Magahi language
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2019) |
| Magahi | |
|---|---|
| Magadhi | |
 | |
 | |
| Native to | India |
| Region | Magadh (southern Bihar, northern Jharkhand, and northwestern West Bengal)[2][3][4] |
| Ethnicity | Magahi |
Native speakers | 12.6 million (2011 census)[5][6] (additional speakers counted under Hindi) |
Early forms | Magadhi Prakrit
|
| Dialects |
|
| Devanagari Kaithi (formerly) Siddhaṃ (formerly) | |
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | mag |
| ISO 639-3 | mag |
| Glottolog | maga1260 |
 Magahi speaking regions | |
The Magahi language (𑂧𑂏𑂯𑂲), also known as Magadhi (𑂧𑂏𑂡𑂲), is a language spoken in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal states of eastern India,[8][9] and in the Terai of Nepal.[10] Magadhi Prakrit was the ancestor of Magahi, from which the latter's name derives.[11]
It has a very rich and old tradition of folk songs and stories. It is spoken in nine districts of Bihar (Gaya, Patna, Jehanabad, Aurangabad, Nalanda, Sheikhpura, Nawada, Lakhisarai, Arwal), eight districts of Jharkhand (Hazaribag, Palamu, Chatra, Koderma, Jamtara, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Giridih) and in West Bengal's Malda district.[12] There are around 20,700,000 speakers of Magahi, including speakers 12 million Magahi and 8 million Khortha which is considered a dialect of Magahi.[5]
Magahi derived from the ancient Magadhi Prakrit, which was created in the ancient kingdom of Magadha, the core of which was the area south of the Ganges and east of Son River.
Though the number of speakers in Magahi is about 12.6 million, it has not been constitutionally recognised in India. In Bihar, Hindi is the language used for educational and official matters.[13] Magahi was legally absorbed under Hindi in the 1961 Census.[14]
History
The ancestor of Magahi, Magadhi Prakrit, formed in the Indian subcontinent. These regions were part of the ancient kingdom of Magadha, the core of which was the area of Bihar south of the river Ganga.
The name Magahi is directly derived from the word Magadhi, and many educated speakers of Magahi prefer the name "Magadhi" over Magahi for the modern language.[15]
The development of the Magahi language into its current form is unknown. However, linguists have concluded that Magahi along with Assamese, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Maithili and Oriya originated from the Magadhi Prakrit during the 8th to 11th centuries. These different but sister dialects differentiated themselves and took their own course of growth and development. But it is not certain when exactly it took place. It was probably such an unidentified period during which modern Indian languages begin to take modern shape. By the end of the 12th century, the development of Apabhramsa reached its climax. Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Oriya, Maithili and other modern languages took definite shape in their literary writings in the beginning of the 14th century. The distinct shape of Magadhi can be seen in the Dohakosha written by Sarahapa and Kauhapa.
Magadhi had a setback due to the transition period of the Magadha administration.[16] Traditionally, strolling bards recite long epic poems in this dialect, and it was because of this that the word "Magadhi" came to mean "a bard". Devanagari is the most widely used script in present times, while Bengali and Odia scripts are also used in some regions and Magahi's old script was Kaithi script. The pronunciation in Magahi is not as broad as in Maithili and there are a number of verbal forms for each person.[17] Historically, Magahi had no famous written literature. There are many popular songs throughout the area in which the language is spoken, and strolling bards recite various long epic poems which are known more or less over the whole of Northern India. In Magahi speaking area, folk singers sing a good number of ballads. The introduction of Urdu meant a setback to local languages as its Persian script was alien to local people.
