Post by Thoithoi O'Cottage on Mar 4, 2019 13:07:41 GMT 5.5
The morpheme yen and occurs in several words. It means leaf or leaves of plants. Some of the words this morpheme occurs are
(1)
(1)
- uyen
- kanglayen
- yensang (and its shortened form ensang)
- yensin
- yendang
(2)
- yening (or yenning, as in yening hunba)
- yenou (as in yenou chongba or yenou hunba)
- yemouba
- yelang
heikak yeli (or heikak yeri)
(3)
- yempat
- yempak
- yembum
As seen in the above examples, yen is often shortened to ye (/n/ dropping) when it is compounded with another morpheme that begins with a /n/, /m/ or /i/ and follows it.
The words in group (2) are formed in this way.
In compounds of the group (3) type, /n/ is influenced by the bilabial /p/ or /b/ at the beginning of the next morepheme pat, pak or bum, leading to the place and manner assimilation of /n/ to /p/ or /b/. As a result, /n/ becomes the bilabial /m/.
Uyen is a generic name for mushrooms of all kinds. Most kinds of uyens native to Manipur grow on u (trees). They form leaf-like (yen-like) outgrowths from the trees they grow on. They are, therefore, called uyen--leaves on trees. Interestingly, these yen (leaves) are not the leaves of the trees themselves. These leaves are biologically foreign to them. Kanglayen (split-grill mushroom) is the shortened form of kangla uyen, probably an uyen that looks like the Kangla sha.
We have yet to work out the meaning of sang in yensang or ensang. Though the Meiteis ate animals, vegetables were their staple. The sense of ye(n) must have broadened from leaves of plants to include other parts of plants that could be eaten as food.
Yensin literally means sour leaf. It is a plant (clover, shamrock, oxalis, sourgrass) that has sour leaves.
Yendang literally means obese leaf. It is a plant (Cycas pectinata) with megasporophylls (leaves, 1-2 m) that deeply pectinate and are densely covered with hairs. The leaves are curled up while young and are valued for food.
The compound of ye (leaf) and ning (butt or buttocks), yening literally means the butt of a leaf, the butt-like projection of a leaf that emerges at the axil (the upper angle between a leaf or petiole and the stem, or between a branch and the trunk) in early spring, which is bud in English. Yening does not usually occur alone. It it often found in the phrases yening hunba ((of a tree) to bring forth new leaves in spring season and yeningtha (sping season, the months when trees bring forth new leaves and flowers bloom).
When yeningtha begins, yenou or new/young leaves (ye meaning leaf and nou meaning new) emerges on trees, shrubs and other perennial plants that have been bare since the fall. Young leaves breaking forth in early spring is called yenou chongba or yenou hunba.
The words in group (2) are formed in this way.
In compounds of the group (3) type, /n/ is influenced by the bilabial /p/ or /b/ at the beginning of the next morepheme pat, pak or bum, leading to the place and manner assimilation of /n/ to /p/ or /b/. As a result, /n/ becomes the bilabial /m/.
Uyen is a generic name for mushrooms of all kinds. Most kinds of uyens native to Manipur grow on u (trees). They form leaf-like (yen-like) outgrowths from the trees they grow on. They are, therefore, called uyen--leaves on trees. Interestingly, these yen (leaves) are not the leaves of the trees themselves. These leaves are biologically foreign to them. Kanglayen (split-grill mushroom) is the shortened form of kangla uyen, probably an uyen that looks like the Kangla sha.
We have yet to work out the meaning of sang in yensang or ensang. Though the Meiteis ate animals, vegetables were their staple. The sense of ye(n) must have broadened from leaves of plants to include other parts of plants that could be eaten as food.
Yensin literally means sour leaf. It is a plant (clover, shamrock, oxalis, sourgrass) that has sour leaves.
Yendang literally means obese leaf. It is a plant (Cycas pectinata) with megasporophylls (leaves, 1-2 m) that deeply pectinate and are densely covered with hairs. The leaves are curled up while young and are valued for food.
The compound of ye (leaf) and ning (butt or buttocks), yening literally means the butt of a leaf, the butt-like projection of a leaf that emerges at the axil (the upper angle between a leaf or petiole and the stem, or between a branch and the trunk) in early spring, which is bud in English. Yening does not usually occur alone. It it often found in the phrases yening hunba ((of a tree) to bring forth new leaves in spring season and yeningtha (sping season, the months when trees bring forth new leaves and flowers bloom).
When yeningtha begins, yenou or new/young leaves (ye meaning leaf and nou meaning new) emerges on trees, shrubs and other perennial plants that have been bare since the fall. Young leaves breaking forth in early spring is called yenou chongba or yenou hunba.
To be continued.