Eastern Indo-Aryan languages
The Eastern Indo-Aryan languages, also known as Māgadhan languages, are spoken throughout the eastern region of the subcontinent (East India, Bangladesh, Assam), which includes Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bengal region, Tripura, Assam, and Odisha; alongside other regions surrounding the northeastern Himalayan corridor. Bengali is official language of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal, Tripura and the Barak valley of Assam while Assamese and Odia are the official languages of Assam and Odisha, respectively. The Eastern Indo-Aryan languages descend from Abahattha, which descends from Magadhan Apabhraṃśa[1] and ultimately from Magadhi Prakrit.[2][3][1]
| Eastern Indo-Aryan | |
|---|---|
| Magadhan | |
| Geographic distribution | Eastern India, Bangladesh, southern Nepal |
| Linguistic classification | Indo-European
|
Early forms | |
| Subdivisions | |
| Glottolog | indo1323 (Indo-Aryan Eastern zone) biha1245 (Bihari) |
Classification
The exact scope of the Eastern branch of the Indo-Aryan languages is controversial. All scholars agree about a kernel that includes the Odia cluster and the Bengali–Assamese languages, while many also include the Bihari languages. The widest scope was proposed by Suniti Kumar Chatterji who included the Eastern Hindi varieties, but this has not been widely accepted.[4]
When the Bihari languages are included, the Eastern Indo-Aryan languages fall into four language groups in two broader categories:
Western Magadhan
Eastern Magadhan
- Bengali–Assamese:
- Gaudic
- Bangali (Eastern Bengali)
- Bishnupriya Manipuri
- Chakma
- Chittagonian
- Manbhumi (Western Bengali)
- Noakhailla (Southeastern Bengali)
- Rarhi (South-Central Bengali)
- Rohingya
- Sundarbani (Southern Bengali)
- Sylheti (Northeastern Bengali)
- Tanchangya
- Varendri (North-Central Bengali)
- Kamarupic:
- Eastern Assamese
- Kamrupi (Western Assamese)
- Goalpariya (Western Assamese)
- Rangpuri
- Surjapuri
- Rajbanshi
- Hajong
- Gaudic
- Odia languages
- Odia Family
- Baleswari (Northern Odia)
- Kataki (Central Odia)
- Sambalpuri (Western Odia)
- Sundargadi (Northwestern Odia)
- Kalahandia (Southwestern Odia)
- Desia (Koraputia Odia)
- Ganjami (Southern Odia)
- Bodo Parja
- Bhatri
- Reli
- Kupia
- Odia Family
- Halbic:
Features
Grammatical features of the Eastern Indo-Aryan languages:[5]
| Case | Bengali | Assamese | Odia | Rajbangshi | Surjapuri | Maithili | Bhojpuri | Tharu | Sylheti |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instrumental | -t̪e, -ke d̪ie | -e, -er-e, di, -e-di | -e, -re, -d̪ei | -d̪i | sɛ | -e,e˜, sə˜, d̪ea | le, leka | -re, di | |
| Dative | -ke, -[e]re | -k, -ɒk | -ku | -k, -ɔk | -k, -ɔk | -ke˜ | -ke | -hənə | -gu, -gur |
| Ablative | -t̪ʰeke | -pɒra | -u, -ru, -ʈʰaru, -ʈʰiru | -hat̪ɛ, t̪ʰaki | -sɛ | -sə˜, -k -karəne | se | -lagi, -tône | |
| Genitive | -r, -er | -r, -ɒr | -rɔ | -r, -ɛr | -r, -ɛr | -ker (-k) | -kæ | -ək | -r, -ôr |
| Locative | -e, -t̪e | -t, -ɒt | -re | -t̪, -ɔt̪ | -t̪, -ɔt̪ | e, me, -hi, -tə | -mə | -t, -ô |
References
- Ray, Tapas S. (2007). "Chapter Eleven: "Oriya". In Jain, Danesh; Cardona, George. The Indo-Aryan Languages. Routledge. p. 445. ISBN 978-1-135-79711-9.
- Cardona, George; Jain, Dhanesh, eds. (2003), "The historical context and development of Indo-Aryan", The Indo-Aryan Languages, Routledge language family series, London: Routledge, pp. 46–66, ISBN 0-7007-1130-9
- South Asian folklore: an encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, By Peter J. Claus, Sarah Diamond, Margaret Ann Mills, Routledge, 2003, p. 203
- Masica, Colin (1991). The Indo-Aryan Languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 446–462.
- (Toulmin 2006:148)
External links
- A Comparative dictionary of the Bihārī language, Volume 1 By August Friedrich Rudolf Hoernle, Sir George Abraham Grierson (1885)
- Toulmin, Mathew W S (2006). Reconstructing linguistic history in a dialect continuum: The Kamta, Rajbanshi, and Northern Deshi Bangla subgroup of Indo-Aryan (PhD). The Australian National University.