Rajasthani language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rajasthani राजस्थानी | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spoken in: | Rajasthan (India) | |
| Total speakers: | 80 million (approx.) | |
| Language family: | Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Western Indo-Aryan Rajasthani Rajasthani राजस्थानी |
|
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1: | none | |
| ISO 639-2: | raj | |
| ISO 639-3: | raj | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key. | ||
Rajasthani (राजस्थानी) is one of the prominent members of the 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.
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[edit] Classification
The Rajasthani language is a Western Indo-Aryan language, although some of the more easterly dialects of Rajasthani show characteristics of the Central Indo-Aryan languages.
[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] Official Status
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 designation ‘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 Linguists
- Anvita Abbi
- Ram Karan Asopa
- Kali Charan Bahl
- Suniti Kumar Chatterjee
- George Abraham Grierson
- Lakhan Gusain
- Peter E. Hook
- Liudmila Khokhlova
- Sita Ram Lalas
- George Macalister
- David Magier
- John D. Smith
- Narottam Das Swami
- L. P. Tessitory
[edit] Grammar
- To be added: Phonology, Morphology, Syntax
[edit] Literature
Rajasthani has a vast literature written in various genres starting from 1000 AD.But, it is generally agreed that modern Rajasthani literature began with the works of Suryamal Misran. His most important works are the Vansa Bhaskara and the Vir Satsai. The Vans Bhaskar contains accounts of the Rajput princes who ruled in what was then Rajputana (at present the state of Rajasthan), during the lifetime of the poet (1872–1952). The Vir Satsai is a collection of hundreds of couplets.
[edit] Eminent Literateurs
- (Note: This list is not in chronological order)
- Abdul Vaheed `Kamal'
- Chander Singh 'Birkali'
- Kanhaiya Lal Dugar
- Kanhaiya LaL Sethia
- Kiran Nahta
- Kripa Ram Puniya
- Manohar Prabhakar
- Nanuram Sanskrita
- Narayan Singh Bhatti
- Nathuram Sanskrita
- Lakshmi Kumari Chundawat
- Shakidan Kaviya
- Shanti Bhardwaj 'Rakesh'
- Sūdan
- Suryamal Misran
- Vijay Dan Detha
- List of winners of Sahitya Akademi Awards for writing in Rajasthani language
(Others are to/should be added)
[edit] Latest 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)
