Nagpuri (also known as Sadri) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Bihar. It is primarily spoken in the west and central Chota Nagpur plateau region. It is sometimes considered a dialect of Bhojpuri.
It is native language of the Sadan, the Indo-Aryan ethnic group of Chota Nagpur plateau. In addition to native speakers, it is also used as lingua franca by many tribal groups such as Kurukh, a Dravidian ethnic group and Kharia, Munda, the Austro-asiatic ethnic groups and a number of speakers of these tribal groups have adopted it as their first language. It is also used as a lingua franca among Tea-garden community of Assam, West Bengal and Bangladesh who were taken as a labourers to work in tea gardens during British Period. It is known as Baganiya bhasa in tea garden area of Assam which is influenced by Assamese language. According to the 2011 Census, It is spoken by 5.1 million people as first language. Around 7 million speak it as their second language based on study in 2007.
Names
The language is known by several names such as Nagpuri, Nagpuria, Sadani Sadri etc. The language is known as Sadani, the native language of Sadan, the Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Chotanagpur. In present, the Sadani also referred to closely related Indo-Aryan languages of Jharkhand such as Nagpuri, Panchpargania, Kurmali and Khortha. In literary tradition, the language is known as Nagpuri which is the polished and literary language especially used by Hindus and cities. Sadri refers to the spoken and non-literary form of the language, especially spoken by tribals in the countryside. The name Nagpur is the region ruled by Nagvanshi, named as Chutia Nagpur by British to distinguish it from Nagpur of Maharashtra.
Nagpuri language writers are in favour of using Nagpuri as the name of the language. There is an opposition against the use of the word Sadri and giving two name Sadan/Sadri and Nagpuria to single language in the upcoming Indian census. According to them the name of language is Nagpuri and the native speaker of the language are known as Nagpuria. British also written grammar using name Nagpuri in 1906 and Nagpuri is official name of the language in Jhakhand.
History
There are different opinion among linguist about origin of Nagpuri language. According to Peter Shanti Navrangi, Nagpuriya Sadani or Nagpuri has originated from ancient Prakrit. According to professor Keshri Kumar Singh, Nagpuri is an Apabhramsha and descendant of Magadhi Prakrit in his book “Nagpuri bhasa ebam Sahitya”. According to Dr. Shravan Kumar Goswami, Nagpuri had evolved from Ardhamagadhi Prakrit. According to him Nagpuri might have originated between 8th to 11th century and developed into a full fledged language between 14th to 15th century. According to Yogendra Nath Tiwari, Nagpuri is an ancient language was in existence before Chotanagpur or Jharkhand started to known as Nagpur. It evolved from Jharkhand Prakrit. Several similarities found between words of Hindi, Nagpuri, Apabrahmsa, Prakrit and Sanskrit.
Nagpuri language was court language of Nagvanshi dynasty and official language of Chotanagpur till British rule. Evidence of literature is available from 17th century. In 1903, Sir George Abraham Grierson had classified Nagpuri as Nagpuria dialect of Bhojpuri language in his Survey “Linguistic Survey of India”.
1903 Linguistic map of East Chota Nagpur, by G.A. Grierson
Nagpuri have been placed in Bihari group of Indo-Aryan language. Recent study demonstrate that Indo-Aryan languages of Chota Nagpur plateau called Sadani languages are distinct languages and are closely related to each other than any other languages. Nagpuri language spoken in different districts such as Ranchi, Gumla, Simdega and Garhwa varies with each other.
Geographical Distribution
Nagpuri language is mainly spoken in western Chota Nagpur Plateau region in following, details geographical distribution of language is tabulated below;
| State | Jharkhand | Chhattisgarh | Odisha | Bihar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Chatra | Jashpur | Sundergarh | Aurangabad |
| Palamu | Balrampur | Gaya | ||
| Latehar | ||||
| Garhwa | Sarguja | |||
| Hazaribagh | ||||
| Lohardaga | ||||
| Gumla | ||||
| Ranchi | ||||
| Simdega | ||||
| Khunti | ||||
| West Singhbhum |
It is also spoken by some Tea garden community in Tea garden area of Assam, West Bengal and Bangladesh who were taken as labourer to work in Tea garden during British Rule.
