Bhili (Bhili: भीली), IPA: [bʱiːliː], is a Western Indo-Aryan language spoken in west-central India, in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.[3] Other name for the language include Bhilboli; several varieties are called Garasia. Bhili is a member of the Bhil languages, which are related to Gujarati and Rajasthani. The language is written using the Devanagari script.
| Bhili | |
|---|---|
| भीली | |
 The word "Bhili" written in Devanagari script | |
| Native to | India |
| Region | Bhil Pradesh (Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra) |
| Ethnicity | Bhil |
Native speakers | 3,206,533 (2011 census)[1] |
| Devanagari, Gujarati[2] | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Variously:bhb – Bhili (Bhagoria, Bhilboli, Patelia)gas – Adiwasi Garasiagra – Rajput Garasia (Dungri) |
| Glottolog | bhil1251 Bhilirajp1235 Rajput Garasiaadiw1235 Adiwasi Garasia |
 Percentage Bhili speakers by Indian district, 2011 | |
Bhili has no official status in India.
Phonology
editConsonants
edit| Labial | Dental/ Alveolar |
Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | voiceless | p | t | ʈ | k | ||
| aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | ʈʰ | kʰ | |||
| voiced | b | d | ɖ | ɡ | |||
| breathy | bʱ | dʱ | ɖʱ | ɡʱ | |||
| Affricate | voiceless | tʃ | |||||
| voiced | dʒ | ||||||
| Fricative | s | (ʃ) | h | ||||
| Nasal | m | n | ɳ | (ŋ) | |||
| Lateral | l | ɭ | |||||
| Trill | r | ||||||
| Approximant | w | j | |||||
- /w/ may also be heard as [ʋ] in free variation.
- /ʃ/ occurs in loanwords from Persian and Hindi.[4]
- [ŋ] is heard as an allophone of /n/ preceding /k/.
Vowels
edit| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid-high | e | ə | o |
| Mid-low | ɛ | ɔ | |
| Low | (æ) | a |
- Vowels /i, u/ can also be heard as [ɪ, ʊ].
- [æ] is borrowed from Hindi.
- /ə/ may also be heard as [ɤ] in final position.[5]
Further reading
edit- Bodhankar, Anantrao. Bhillori (Bhilli) – English Dictionary. Pune: Tribal Research & Training Institute, 2002.[[[Wikipedia:Cleanup|not Bhilori language?]]]
- Jungblut, L. A Short Bhili Grammar of Jhabua State and Adjoining Territories. S.l: s.n, 1937.
- Thompson, Charles S. Rudiments of the Bhili Language. Ahmedabad [India]: United Printing Press, 1895.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "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 7 July 2018.
- ^ "ScriptSource - Bhili". Retrieved 13 February 2017.
- ^ Ishtiaq, M. (1999). Language Shifts Among the Scheduled Tribes in India, A Geographical Study. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. ISBN 9788120816176.
- ^ Phillips, Maxwell P. (2012). Dialect Continuum in the Bhil Tribal Belt: Grammatical Aspects. University of London.
- ^ Vyas, Yogendra Dhirubhai (1967). A linguistic study of Bhili dialects: A descriptive study of central and north Bhili. Ahmedabad: Gujarat University.
 | This article about the culture of India is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |