Nagpuri language

"Sadri language" and "Nagpuria language" redirect here. For the dialect of Nagpur, Maharashtra, see Varhadi dialect. For the dialect of Uttarakhand, see Nagpuriya dialect (Garhwal).

"Gawari" redirects here. Not to be confused with Gavari, Gawri, or Gauri.

Nagpuri (also known as Sadri) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Bihar. It is primarily spoken in the west and central Chota Nagpur plateau region.^[2][6][7] It is sometimes considered a dialect of Bhojpuri.^[8][9][10]

Nagpuri
Sadri
Sadani
Native to	India
Region	West Central Chota Nagpur (Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Bihar)
Ethnicity	Nagpuria
Native speakers	5.1 million (2011 census)^[1]^[2]^[3] L2 speakers: 7.0 million (2007)
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Eastern Bihari Sadanic Nagpuri
Writing system	Devanagari Kaithi (historical)
Official status
Official language in	India Jharkhand^[4]^[5] (additional)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Either: sck – Sadri sdr – Oraon Sadri
Glottolog	sada1242
Nagpuri-speaking region in India

A Sadri speaker speaking three languages, recorded in China.

It is native language of the Sadan, the Indo-Aryan ethnic group of Chota Nagpur plateau.^[7] In addition to native speakers, it is also used as lingua franca by many tribal groups such as Kurukh, a Dravidian ethnic group and Kharia, Munda, the Austro-asiatic ethnic groups and a number of speakers of these tribal groups have adopted it as their first language.^[7] It is also used as a lingua franca among Tea-garden community of Assam, West Bengal and Bangladesh who were taken as a labourers to work in tea gardens during British Period.^[7] It is known as Baganiya bhasa in tea garden area of Assam which is influenced by Assamese language.^[11] According to the 2011 Census, It is spoken by 5.1 million people as first language. Around 7 million speak it as their second language based on study in 2007.^[2]

Names

The language is known by several names, such as Nagpuri, Nagpuria, Sadani, Sadri etc. The language is known as Sadani, the native language of Sadan, the Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Chotanagpur. The Sadani also refer to closely related Indo-Aryan languages of Jharkhand such as Nagpuri, Panchpargania, Kurmali and Khortha.^[7] In literary tradition, the language is known as Nagpuri, which is the polished and literary language especially used by Hindus and in cities. Sadri refers to the spoken and non-literary form of the language, especially spoken by tribals in the countryside.^[12][13] The name Nagpur is the region ruled by Nagvanshi, named as Chutia Nagpur (Chota Nagpur Division) by the British to distinguish it from Nagpur of Maharashtra.^[14]

Nagpuri language writers are in favour of using Nagpuri as the name of the language. There is an opposition against the use of the word Sadri and giving two names Sadan/Sadri and Nagpuria, to a single language in the upcoming Indian census. According to them, the name of the language is Nagpuri and the native speakers of the language are known as Nagpuria. The British also wrote grammar using the name Nagpuri in 1906 and Nagpuri is the official name of the language in Jhakhand.^[13][15][16]

History

There are different opinions among linguists about the origin of the Nagpuri language. According to Peter Shanti Navrangi, Nagpuriya Sadani or Nagpuri originated from ancient Prakrit. According to professor Keshri Kumar Singh, Nagpuri is an Apabhramsha and descendant of Magadhi Prakrit in his book "Nagpuri bhasa ebam Sahitya". According to Dr. Shravan Kumar Goswami, Nagpuri evolved from Ardhamagadhi Prakrit.^[17] According to him, Nagpuri might have originated between the 8th to 11th centuries and developed into a full-fledged language between the 14th to 15th centuries. According to Yogendra Nath Tiwari, Nagpuri is an ancient language that was in existence before Chotanagpur or Jharkhand started to be known as Nagpur and evolved from Jharkhand Prakrit. There is no consensus among scholars from which language Nagpuri has evolved. Several similarities are found between the words of Hindi, Nagpuri, Apabrahmsa, Prakrit and Sanskrit.^[6]

The Nagpuri language was the court language of the Nagvanshi dynasty and the official language of Chotanagpur till British rule. Evidence of literature is available from the 17th century. In 1903, Sir George Abraham Grierson classified Nagpuri as the Nagpuria dialect of the Bhojpuri language in his "Linguistic Survey of India".