The first success in spreading Hindi occurred in Bihar in 1881, when Hindi displaced Urdu as the official language of the province. After independence, Hindi was given the sole official status through the Bihar Official Language Act, 1950[18] ignoring the state's own languages.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Dental/ Alveolar |
Retroflex | Post-alv./ Palatal |
Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | voiced | m | n | ŋ | |||
| breathy | mʱ | nʱ | |||||
| 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 | |||||
| Approximant | voiced | w | l | j | |||
| breathy | lʱ | ||||||
| Tap | voiced | ɾ | ɽ | ||||
| breathy | ɾʱ | ɽʱ | |||||
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid | e | ə | o |
| Low | aː | ||
| Diphthongs | əi | əu | |
- /i, u/ may also be heard as lower [ɪ, ʊ] in shortened positions.[8]
- /e, o/ may also be heard as lower [ɛ, ɔ] in more initial positions.[19]
- /ə/ can also be heard as [ʌ] in more stressed positions.[20]
Speakers of Magahi
There are several dialects of Magahi. It is spoken in the area which formed the core of the ancient kingdom of Magadha - the modern districts of Patna, Nalanda, Gaya, Jehanabad, Arwal, Aurangabad, Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura and Nawada. Magahi is bounded on the north by the various forms of Maithili spoken in Mithila across the Ganga. On the west it is bounded by the Bhojpuri, On the northeast it is bounded by Angika. A blend of Magahi known as Khortha is spoken by non-tribal populace in North Chotanagpur division of Jharkhand which comprises districts of Bokaro, Chatra, Dhanbad, Giridih, Hazaribagh, Koderma and Ramgarh. People of Southern Bihar and Northern Jharkhand are mostly speakers of Magahi.[21] Magahi is also spoken in Malda district of West Bengal.[8][9] According to 2011 Census, there were approximately 20.7 million Magahi speakers.[6]
Phrases in Magahi
Magadhi in IAST
- Anucched ek: Sabh manav janmat swadhina hayi tatha garima aa adhikarme samaan hathun. Hunkho paas apan apan buddhi, bibek aau antahkaran hobaa hayi. Aaur ohnike ek dusarkan ke prati paraspar souhardpurn byabahar kailak chaha hayi.
- अनुच्छेद 1: सभ मानव जन्मतः स्वाधीन हई तथा गरिमा आ अधिकारमे समान हथुन । हुनखो पास अपन–अपन बुद्धि, बिबेक आउ अंत: करण होबा हई। आओर ओहनीकेँ एक दोसरकन के प्रति परस्पर सौहार्दपूर्ण ब्याबहार कैलकs चाहा हई ।
- Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Common phrases in Magadhi:
| Phrases | Transliteration | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| सुप्रभात ! | Suprabhat ! | Good Morning ! |
| अपन नाम की अखि/हई/हेय ? /अपन नाम की होलो ? | Apan naam ki akhi? / Apan naam ki holo? | What is your name? |
| क्षमा कैल जाओ। | Kshama kayel jao | Please forgive. |
| हमर नाम महेश हई/हको। | Hamar naam Mahesh hayi/hako | My name is Mahesh. |
| प्रबेश निषेद ह्यी। | Prabesh Nished Hayi | No Entry |
| अपने कैसन हउ/हथिन? | Apne kaisan hau/hathin? | How are you ? |
| अभिनंदन। | Abhinandan | Congratulations |
| हम ठीक हिओ। | Ham thik hiyo | I am fine. |
| अपने कs आशीर्वाद ह्यी। | Apnek ashirwad hayi | Its your blessings. |
| तोर डेरा कन्ने हऊ ? | Tor dera kanne hau? | Where is your house? |
| अपने कs स्वागत ह्यी। | Apnek swagat hayi | You are welcome. |
| कि/कौची/आयं ? | Ki/Kouchhi/Aaey? | What? |
| अप्पन शुभ नाम कोउची होलो ? | Appan shubh naam kouchi holo? | What is your good name? |
| के? | Ke? | Who? |
| हमर नाम राम /राधा ह्यी। | Hamar naam Ram/Radha hayi | My name is Ram/Radha. |
| काहे? | Kahe? | Why? |
| तोर मैया/बाउजी के कोउची नाम हऊ ? | Tor maiya/bauji ke kouchi naam hau? | What is your father's/mother's name? |
| कैसन? कहान ? | Kaisan? Kaihan? | How? |
