| Bihari | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: |
Bihar |
| Linguistic classification: | Indo-European
|
| Subdivisions: |
Angika (anp)
Bhojpuri (bho)
Fiji Hindi (hif)
Kudmali (kyw)
Magahi (mag)
Maithili (mai)
Majhi (mjz)
Musasa (smm)
Panchpargania (tdb)
Sadri (sck)
Sadri, Oraon (sdr)
Sarnami Hindustani (hns)
Surajpuri (sjp)
|
| ISO 639-2 and 639-5: | bih |
Bihari is a name given to the western group of Eastern Indic languages, spoken in Bihar and neighboring states in India. Angika, Bajjika, Bhojpuri, Magahi, and Maithili are spoken in Nepal as well. The Angika, Bajjika, Bhojpuri, Magahi and Maithili speaking population form more than 21% of Nepalese population. Despite the large number of speakers of these languages, they have not been constitutionally recognized in India. Even in Bihar, Hindi is the language used for educational and official matters.[1] These languages were legally absorbed under the subordinate label of HINDI in the 1961 Census. Such state and national politics are creating conditions for language endangerments.[2] Nalanda Open University offers various courses on Bihari Languages (Magahi, Bhojpuri, Maithili).[3] The first success for spreading Hindi occurred in Bihar in 1981, when Hindi displaced Urdu as the sole official language of the province. In this struggle between competing Hindi and Urdu, the potential claims of the three large mother tongues in the region – Magahi, Bhojpuri and Maithili were ignored. After independence Hindi was again given the sole official status through the Bihar Official Language Act, 1950.[4]
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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 unawareness. The educated and the urban population of the region return Hindi as the generic name for their language.[5]
The relationship of Maithili community with Bhojpuri and Magahi communities – the immediate neighbors have been neither very pleasant nor very hostile. These two groups have rather been very envious of the series of achievements – both literary and socio-political. But Maithili has been the only one among them which has been trying to constantly deny superimposition of Hindi over her identity. The other two have given up their claims and have resigned to accept the status of dialects of Hindi.
| Language [6] | ISO 639-3 | Scripts | No. of Speakers [5] | Geographical Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angika | anp | Anga Lipi, Devanagari | 725,000 | Eastern Bihar, North-eastern Jharkhand, West Bengal |
| Bajjika | Devanagari | 8,738,000 | North-Central Bihar Eastern Terai | |
| Bhojpuri | bho | Kaithi, Devanagari | 38,546,000 | Western Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Central Terai |
| Fiji Hindi[7] | hif | Roman and Devanagari | 460,000 | Fiji Islands |
| Kudmali | kyw | Devnagri, Chis (also suggested as its possible script) | 37,000 | Eastern Jharkhand, West Bengal |
| Magahi | mag | Kaithi, Devanagari | 20,362,000 | South-Western Bihar |
| Maithili | mai | Maithili | 25,204,005 | Northern Bihar Nepal |
| Majhi | mjz | N.A | 21,841 | Eastern Bihar, Nepal |
| Musasa | smm | N.A | 50,000 | Eastern Bihar, Nepal |
| Panchpargania | tdb | N.A. | 274,000 | West Bengal Jharkhand Assam |
| Sadri | sck | N.A. | 165,683 | Jharkhand Bihar and Bangladesh |
| Khortha | sdr | N.A. | 1,965,000 | Northern Jharkhand |
| Sarnami Hindustani[8] | hns | N.A. | 150,000 | Suriname |
| Surajpuri | sjp | N.A. | 273,000 | North-eastern Bihar . |
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