 

1903 Linguistic map of East Chota Nagpur, by G.A. Grierson

Nagpuri has been placed in the Bihari group of Indo-Aryan languages.^[7][18] Recent studies demonstrate that the Indo-Aryan languages of the Chota Nagpur plateau, called Sadani languages, are distinct languages and are more closely related to each other than any other languages.^[12]

Geographical Distribution

The Nagpuri language is mainly spoken in the western Chota Nagpur Plateau region. The geographical distribution of language is tabulated below;

State	Jharkhand	Chhattisgarh	Odisha	Bihar
District	Chatra	Jashpur	Sundergarh	Gaya
	Palamu	Balrampur
	Latehar	Sarguja
	Garhwa
	Hazaribagh
	Lohardaga
	Gumla
	Ranchi
	Simdega
	Khunti
	West Singhbhum

It is also spoken by some Tea garden community in Tea garden area of Assam, West Bengal, Bangladesh and Nepal who were taken as labourer to work in Tea garden during British Rule.^[3]

Dialects

The Nagpuri language spoken in different districts such as Ranchi, Gumla, Simdega and Garhwa varies with each other.^[12]

Script

The early inscriptions found in the region are in Brahmi script. The Saridkel Brahmi Inscription from Khunti district is from 3rd century BCE. Several inscriptions of forts, temples and land grants are found from the 9th century, such as from Mahamaya temple of Hapamuni built by Gajghat Rai, Nagfeni, Navratangarh fort of Gumla district, Boreya and Jagannath temple of Ranchi. Some Buddhist inscriptions are undated, such as from Khalari and Jonha Falls.^[19] Inscriptions of the modern period are in Devnagari script. Nagpuri poetry has been written in Devnagari and Kaithi script during the 17th century.^[20] At present, mainly Devnagari script is used in literature.^[6]

Status

Historically, Nagpuri was the lingua-franca in the region. It was the court language during the reign of the Nagvanshi dynasty.^[20] Nagpuri is accorded as an additional official language in the Indian state of Jharkhand.^[4][5] There is demand to include Nagpuri in the Eighth schedule.^[21][22][23] Some academics oppose inclusion of Hindi dialects in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution as full-fledged Indian languages. According to them, recognition of Hindi dialects as separate languages would deprive Hindi of millions of its speakers and eventually no Hindi will be left.^[24]

Literature

Main article: Nagpuri literature

The Nagpuri language is rich in folk tales, folk songs and riddles. Literature in the Nagpuri language are available since the 17th century. The Nagvanshi king Raghunath Shah and the King of Ramgarh, Dalel Singh, were poets. These poems were composed in Devnagari script and Kaithi script.^[20][25] Some Nagpuri peots were Hanuman Singh, Jaigovind Mishra, Barju Ram Pathak, Ghasi Ram Mahli, Das Mahli, Mahant Ghasi and Kanchan.^[26] "Nagvanshavali" (1876), written by Beniram Mehta, is a historical work in the nagpuri language. The poet Ghasi Ram Mahli wrote several works, including "Nagvanashavali", "Durgasaptasati", "Barahamasa", "Vivha Parichhan" etc. There were also great writers like Pradumn Das and Rudra Singh.^[27] It is believed that prose writing in the nagpuri language started by Christian missionaries. E.H.Whitley wrote Notes on the Ganwari dialect of Lohardaga, Chhota Nagpur in 1896, which considered the start of writing prose in the nagpuri language.^[28] Some Nagpuri language writers and poets in the modern period are Praful Kumar Rai, Sahani Upendra Pal Singh, Shiv Avtar Choudhary, Lal Ranvijay Nath Shahdeo, Bisheshwar Prasad Keshari and Girdhari Ram Gonjhu.^[17]

Monthly Nagpuri magazines Gotiya and Johar Sahiya have been published in Ranchi.^[29][30] Several magazines have also been published in Assam, West Bengal's Tarai and Dooars districts.^[31][3]

Author and Work

Some poets, writers and their works in the nagpuri language are as follows:^[28]