Script
The early inscription found in the region are in Brahmi script. The Saridkel Brahmi Inscription from Khunti district is from 3rd century BCE. Several inscription of forts, temples and land grants found from 9th century such as from Mahamaya temple of Hapamuni built by Gajghat Rai, Nagfeni, Navratangarh fort of Gumla district, Boreya and Jagannath temple of Ranchi. Some Buddhist inscription are undated such as from Khalari and Jonha Falls. Inscription of modern period are in Devnagari script. Nagpuri poetry have been written in Devnagari and Kaithi script during 17th century. In present mostly Devnagari script is used in literature.
Status
Historically Nagpuri was language and lingua-franca in the region. It was court language during reign of Nagvanshi dynasty. Nagpuri is accorded as additional official language in Indian state of Jharkhand. There is demand to include Nagpuri in Eighth schedule. Some academics oppose inclusion of Hindi dialects in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution as full-fledged Indian languages. According to them recognition of Hindi dialects as separate languages would deprive Hindi of millions of its speakers and eventually no Hindi will be left.
Literature
Nagpuri language is rich in folk tales, folk songs and riddles. Literature in the Nagpuri language started around 17th century. The Nagvanshi king Raghunath Shah and King of Ramgarh, Dalel Singh were poet. These poems were composed in Devnagari script and Kaithi script. Some Nagpuri peots were Hanuman Singh, Jaigovind Mishra, Barju Ram Pathak, Ghasi Ram Mahli, Das Mahli, Mahant Ghasi and Kanchan. “Nagvanshavali” (1876), written by Beniram Mehta is a historical work in the nagpuri language. Great poet Ghasi Ram Mahli wrote several works including “Nagvanashavali”, “Durgasaptasati”, “Barahamasa”, “Vivha Parichhan” etc. There were also great writers like Pradumn Das and Rudra Singh. It is believed that, the prose writing in nagpuri language started by Christian missionaries. E.H.Whitley wrote Notes on the Ganwari dialect of Lohardaga, Chhota Nagpur in 1896, which considered the start of writing prose in nagpuri language. Some Nagpuri language writers and poet in modern period are Praful Kumar Rai, Sahani Upendra Pal Singh, Shiv Avtar Choudhary, Lal Ranvijay Nath Shahdeo, Bisheshwar Prasad Keshari and Girdhari Ram Gonjhu.
Monthly Nagpuri magazines Gotiya and Johar Sahiya have been published in Ranchi. Several magazines have been also published in Assam, West Bengal’s Tarai and Dooars district.
Author and Work
Some poets, writers and their works in nagpuri language are as follows:
| Author | Work |
|---|---|
| Raghunath Shah | first known poet in the Nagpuri language, mostly composed devotional poetry on Krishna |
| Beniram Mahata | Nagvanshavali (1876) |
| Ghasi Ram Mahli | Nagpuri Fag Satak, Lalana Ranjana, Durga Saptasati, Nagvanshavali Jhumar |
| Kanchan | Sudama Charitra, Krishna Charitra, Mahabharat, Lanka Kand, Usha Haran |
| Drugpal Ram Deogharia | Nal Charita, Korambe Upakhyan |
| Dhaniram Bakshi | Jitiya Kahani, Fogli budhia kar Kahani, Narad Moh Lila, Karam Mahatmay, Sri Krishna Charit |
| E.H Whitley | Notes on Ganwari dialects of Lohardaga, Chotanagpur (grammar), 1896 |
