Rajasthani language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rajasthani is one of the prominent members of Indo-Aryan languages family. It is spoken by around eighty million persons (total number of speakers 36 million as per Census of India, 2001) in Rajasthan and other states of India, and has eight major dialects: Bagri, Shekhawati, Mewati, Dhundhari, Harauti, Marwari, Mewari, and Wagri. Most of these dialects of Rajasthani are chiefly spoken in the state of Rajasthan but also in Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab. Besides, Rajasthani is spoken in some parts of western Madhya Pradesh, and the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sind. Rajasthani language is classified in the Central Zone of the Indo-Aryan languages, which also includes Hindi and Urdu. Some of the dialects of Rajasthani are considered by some to be dialects of Hindi; however, many linguists agree that Rajasthani is a different language from Hindi at phonological, morphological, syntactical and lexical levels.
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[edit] Dialects
Some major dialects of Rajasthani are:
Some of the recognized minor dialects of Rajasthani are (last two are questionable in this category):
[edit] Literature
Rajasthani has a vast literature written in various genres starting from 1000 AD. In the past, the language spoken in Rajasthan was regarded as a dialect of western Hindi (Kellogg, 1873). George Abraham Grierson (1908) was the first scholar who gave the nomenclature ‘Rajasthani’ to the language, which was earlier known through its various dialects. Today, however, Sahitya Akademi, National Academy of Letters and University Grants Commission recognize it as a distinct language. It is also taught as such in the Universities of Jodhpur and Udaipur. The Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan included Rajasthani in the course of studies and it has been an optional subject since 1973. Since 1947, several movements have been going on in Rajasthan for its recognition, but unfortunately it is still considered a ‘dialect’ of Hindi. Recently, the Rajasthan Government has recognized it as a state language, but still, there is a long way for Rajasthani language to go. The reason is it lacks a comprehensive reference grammar and latest dictionary prepared based on a thorough linguistic survey of Rajasthan. Now an extensive descriptive grammar of Rajasthani is under process.
[edit] Prominent Rajasthani Linguists
- Abdul Vaheed `Kamal'
- George Macalister
- George Abraham Grierson
- Ram Karan Asopa
- L. P. Tessitory
- Suniti Kumar Chatterjee
- Sita Ram Lalas
- Narottam Das Swami
- Kali Charan Bahl
- David Magier
- John D Smith
- Luidmila Khokhlova
- Peter E. Hook
- Anvita Abbi
- Lakhan Gusain
[edit] Latest Rajasthani Grammar Books
- David Magier 1983. Topics in the Grammar of Marwari. Ph.D. dissertation, University of California
- Lakhan Gusain 2000. Bagri. München: Lincom Europa (Languages of the World/Materials, 384)
- Lakhan Gusain 2001. Shekhawati. München: Lincom Europa (Languages of the World/Materials, 385)
- Lakhan Gusain 2003. Mewati. München: Lincom Europa (Languages of the World/Materials, 386)
- Lakhan Gusain 2004. Marwari. München: Lincom Europa (Languages of the World/Materials, 427)