Author	Work
Raghunath Shah	first known poet in the Nagpuri language, mostly composed devotional poetry on Krishna
Beniram Mahata	Nagvanshavali (1876)
Ghasi Ram Mahli	Nagpuri Fag Satak, Lalana Ranjana, Durga Saptasati, Nagvanshavali Jhumar
Kanchan	Sudama Charitra, Krishna Charitra, Mahabharat, Lanka Kand, Usha Haran
Drugpal Ram Deogharia	Nal Charita, Korambe Upakhyan
Dhaniram Bakshi	Jitiya Kahani, Fogli budhia kar Kahani, Narad Moh Lila, Karam Mahatmay, Sri Krishna Charit
E.H Whitley	Notes on Ganwari dialects of Lohardaga, Chotanagpur (grammar), 1896
Konrad Bookout	Grammar of the Nagpuria Sadani language
Praful Kumar Rai	Son Jhair (collection of stories), 1967
Sahani Upendra Pal Singh	Mewar Keshri, Amba Manjar
Bisheshwar Prasad Keshari	Nerua Lota urf Sanskritit Abdharna (nibandh), Thakur Vishwanath Sahi, Kanti
Shravan Kumar Goswami	Nagpuri Vyakran, Seva aur Nokri, Teteir Kar Chhaon, Du Dair Bis Phool
Girdhari Ram Gonjhu	Mahabali Radhe Kar Balidan, Akhra Nindaye Gelak
Naimuddin Mirdaha	Menjur Painkh
Baraik Iswari Prasad Singh	Kaka kar Kahani
Kali Kumar Suman	Khukhri Rugda
Shakuntala Mishra	Nagpuri Sadani Vyakaran, Sadani Nagpuri-Hindi Sabdkosh, Sato Nadi Par

Education

Nagpuri taught at some high schools as a subject in Jharkhand.^[32] It is also taught at Ranchi University, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University, Ranchi Women's College, Suraj Singh Memorial College, J.N College, Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav College, Doranda College, Simdega College and other universities of Jharkhand.^[33][34]

Phonology

Consonants

		Labial	Dental/ Alveolar	Retroflex	Post-alv./ Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal		m	n	(ɳ)		ŋ
Stop/ Affricate	voiceless	p	t	ʈ	tʃ	k
	aspirated	pʰ	tʰ	ʈʰ	tʃʰ	kʰ
	voiced	b	d	ɖ	dʒ	ɡ
	breathy	bʱ	dʱ	ɖʱ	dʒʱ	ɡʱ
Fricative			s				h
Tap			ɾ
Lateral			l
Approximant		ʋ			j

• [ɳ] occurs from Sanskrit loanwords, or as realizations of /n/.
• /h/ can be voiced as [ɦ] when between vowels.
• /ɖ, ɖʱ/ can be heard as taps [ɽ, ɽʱ] when in word-medial position.
• /ɾ/ can also be heard as retroflex [ɽ] when after back vowels.

Vowels

Oral vowel sounds

	Front	Central	Back
High	i iː		ʊ ʊː
Mid	ɛ ɛː	(ə əː)	ʌ ʌː	ɔ ɔː
Low	a aː

Nasal vowel sounds

	Front	Central	Back
High	ĩ		ʊ̃
Mid	ɛ̃		ʌ̃	ɔ̃
Low	ã

• /i/ can be heard as [i̞] or [ɪ], in short, closed, non-final syllables in free variation.
• /ɛ, ɛː/ can be heard as more close [e, eː] in free variation within word-final syllables.
• /a/ can be heard as front [a] or central [ä] in free variation.
• /ʌ, ʌː/ is heard as more rounded [ʌ̹, ʌ̹] when after bilabial consonants, as [ʌ̞] when in short syllables, and as [ə, əː] when the final syllable contains an /i/, or when following a /ɖ/ or /ɾ/.
• /ɔ, ɔː/ can be heard as [o, oː] in free variation.^[35]

Diphthongs

	Front	Central	Back
High			ʊi̯
Mid	ɛi̯, ɛʊ̯	[əɪ̯]	ʌɛ̯, ʌ̃ɛ̯̃, ʌi̯, ʌʊ̯	ɔɛ̯, ɔ̃ɛ̯̃, ɔi̯, ɔ̃ĩ̯
Low	aɛ̯, ãɛ̯̃, aɪ̯, aʊ̯, ãʊ̯̃

• [əɪ̯] is a realization of /ʌi̯/.

