East Indian language

East indian language
ईस्ट इंडियन
Pronunciation East indian (popular)
Native to Mumbai
Region Mumbai, Thane, Maharashtra.
Native speakers
 600,000 (date missing)[1]
Devanagarilatin
Language codes
ISO 639-3 –
Glottolog None

Mumbai Marathi or the East Indian language is a dialect of Marathi with significant Konkani and Portuguese influences and loanwords.[1] Although it does not have a unique script, scripts of the other languages native to the regions its speakers inhabit are used. Devanagari and latin is used by most of the speakers. East indian is very popular language used for songs and dramas.

Differences from standard Marathi

All pronouns have a change from te to yah . Words in Marathi for yes, where, here, there, have different East indian counterparts. Other grammatical nuances differ from standard-spoken Marathi.[2]

Historical references

From the early days of the East India Company, there were no other Indian Christians in the North Konkan except the East Indian Catholics. Employments that were intended for Christians, were the monopoly of the East Indians. With development, came in railways and steamship, a boon for the travelling public. And with that came a number of immigrants from Goa who were also known as Portuguese Christians. The British found it expedient to adopt a designation which would distinguish the Christians of North Konkan who were British subjects and the Goan, who were Portuguese subjects (Mangalorean Catholics were no Portuguese subjects at this point any more). Accordingly, on the occasion of The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, the Christians of North Konkan, who were known as "Portuguese Christians" discarded that name and adopted the designation "East Indian”. By the adoption of the name "East Indian" they wanted to impress upon the British Government of Bombay that they were the earliest Roman Catholic Subjects of the British Crown in this part of India, in as much as parts of Bombay, by its cession in 1661, were the first foothold the British acquired in India, after Surat. As the children of the soil, they urged on the Government, that they were entitled to certain natural rights and privileges as against the immigrants.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 KUMAR, RAKSHA. "The original East Indians". The Hindu. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  2. ↑ "East Indian dictionary to preserve local Marathi dialect - TOI Mobile | The Times of India Mobile Site". m.timesofindia.com. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  3. ↑ Baptista, Elsie Wilhelmina (1967). The East Indians: Catholic Community of Bombay, Salsette and Bassein. Bombay East Indian Association.
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