Lambadi, Lambani, Lamani or Banjari is a Western Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Banjara people across India. The language does not have a native script.[3]

Lambani
Lambadi, Lamani, Banjari
लंबाडी, ಲಂಬಾಣಿ, லம்பாடி, లంబాణి
Native toIndia
EthnicityBanjara
Native speakers
4,857,819 (2011 census)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3lmn
Glottologlamb1269
Lambadi is classified as "vulnerable" by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger[2]
PersonGor
PeopleGor Banjara
LanguageLambani

Regional dialects are divided between the Banjara of Maharashtra (written in Devanagari), Karnataka (written in the Kannada script), Tamil Nadu (written in the Tamil script) and Andhra Pradesh, Telangana (written in the Telugu script). Speakers are bilingual in either Telugu, Kannada, or Marathi.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ "Abstract of Speakers' Strength of Languages and Mother Tongues - 2011" (PDF). censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2020. Combining Banjari + Lamani/Lambadi/Labani
  2. ^ "Lambadi in India". UNESCO WAL. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  3. ^ Naik, Dhansing B. (2000). The Art and Literature of Banjara Lambanis: A Socio-cultural Study. New Delhi: Abhinav Prakashan. p. 10. ISBN 9788170173649. Retrieved 30 September 2014.

Bibliography

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  • Boopathy, S. Investigation & report in: Chockalingam, K., Languages of Tamil Nadu: Lambadi: An Indo-Aryan Dialect (Census of India 1961. Tamil Nadu. Volume ix)
  • Trail, Ronald L. 1968. The Grammar of Lamani.
  • Davis, Irvine (1970). The Grammar of Lamani (PDF). SIL International.