Kurmali
Panchpargania
কুড়মালি, কুর্মালী
कुड़मालि, कुरमालि
କୁଡ଼ମାଲି
पंचपरगनिया, পঞ্চপরগনিয়া
' Kuṛmāli ' written in Chisoi script
Native toIndia
RegionJharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Assam[1]
EthnicityKudumi
Native speakers
555,465 (2011 census)[2][a]
619,689 (2001 census)[4]
Devanagari, Bengali, Odia, Chisoi[5]
Official status
Official language in
 India
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
kyw – Kurmali/Kudmali
tdb – Panchpargania
Glottologkudm1238  Kudmali
panc1246  Panchpargania
Distribution of Kurmali language in India

Kurmali or Kudmali (ISO: Kuṛmāli) is an Indo-Aryan language classified Bihari group of spoken language in eastern India.[6] As a trade dialect, it is also known as Panchpargania (Bengali: পঞ্চপরগনিয়া), for the "five parganas" of the region it covers in Jharkhand. Kurmali language spoken by around 5.5 lakh people mainly in fringe region Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal, also sizable population speak Kurmali in Assam tea valleys.[1] Intellectuals claim that Kurmali may be the nearest form of language used in Charyapada.[7] Kurmali is one of the demanded language for enlisting in Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India.[8]

Geographical distribution

Kurmali language is mainly spoken in three eastern states of India, that is, in southeastern district Seraikela Kharswan, East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, Bokaro and Ranchi districts of Jharkhand; in northern district Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Kendujhar, Jajpur and Sundargarh of Odisha; and in south western district Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Bankuar, Purulia and northern districts Maldah, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakhin Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri of West Bengal. Apart from the core area of the language, the language is also spoken in Udalguri and a few speakers are also found in Cachar, Santipur, Nagaon of Assam; the eastern districts of Chandrapur and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra. Apart from this, a few speakers are also found in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar[9][10] and a few speakers are also found in Nepal.[11]

Grierson's linguistic map of East Chota Nagpur, 1903

During the British Raj, the Kurmali language was known as Panchpargania (meaning "five regions") for present-day Bundu, Barenda, Sonahatu (split into Sonahatu and Rahe), Silli, Tamar blocks of Ranchi district of Jharkhand state as a trade language between two linguistic region. Now the Sonahatu and Rahe make the core region of Panchpargania.[12]

Distribution of Kurmali language in the state of India[citation needed][10]

  Jharkhand (43.9%)
  West Bengal (39.3%)
  Odisha (16.2%)
  Other (0.6%)

As per the Census of 2011, there are 3,11,175 Kurmali Thar speakers in India (hailing mostly from West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Maharashtra) and 2,44,290 Panch Pargania speakers (mostly from Jharkhand), making a total of 555,465 Kurmali speakers in India.[2] They are grouped under the umbrella of "Hindi languages".[3] Note that both, Kurmali Thar and Panch Pargania are dialects of the Kurmali language.[3]

Language variation

The speakers of Kurmali are spread over a vast region of East India, especially in fringe areas of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. These states are mostly dominated by Bengali, Nagpuri and Odia speakers. And hence, local dialectal change and language shift can be noticed in these areas. As the Kurmi of West Bengal identifies themselves as the speaker of Kurmali but due to age-long settlement in the Bengali region their language shifting towards Manbhum dialect of Bengali. As did in northern Odisha with Bengali and Odia admixture.[13]

In Manbhum this [Kurmali] language (a kind of mixed dialect essentially Bihari in its nature, but with a curious Bengali colouring) is principally spoken by people of the KuRmi caste, who are numerous in the district of chotanagpur, and in the Orissa Tributary state of Mayurbhanja.[14]

It is believed that the early form of the Kurmali language was spoken in Jharkhand, the original homeland of the Kurmi Mahato.[15] But now it is also influenced by Nagpuri language in Jharkhand.[7] Although the language is now Indo-Aryan in nature, it has some distinctive feature like lexical items, grammatical markers and categories that are neither available in Indo-Aryan nor in Dravidian or even in the Munda language family. Thus it is believed that the language was at once a separate language. But because of its long settlement in the Aryan belt, the native speaker gradually abandoned the original structure and switched to the Aryan form of the language, bearing substrate of old.[12] The language currently falls in 6b (threatened) and 7 (shifting) level of EGIDS, which are corresponding to the UNESCO language endangerment category level "Vulnerable" and "Definitely Endangered".[16] But its dialect Panchpargania widely used in Jharkhand and falls in 3 (trade) level of EGIDS, corresponding to "Safe" status of UNESCO language endangerment category level.[17]

Variety

The language is transferred orally from generation to generation and the Kurmali language remains unstandardized due to influence of other Indo Arian languages. Thus the speaker uses different variety and accent. However, language can be classified on the basis of the speakers habitat area. Singhbhum Kudmali, Dhalbhum Kudmali, Panchpargania, Manbhum Kudmali, Mayurbhanj Kudmali etc. are the major regional varieties.[16]