| हमर मैया के नाम सरला देवी ह्यी (हको )/हमर बाउजी के नाम श्यामाजी ह्यी (हको )। | Hamar maiya ke naam Sarla Devi hayi(hako)/Hamar bauji ke naam Shyamaji hayi(hako) | My mother's name is Sarla Devi/My father's name is Shyamaji. |
| कोन? | Kon? | Which? |
| गाम कs पोखरी कs पनिया साफ हेय। | Gamak pokhariyak paani saaf hey | Water in village's lake is clean. |
| अपने की काज करा हऊ? | Apne ki kaaj kara hau? | What work do you do? |
| एई खेला क मैदान में बड्ड भीड भाड हऊ। | Ei khelak maidan mei badd bheed bhaad hau | This playground is crowded. |
| हम काल पटना जै रहलियो हल | Hum kaal Patna jaa rahaliyao hal | I was going to Patna yesterday. |
| शहर बड्ड प्रदूषित हो(हेय)। | Shaharme badd pradusheet ho/hay | City is very polluted. |
| मगधी नीमन भाषा आइख/हको/हेय | Magadhi niman bhakha aikh/hako/hey | Magadhi is a nice language |
| सिनेमा घर केते दुर हो(हेय)? | Cinema ghar kete durr ho/hay ? | How far is the cinema hall? |
| बाबा कोठा पै हथुन | Baba kotha pey hathun | Father is on terrace. |
| की हमनी सब साँझ खुनी /संझिया क नाटाक देखए जाएल जाए ? | Ki hamni sab saanjh khuni/sanjhiyak natak dekhaye jaayl jaaye? | Can we all go to watch theatre in the evening? |
| तोरा पोथिक हमर बारी टा भेट तओ | Tora pothik hamar baari ta bhet tao | You will find the book in my room. |
| तु कोन पिकचर देखलहीं हेय ? | Tu kon picture dekhalhin hey? | Which picture did you see? |
| हमरा भिजुन ५० टका हको | Hamra bhijun 50 taka hako | I have 50 bucks (rupees) with me |
| चलू मैदानमये खेले जाएल जाए। | Chalu maidanamaye khele jayl jaaye | Lets go to play in the ground. |
| एैजा/हीयां आऊ | Eija/Hian aau | Come here |
| की हमनी सभ कs शहरमे सरकस एयलो हेय ? | Ki hamni sabhake shaharmei sarkas aeylo hey? | Did circus come to our city? |
| तु कोन खेला खेलाहीं ? | Tu kon khela khelaaheen? | Which sport do you play? |
| हम बैडमिंटन खेला हियो/हको /हीवा । | Ham badminton khelaa hiyo/hako/hiva | I play badminton. |
| प्रांत क मुख्यमंत्री कs की नाम ह्यी /हको ? | Praantak mukhyamantrik ki naam hayi(hako)? | What is the name of state's Chief Minister? |
| हमरा फूटबॉल खेलबे आ देखबे में निक लागा ह्यी/ हको। | Hamra football khelbay aa dekhbay mei nikk laaga hayi(hako) | I like to play and watch football. |
| एई नगरमे कोईयो बिख्यात खिलाडी ह्यी का? | Ei nagarme koiyo bikhyaat khilaadi hayi ka? | Is there any famous player in this city? |
| एईजा क प्रसिध लेखक के हथिन ? | Eijak prasidh lekhak ke hathin? | Who is a famous writer from here? |
| हूँखा जन्म कन्ने होलय/भेलय हल ? | Hunka janam kanne holaye/bhelaye hal? | Where was he born? |
| प्रांत कs सबसs बड्ड नदी कोनो ? | Prantak sabsa badd nadi kono? | Which is state's longest river? |
| राजधानी क जनसख्या कतेक ह्यी(हको) ? | Rajdhanik jansankhya katek hayi(hako)? | What is the population of the capital? |
| एईजा क प्रमूख धान की-की ह्यी (हको) ? | Eijake pramookha fasal ki-ki hayi(hako)? | What are the major crops here? |
| देस क राजधानी क नाम कोउची ह्यी (हको) ? | Desak rajdhanik naam kouchi hayi/hako? | What is the name of country's capital? |
| एई नगर की की बस्तुक लगी बिख्यात ह्यी (हको) ? | Ei shehar kon kon bastuk lagi bikhyat hayi(hako)? | What things is this city famous for? |
| देस क छओ गो प्रधान नदी ह्यी (हको) : ब्रहमापुत्र, गंगा, यमुना, कावेरी, गोदावरी आ नरमदा। | Desak chhao go pradhan nadi hayi(hako): Brahmaputra, Ganga, Yamuna, Kaveri, Godavari aa Narmada | There are six main rivers in this country: Brahmaputra, Ganga, Yamuna, Kaveri, Godavari and Narmada. |
| एवेरेस्ट बिस्व क सब स ऊँचा शिखर ह्यी (हको)। | Everest biswak sabs uncha shikhar hayi(hako) | Everest is the highest mountain in the world. |
| मुंबई, दिल्ली, कलकत्ता आ चेन्नई देस क चारटो प्रमुख शहर ह्यी (हको)। | Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata aa Chennai desak charato pramukh shehar hayi(hako) | Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai are country's four main cities. |
