikanta Kakati.
• Kãrengar Ligirî -- by Jyotiprasad Agarwalla
• Jeevanar Bãtat -- by Bina Barwa (Birinchi Kumar Barua)
• Mrityunjoy -- by Birendrakumar Bhattachary-ya
• Samrãt -- by Navakanta Barua.