| Konrad Bookout | Grammar of the Nagpuria Sadani language |
| Praful Kumar Rai | Son Jhair (collection of stories), 1967 |
| Sahani Upendra Pal Singh | Mewar Keshri, Amba Manjar |
| Bisheshwar Prasad Keshari | Nerua Lota urf Sanskritit Abdharna (nibandh), Thakur Vishwanath Sahi, Kanti |
| Shravan Kumar Goswami | Nagpuri Vyakran, Seva aur Nokri, Teteir Kar Chhaon, Du Dair Bis Phool |
| Girdhari Ram Gonjhu | Mahabali Radhe Kar Balidan, Akhra Nindaye Gelak |
| Naimuddin Mirdaha | Menjur Painkh |
| Baraik Iswari Prasad Singh | Kaka kar Kahani |
| Kali Kumar Suman | Khukhri Rugda |
| Shakuntala Mishra | Nagpuri Sadani Vyakaran, Sadani Nagpuri-Hindi Sabdkosh, Sato Nadi Par |
Education
Nagpuri taught at some high schools as a subject in Jharkhand. It is also taught at Ranchi University, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University, Ranchi Women’s College, Suraj Singh Memorial College, J.N College, Doranda College, Simdega College and other universities of Jharkhand.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Dental/ Alveolar |
Retroflex | Post-alv./ Palatal |
Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | (ɳ) | ŋ | |||
| 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 | |||||
| Tap | ɾ | ||||||
| Lateral | l | ||||||
| Approximant | ʋ | j | |||||
- occurs from Sanskrit loanwords, or as realizations of /n/.
- /h/ can be voiced as when between vowels.
- /ɖ, ɖʱ/ can be heard as taps when in word-medial position.
- /ɾ/ can also be heard as retroflex when after back vowels.
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | i iː | ʊ ʊː | ||
| Mid | ɛ ɛː | (ə əː) | ʌ ʌː | ɔ ɔː |
| Low | a aː | |||
| Front | Central | Back | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | ĩ | ʊ̃ | ||
| Mid | ɛ̃ | ʌ̃ | ɔ̃ | |
| Low | ã | |||
- /i/ can be heard as or , in short, closed, non-final syllables in free variation.
- /ɛ, ɛː/ can be heard as more close in free variation within word-final syllables.
- /a/ can be heard as front or central in free variation.
- /ʌ, ʌː/ is heard as more rounded when after bilabial consonants, as when in short syllables, and as when the final syllable contains an /i/, or when following a /ɖ/ or /ɾ/.
- /ɔ, ɔː/ can be heard as in free variation.
| Front | Central | Back | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | ʊi̯ | |||
| Mid | ɛi̯, ɛʊ̯ | ʌɛ̯, ʌ̃ɛ̯̃, ʌi̯, ʌʊ̯ | ɔɛ̯, ɔ̃ɛ̯̃, ɔi̯, ɔ̃ĩ̯ | |
| Low | aɛ̯, ãɛ̯̃, aɪ̯, aʊ̯, ãʊ̯̃ | |||
- is a realization of /ʌi̯/.
Vocabulary
Similarities between words
There are similarities between words of Nagpuri, Hindi, Apabhramsha, Prakrit and Sanskrit which are given in below table.
| Nagpuri | Hindi | Apabrahmsha | Prakrit | Sanskrit | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pachhe | Peechhe | Picchhu | Pachha | Pashcha | Behind |
| Beyir | Surya | Beri | Rabi | Ravi | Sun |
| Sapna | Sapna | Supan | Suvan | Swapna | Dream |
| Dharam | Dharm | Dham | Dhamm | Dhamme | Religion |
| Aayinkh | Aankh | Aankhi | Akiv | Akshi | Eyes |
| Didh | Drudh | Didh | Didh | Dhairya | Courage |
Tenses
Magadhi, Nagpuri and Jharkhand Prakrit, use “la” in the past tense, “ta” in the present tense and “ma” in the future tense. The words are given below in the table.