| अपने केहान/ कैसन हथुन ?/ की हाल चाल ? | Apne kehan(kaisan) hathun?/ Ki haal chaal? | How are you? |
| हम निमन हियो (हीवा)। धन्यबाद ! | Ham niman hiyo. Dhanyabad | I am good. Thankyou! |
| हम अपना क की सहायता कर सका हियो ? | Hum अपना k ki sahayta kar saka hiyo? | How can I help you? |
| दया करी क हमार मदद कर सका हऊ की ? | Daya kari k hamar madad kar saka hau ki? | Can you please help me? |
| भीरी कोईयो किराना गुमटी हिका ? | Bhiri koiyo kirana dukaan hika? | Is there any ration shop nearby? |
| एई फल के मोल केताक (केतना)? | Ei fal ke mol ketak(ketna)? | What is this fruit's price? |
| हम तरकारी कन्ने से किनीबो ?/ किन सका हियो? | Ham tarkari kanne se kinibo/kin saka hiyo? | Where can I buy vegetables from? |
| हम भीरी क अस्पताल कईसे पहूँचबो/पहूँच सका हियो ? | Ham bhirik aspatal kayise pahunchbo/pahunch saka hiyo? | How will I reach nearest hospital ? |
| अपने बड्ड दयालू हथुन (हखून)। | Apane badd dayalu hathin(hakhun) | You are very merciful. |
| अपने कान्ने से हथुन (हखुन)? | Apane kanne se hathun(hakhun)? | Where are you from? |
| हम पटना क रहे बाला हियो/हीवा/अखी। | Ham Patnak rahe baala hiyo/hiva/akhin | I am from Patna. |
| अपने की काज करा हऊ /हथुन /अखी ? | Apane ki kaaj kara hau/hathun/akhin? | What work do you do? |
| हमर अप्पन ब्यबसाय ह्यी/ हो। | Hamar appan byabasay hayi | I have my own business. |
| अपना क जन्मदिंक अनेक शुभकामना। | Apna k janmadina k anek shubhkamna | Happy Birthday |
| हम एन्ने (एजा) बैस सका हियो ? | Ham enne/eija bais saka hiyo? | Can I sit here? |
| हमरा क क्षमा करदेऊ। | Hamra k kshama kardeu | Please forgive me. |
| हमरा भूख लगाएत हऊ। | Hamra bhukh lagaet hau | I am getting hungry. |
| अखनी कतेक (केतना) बजित ह्यी/हो ? | Akhni katek(ketna) bajit hayi/ho? | What time is it now? |
| साँझ क साडे सात बज्ज रहल ह्यी/रहल हो। | Saanjh k saade saat bajj rahal hayi | Its 7:30 pm evening. |
| बिहाने बाजार कतेक (केतना) बजे खुला ह्यी ? | Bihaane baazar katek(ketna) baje khula hayi? | At what time in the morning, does the market opens? |
| कृपा करी क आप अप्पन ध्यान रखू। | Kripa kari k aap appan dhyan rakhu | Please take care of yourself. |
| एई उपन्यास बड्ड रोमांचक ह्यी (हको)। | Ei upanyas badd romanchak hayi(hako) | This novel is very adventurous. |
| कृपा बत्तिया मीझादेऊ। | Kripa batti mijhadeu | Please turn off the lights. |
| हमरा बिहाने दौरेब निक लगा ह्यी | Hamra bihaane daureb nik laga hayi। | I like running in the morning. |
| एईजा क सबस प्रचालित खेल की ह्यी ? | Eijak sabse prachalit khel ki hayi? | Which is the most famous game here? |
| हमरा नयका नयका प्रकार क भोजन खायेब पसंद पडा ह्यी हको। | Hamra nayka nayka prakar k bhojan khaayeb pasand pada hayi(hako) | I like trying new cuisines. |
| एैजा/हीयां आऊ। | Eija/Hian aau | Come here |
| हम घरे जैत हिओ। | Ham ghare jaet hiyo | I am going home. |
| हमनी जैबो। | Hamni jaebo | We will go. |
| तू/अपने जाहीं। | Apne jaahin | You go. |
| तू/अपने लिखैत हखी। | Apne likhait akhi | You are writing. |
| तु/अपने ऐबो/आयमे। | Apne aebo | You will come. |
| हमनी लीखैत हियो। | Hamni likhait hiyo | We are writing. |
| ओखनी रोटी खा लेलकौ/लेलथिन। | Okhni roti kha lelko/lelthin | They have eaten bread. |
| ओखनी गेलैंगेलै/गेलथिन। | Okhni gelai/gelthin | They went. |
| ओखनी घरै जैतै। | Okhni ghar jaitayi | They will go home |
See also
- Culture of Magadh Region
- Culture of Bhojpuri Region
- Culture of Mithila Region
- Culture of Angika Region
- Pāli, the canonical language of Theravada Buddhism traditionally associated with the language of Magadhi
- Phool Bahadur
Notes
- ^ additional official language of Jharkhand
References
- ^ Grierson, George Abraham. Linguistic Survey Of India, Volume 5.2. p. 10.