Regional variety of language[13]
English Dhalbhum Kudmali Mayurbhanj Kudmali
He likes it. Oẽ iTa pOsOnd kOrOt. U iTa pOsOnd kare.
One person is sitting. ek lOke bOise ahe. ek lok bOsinchhe.
Invite all of them. Okhrak sObke neuta de deo. arā sObuke neuta/ khabar diyan deo.
The tree comes out from the seed. muji lẽ gach hek. muji lẽ gach haye.
Cows are grazing in the field. gOru gila bai dẽ cOrOhOt. gOru gila bai dẽ cOrchhen.
You are not going to school. tÕe iskulẽ ni jais. tuiñ iskulẽ na jais.
He did not do the work. Õe kamTa ni kOrlak. U kamTa nai kærla.
Go to my house. mOr gharke ke ja. hamar gharke ke ja.

See also: Manbhumi dialect

Number

English Kurmali (Old) Kurmali (Current)
1 eRi ek
2 dORi du
3 ghurOin tin
4 chail caer
5 cOmpa pãc
6 jheig chO
7 sutOil sat
8 aaThoi aTh
9 nomi nO
10 baNri dOs
20 khonRi kuRie

Uses of Language

The language Kurmali (Kudmali) is spoken by 555,465 people as a native language in India.[9] Mainly by the Kurmi (Kudumi Mahato), the native user of the language. Apart from Kudumi Mahato, the language also spoken by Bagal, Dharua, Chik Baraik, Tanti, Ghasi, Karga and Rautia community as their Mother tongue.[18][19] And bilingually spoken by tribals like Bhumij, Ho, Kharia, Lohara/Lohar, Mahli, Munda, Oraon, Santal, Savar and Bathudi communities.[20][3]

The language created an identity in festival like Bandna, Tusu, Karam and Jhumair with the Jhumar song. In which the songs are formatted in Kurmali.

Education

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There a some institution, whare Kurmali language as Higher education core subject.

Notes

  1. ^ The census results conflate as the language has no standardized form, So the different dialects are grouped with the regional dominant languages.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b "Kudmali". Ethnologue. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues – 2011" (PDF). www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2018. ((cite web)): |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 19 April 2022 suggested (help)
  3. ^ a b c d "Kurmali Thar" (PDF). lsi.gov.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues –2001". censusindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022. ((cite web)): |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 15 April 2022 suggested (help)
  5. ^ "Proposal to Encode Chisoi in the Universal Character Set" (PDF). unicode.org. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  6. ^ Alam, Qaiser Zoha (1996). Language and Literature: Divers Indian Experiences. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN 978-81-7156-586-3.
  7. ^ a b Basu, Sajal (1994). Jharkhand movement: ethnicity and culture of silence. pp. 25, 34. ISBN 9788185952154. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  8. ^ "Constitutional provisions relating to Eighth Schedule" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  9. ^ a b "ABSTRACT OF SPEAKERS' STRENGTH OF LANGUAGES AND MOTHER TONGUES - 2011" (PDF). Census of India. Retrieved 20 November 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ a b "C-16 POPULATION BY MOTHER TONGUE". censusindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). web.archive.org. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  12. ^ a b Paudyal, Netra P.; Peterson, John (1 September 2020). "How one language became four: the impact of different contact-scenarios between "Sadani" and the tribal languages of Jharkhand". Journal of South Asian Languages and Linguistics. 7 (2): 275–306. doi:10.1515/jsall-2021-2028. ISSN 2196-078X. S2CID 233732014.
  13. ^ a b Ghosh, Tapati. "KURMALI THAR" (PDF). lsi.gov.in. Retrieved 20 October 2020.((cite web)): CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ India, Linguistic Survey of (1994). Indo-Aryan family (Eastern group). pt. 1. Specimens of the Bengali and Assamese languages. pt. 2. Specimens of the Bihārī and Oriyā languages. Low Price Publications. p. 145. ISBN 978-81-85395-27-2.
  15. ^ Bhattacharya, Snigdhendu (9 May 2022). "How Grouping Of Languages Inflated Number Of Hindi Speakers". Outlook. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  16. ^ a b "Kudmali and its Impending Challenges" (PDF). soas.ac.uk. SOAS University of London. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Panchpargania". Ethnologue. 9 October 2021. Archived from the original on 14 October 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  18. ^ Saha, Atanu (28 July 2018). "Census and the Aspects of Growth and Development of Bangla vs. Bangla-Hindi Bilingualism-With Special Focus on West Bengal". ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  19. ^ "OLAC resources in and about the Kudmali language". www.language-archives.org. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  20. ^ Minz, Diwakar; Hansda, Delo Mai (2010). Encyclopaedia of Scheduled Tribes in Jharkhand. Gyan Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-7835-121-6.
  21. ^ "PG TRL, KURMALI, SEM-II, CC-2, कुड़माली डमकच गीत - Kolhan University". www.kolhanuniversity.ac.in. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  22. ^ "Chitta Mahato Memorial CollegeHome". chittamahatomemorialcollege.ac.in. Retrieved 18 April 2022.

Bibliography

Further reading

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