Koch is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Koch people of India and Bangladesh. It is primarily spoken in the Indian states of Meghalaya and Lower Assam and in the northern parts of the country Bangladesh, where it serves as a major means of communication among the Koches. Koch language is written with Assamese, Bengali, Roman scripts.

There is an organization Koch Krorang Mathop in Tura, Meghalaya which publishes Koch materials, such as books, an annual Koch magazine. Koch Development Forum is also working on the promotion of the Koch language among the Koch people who have now switched their language to Indo-Aryan languages.

The state of Assam in Koch :

Dialects

The Koch language is currently represented by five surviving dialects, which are as follows:

1. Harigaya,

2. Tintikiya,

3. Wanang/Swmbri,

4. Chapra and

5. Margan

Short representation of the various dialects:

Geographical distribution

Koch is spoken in:

Assam:

• Baksa district - Hodi or Koch Mandai

• Bongaigaon district - Madaci Koch, Koch

• Darrang district - Hodi or Koch Mandai

• Dhemaji district - Hodi or Koch Mandai

• Dhubri district - Madaci Koch, Koch

• Goalpara district - Madaci koch, Kocho koro, Hodi or Koch Mandai

• Kokrajhar district - Madaci Koch, Koch

• Lakhimpur district - Hodi or Koch Mandai

• Nagaon district - Hodi or Koch Mandai, Kocho koro

• Udalguri district - Hodi or Koch Mandai

• Sonitpur district - Hodi or Koch Mandai

• South Salmara district - Hodi or Koch Mandai, Koch

• Bangladesh: Hodi or Koch Mandai and Kocho koro

Meghalaya:

• East Khasi Hills district - Hodi alias Koch Mandai

• West Garo Hills district - Koch

• Tripura: Hodi or Koch Mandai or koch

Notes

References

• Dialects "Different Dialects"

• Koch language report by UNESCO World Atlas of Languages

• Koch Dictionary