Bihari languages

Bihari
Geographic
distribution		 India and Nepal
Linguistic classification Indo-European
Subdivisions
ISO 639-1 bh
ISO 639-2 / 5 bih
Glottolog biha1245[1]
Bihari languages
Red - Bhojpuri speaking region
Pink - Magahi speaking region
Brown - Maithili speaking region
Maroon - Angika speaking region

Bihari is the western group of Eastern Indo-Aryan languages, mainly spoken in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh and also in Nepal. [2][3]

Despite the large number of speakers of these languages, only Maithili has been constitutionally recognised in India, which gained constitutional status via the 92nd amendment to the Constitution of India, of 2003 (gaining assent in 2004).[4] Both Maithili and Bhojpuri have constitutional recognition in Nepal.[5]

In Bihar, Hindi is the language used for educational and official matters.[6] These languages were legally absorbed under the overarching label Hindi in the 1961 Census. Such state and national politics are creating conditions for language endangerments.[7] After independence Hindi was given the sole official status through the Bihar Official Language Act, 1950.[8] Hindi was displaced as the sole official language of Bihar in 1981, when Urdu was accorded the status of the second official language.

Speakers

The number of speakers of Bihari languages is difficult to indicate because of unreliable sources. In the urban region most educated speakers of the language name Hindi as their language because this is what they use in formal contexts and believe it to be the appropriate response because of unawareness. The educated and the urban population of the region return Hindi as the generic name for their language.[9]

Some major languages and dialects included in Bihari group

Language[10] ISO 639-3 Scripts No. of Speakers[9] Geographical Distribution
AngikaanpPreviously Anga Lipi; Devanagari743,600[11]Eastern Bihar, North-eastern Jharkhand, West Bengal and Eastern Madhesh
Bajjika—Devanagari8,738,000North-Central Bihar and Eastern Madhesh
BhojpuribhoPreviously Kaithi; Devanagari39,519,400[12]Western Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Northwestern Jharkhand, Northern Chhattisgarh, Northeastern Madhya Pradesh and Central Madhesh
KhorthaN.A.Eastern Nagari script, Devanagari8.04 million [13]North-eastern Jharkhand
KudmalikywDevanagari, Chis (also suggested as its possible script)556,809 [14]South-Eastern Jharkhand, West Bengal
MagahimagPreviously Kaithi; Devanagari14,035,600[12]South Bihar
MaithilimaiTirhuta, Kaithi and Devanagari33,890,000[12]Northern and eastern Bihar, Jharkhand[15] and Eastern Madhesh
PanchparganiatdbDevanagari, sometimes Bengali & Kaithi274,000West Bengal, Jharkhand and Assam
NagpurisckDevanagari5.1 million [16]West-central Jharkhand North-eastern Chhattisgarh Northern Odisha
SurjapurisjpDevanagari2,256,228 [17]North-eastern Bihar

Some linguists dispute the inclusion of Maithili within the Bihari languages grouping, stating that it shares more similarities with neighbouring Bengali as compared to other Bihari languages.[18]

References and footnotes

  1. ↑ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Bihari". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  2. ↑ Yadava, Y. P. (2013). Linguistic context and language endangerment in Nepal. Nepalese Linguistics 28: 262–274.
  3. ↑ "Language, Religion and Politics in North India". p. 67. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  4. ↑ "The Constitution (Ninety-Second Amendment) Act, 2003". National Portal of India. 7 January 2004. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  5. ↑ https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-in-school/nepal/article24876497.ece
  6. ↑ Damani, Guarang (2015). "History of Indian Languages". Die-hard Indian. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  7. ↑ Verma, Mahandra K. "Language Endangerment and Indian languages : An exploration and a critique". Linguistic Structure and Language Dynamics in South Asia.
  8. ↑ Brass, Paul R. (8 September 1994). The Politics of India Since Independence (Second ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 183. ISBN 9780521459709. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  9. 1 2 Cardona, George; Jain, Dhanesh, eds. (11 September 2003). The Indo-Aryan Languages. Routledge Language Family Series. Routledge. p. 500. ISBN 978-0415772945. ...the number of speakers of Bihari languages are difficult to indicate because of unreliable sources. In the urban region most educated speakers of the language name Hindi as their language because this is what they use in formal contexts and believe it to be the appropriate response because of lack of awareness. The uneducated and the urban population of the region return Hindi as the generic name for their language.
  10. ↑ Bihari Languages Archived 2012-01-04 at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  12. 1 2 3 "India". Ethnologue. 2016. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017.
  13. ↑ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
  14. ↑ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
  15. ↑ https://m.livehindustan.com/jharkhand/story-maithili-will-get-second-state-language-status-in-jharkhand-1835624.html
  16. ↑ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
  17. ↑ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
  18. ↑ "Language, Religion and Politics in North India". p. 67. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
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