- ^ Grierson, G.A. (1927). "Magahi or Magadhi". Internet Archive.
- ^ "Magahi". Omniglot.
- ^ Atreya, Lata. "Magahi and Magadh: Language and the People" (PDF). Global Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences.
- ^ a b "Magahi". ethnologue.
- ^ a b "Scheduled Languages in descending order of speaker's strength - 2011" (PDF). Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 29 June 2018.
- ^ "झारखंड : रघुवर कैबिनेट से मगही, भोजपुरी, मैथिली व अंगिका को द्वितीय भाषा का दर्जा". Prabhat Khabar (in Hindi). 21 March 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- ^ a b c Prasad, Saryoo (2008). Magahī Phonology: A Descriptive Study. p. 6. ISBN 9788180695254. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ a b Brass, Paul R. (2005). Language, Religion and Politics in North India. p. 93. ISBN 9780595343942. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2021). Magahi (Twenty-fourth ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ "How a Bihari lost his mother tongue to Hindi". 22 September 2017. It is considered as a dialect of Hindi continuum.
- ^ Frawley, William (May 2003). International Encyclopedia of Linguistics: 4-Volume Set. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 9780195139778. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ "History of Indian Languages". Diehardindian.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ Verma, Mahandra K. (2001). "Language Endangerment and Indian languages : An exploration and a critique". Linguistic Structure and Language Dynamics in South Asia. ISBN 9788120817654.
- ^ Jain Dhanesh, Cardona George, The Indo-Aryan Languages, pp449
- ^ Maitra Asim, Magahi Culture, Cosmo Publications, New Delhi (1983), pp. 64
- ^ "Maithili and Magahi". Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ Brass Paul R., The Politics of India Since Independence, Cambridge University Press, pp. 183
- ^ Sinha, Anil Chandra (1966). Phonology and morphology of a Magahi dialect. Poona: Deccan College.
- ^ Verma, Sheela (2003). Magahi. In George Cardona and Dhanesh Jain (eds.), The Indo-Aryan Languages: London: London & New York: Routledge. pp. 498–514.
- ^ Verma, Sheela (2003). "Magahi". In Jain Dhanesh, Cardona George, The Indo-Aryan Languages. London: Routledge.
Further reading
- Munishwar Jha - "Magadhi And Its Formation," Calcutta Sanskrit College Research Series, 1967, 256 pp
- Saryu Prasad - "A Descriptive Study of Magahi Phonology", PhD thesis submitted to Patna University.
- A.C. Sinha (1966) - "Phonology and Morphology of a Magahi Dialect", PhD awarded by the University of Poona.(now Pune)
- G.A. Grierson Essays on Bihari Declension and Conjugation, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, vol. iii, pp. 119–159
- Hoernle, A.F. Rudolf & Grierson, G.A. A Comparative Dictionary of the Bihari Language
- Prasad, Swarnlata (1959) Juncture and Aitch in Magahi, Indian Linguistics, Turner Jubilee Volume, 1959 pp. 118–124.
- Sweta Sinha (2014) - "The Prosody of Stress and Rhythm in Magahi", PhD thesis submitted to Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
- Sweta Sinha (2018)- "Magahi Prosody", Bahri Publications: New Delhi. ISBN 978-93-83469-14-7.