Vocabulary

Similarities between words

There are similarities between the words of Nagpuri, Hindi, Apabhramsha, Prakrit and Sanskrit which are given in the table below.^[6]

Nagpuri	Hindi	Apabrahmsha	Prakrit	Sanskrit	English
Pachhe	Peechhe	Picchhu	Pachha	Pashcha	Behind
Beyir	Surya	Beri	Rabi	Ravi	Sun
Sapna	Sapna	Supan	Suvan	Swapna	Dream
Dharam	Dharm	Dham	Dhamm	Dharma	Religion
Aayinkh	Aankh	Aankhi	Akiv	Akshi	Eyes
Didh	Drudh	Didh	Didh	Dhairya	Courage

Tenses

Magadhi, Nagpuri and Jharkhand Prakrit use “la” in the past tense, “ta” in the present tense and “ma” in the future tense. The words are given below in the table.^[6]

Nagpuri	Hindi	English
Gelon	gaya	went
Sutlon	soya	slept
Peelon	piya	drank
Khalon	khaya	ate
Jathon	Ja raha hoon	I am going
Sutothon	so raha hoon	I am sleeping.
Piyothon	Pee raha hoon	I am drinking.
Khathon	Kha raha hoon	I am eating
Jamu	jaoonga	I will go.
Sutmu	soounga	I will sleep
Pimu	Piyunga	I will drink.
Khamu	Khaoonga	I will eat.

Relationship

Below are some words about relationships in Nagpuri in the table.^[6]

Nagpuri	Hindi	English
Mae, Aayo	Ma	Mother
Baap, Abba	Pita	Father
Badi	Pardadi	Great grandmother
Kaka	Kaka	Father’s younger brother
Didi	Didi	Elder sister
Bhai	Bhai	Brother
Bahin	Bahen	sister
Puth	Putra	Son
Nani	Nani	Maternal grandmother
Jani	Mahila	woman
Sayis	Saas	Mother- in - law
Sangat/Yaar		brother of sister-in-law and brother-in-law
Sangatin		sister of sister-in-law and brother-in-law

Words

Below are some words of daily use in Nagpuri, Hindi and English in the table.^[6]

Nagpuri	Hindi	English
Charka	Sweth	White
Gola	Bhura	Brown
Peeyar	Peela	Yellow
Laal	Laal	Red
Leel	Neela	Blue
Aayij	Aaj	Today
Aekhane	Abhi	Now
Sagar din	Sara din	Whole night
Adhberiya	Dopahar	Afternoon
Sanjh	Sam	Evening
Thanv	Sthan	Place
Pokhra	Pokhar	Pond
Pethiya	Bazar	Market
Pahad	Pahad	Mountain
Nadi	Nadi	River
Masna	Masan/Samsaan	Graveyard
Jaad	Jaada	Winter
Barkha	Barsa	Rainy season
Rait	Raat	Night
Paala	Paala	Snow

Sample phrases

English	Nagpuri	Nagpuri (Devanagari)
What is your name?	Tor naam ka heke?	तोर नाम का हेके ?
How are you ?	Toen kaisan aahis?	तोयं कसैन आहीस्?
I am fine.	Moen thik aahon	मोएं ठीक आहों।
What?	Ka?	का?
Who?	Ke?	के?
Why?	Kale?	काले?
How?	Kaisan?	कसैन?
Which?	Kon?	कोन?
Come here.	Hian aao	हीयां आओ
I am going to home.	Moen ghar jat hon	मोएं घर जात हों।
I have eaten.	Moen kha hon	मोएं खा हों।
I will go.	Moen Jamu	मोएं जामु।
We go.	Hame jaeil	हामे जाइल।
You go.	Toen jais	तोयं जाइस्।
You are writing.	Toen likhathis	तोयं लिखतहिस्।
You will come.	Toen aabe	तोयं आबे।
We are writing.	Hame likhathi	हामे लीखतही।
We have written.	Hame likh hi	हामे लीख ही।
He/She come.	Oo aawela	उ आवेला।
He/She is going.	Oo jat he	उ जात हे।
He/She was coming.	Oo aawat rahe	उ आवत रहे।
He/She will play.	Oo kheli	उ खेली।
They have eaten bread.	Ooman roti kha haen	उमन रोटी खा हयं।
They went.	Ooman gelaen	उमन गेलयं।
They will go home.	Ooman ghar jabaen	उमन घर जाबयं।

Alternate names

Alternate names of language include: Sadani, Sadana, Sadati, Sadari, Sadhan, Sadna, Sadrik, Santri, Siddri, Sradri, Sadhari, Sadan, Nagpuria, Chota Nagpuri, Dikku Kaji, Gawari, Ganwari, Goari, Gauuari, Jharkhandhi.^[36][37][38]

See also

• Nagpuri culture
• Nagpuri cinema

References

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