Khandeshi language
 | This article possibly contains original research. (November 2021) |
| Khandeshi | |
|---|---|
| Ahirani, Khandeshi | |
| खान्देशी, अहिराणी | |
| Native to | Maharashtra, India |
| Region | Khandesh |
Native speakers | 1.86 million (2011 census)[1] |
| Devanagari[3] | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:khn – Khandeshiahr – Ahirani (duplicate code) |
| Glottolog | khan1272 |
 Location of the Khandesh region in India | |
 Location of the Khandesh region within Maharashtra | |
Khandeshi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Khandesh region of north-west Maharashtra and also in Gujarat.[4] It consists of Khandeshi proper, and the Dangri and Ahirani dialects.[5] Kunbi and Rangari also are dialects. Ahirani dialect of this language is mostly spoken. Devanagari script is used to write Khandeshi language.[6] The words "Ahirani" and "Khandeshi" are sometimes used interchangeably: Ahirani as the caste-based name (after Ahirs), and Khandesh as the region-based name. The Census of 1911 , 1921 and 1931 counted the Ahirani speaking people as Gujaratis[7] but in latter decades they've been recognized as a different language.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | voiced | m | n | (ɳ) | ŋ | ||
| breathy | mʱ | ||||||
| Stop/ Affricate |
voiceless | p | t | ʈ | tʃ | k | |
| aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | ʈʰ | kʰ | |||
| voiced | b | d | ɖ | dʒ | g | ||
| breathy | bʱ | dʱ | ɖʱ | dʒʱ | gʱ | ||
| Fricative | s | ʃ | ɦ | ||||
| Approximant | voiced | ʋ | l | j | |||
| breathy | ʋʱ | ||||||
| Rhotic | voiced | r | |||||
| breathy | rʱ | ||||||
- /n/ is heard as a retroflex [ɳ] when before retroflex stops.
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Low-mid | ɐ | ||
| Low | a |
All vowels can be short or long.[8]
References
- ^ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
- ^ Ernst Kausen, 2006. Die Klassifikation der indogermanischen Sprachen (Microsoft Word, 133 KB)
- ^ "Khandeshi alphabet, pronunciation and language". omniglot.com. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
- ^ "Khandeshi alphabet, pronunciation and language". omniglot.com. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
- ^ Robert Vane Russell (1916). pt. II. Descriptive articles on the principal castes and tribes of the Central Provinces. Macmillan and Company, limited. pp. 19–.
- ^ "Khandeshi alphabet, pronunciation and language". omniglot.com. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
- ^ P. 12535 Parliamentary Debates, House of the People: Official Report By Indian Parliament, Lok Sabha
- ^ Chitnis, Vijaya Shridhar (1964). The Khandeshi dialect (as spoken by farmers in the village of Mohadi in the Dhulia Taluka). Poona: Deccan College.