| Nagpuri | Hindi | English |
|---|---|---|
| Gelon | gaya | went |
| Sutlon | soya | slept |
| Peelon | piya | drank |
| Khalon | khaya | ate |
| Jathon | Ja raha hoon | I am going |
| Sutothon | so raha hoon | I am sleeping. |
| Piyothon | Pee raha hoon | I am drinking. |
| Khathon | Kha raha hoon | I am eating |
| Jamu | jaoonga | I will go. |
| Sutmu | soounga | I will sleep |
| Pimu | Piyunga | I will drink. |
| Khamu | Khaoonga | I will eat. |
Relationship
Below are some words of relationship in Nagpuri in the table.
| Nagpuri | Hindi | English |
|---|---|---|
| Mae, Aayo | Ma | Mother |
| Baap, Abba | Pita | Father |
| Badi | Pardadi | Great grandmother |
| Kaka | Kaka | Father’s younger brother |
| Didi | Didi | Elder sister |
| Bhai | Bhai | Brother |
| Bahin | Bahen | sister |
| Puth | Putra | Son |
| Nani | Nani | Maternal grandmother |
| Jani | Mahila | woman |
| Sayis | Saas | Mother- in – law |
| Sangat/Yaar | brother of sister-in-law and brother-in-law | |
| Sangatin | sister of sister-in-law and brother-in-law |
Words
Below are some words of daily use in Nagpuri, Hindi and English in the table.
| Nagpuri | Hindi | English |
|---|---|---|
| Charka | Sweth | White |
| Gola | Bhura | Brown |
| Peeyar | Peela | Yellow |
| Laal | Laal | Red |
| Leel | Neela | Blue |
| Aayij | Aaj | Today |
| Aekhane | Abhi | Now |
| Sagar din | Sara din | Whole night |
| Adhberiya | Dopahar | Afternoon |
| Sanjh | Sam | Evening |
| Thanv | Sthan | Place |
| Pokhra | Pokhar | Pond |
| Pethiya | Bazar | Market |
| Pahad | Pahad | Mountain |
| Nadi | Nadi | River |
| Masna | Masan/Samsaan | Graveyard |
| Jaad | Jaada | Winter |
| Barkha | Barsa | Rainy season |
| Rait | Raat | Night |
| Paala | Paala | Snow |
Sample phrases
| English | Nagpuri | Nagpuri (Devanagari) |
|---|---|---|
| What is your name? | Tor naam ka heke? | तोर नाम का हेके ? |
| How are you ? | Toen kaisan aahis? | तोयं कसैन आहीस्? |
| I am fine. | Moen thik aahon | मोएं ठीक आहों। |
| What? | Ka? | का? |
| Who? | Ke? | के? |
| Why? | Kale? | काले? |
| How? | Kaisan? | कसैन? |
| Which? | Kon? | कोन? |
| Come here. | Hian aao | हीयां आओ |
| I am going to home. | Moen ghar jat hon | मोएं घर जात हों। |
| I have eaten. | Moen kha hon | मोएं खा हों। |
| I will go. | Moen Jamu | मोएं जामु। |
| We go. | Hame jaeil | हामे जाइल। |
| You go. | Toen jais | तोयं जाइस्। |
| You are writing. | Toen likhathis | तोयं लिखतहिस्। |
| You will come. | Toen aabe | तोयं आबे। |
| We are writing. | Hame likhathi | हामे लीखतही। |
| We have written. | Hame likh hi | हामे लीख ही। |
| He/She come. | Oo aawela | उ आवेला। |
| He/She is going. | Oo jat he | उ जात हे। |
| He/She was coming. | Oo aawat rahe | उ आवत रहे। |
| He/She will play. | Oo kheli | उ खेली। |
| They have eaten bread. | Ooman roti kha haen | उमन रोटी खा हयं। |
| They went. | Ooman gelaen | उमन गेलयं। |
| They will go home. | Ooman ghar jabaen | उमन घर जाबयं। |
Alternate names
Alternate names of language include: Sadani, Sadana, Sadati, Sadari, Sadhan, Sadna, Sadrik, Santri, Siddri, Sradri, Sadhari, Sadan, Nagpuria, Chota Nagpuri, Dikku Kaji, Gawari, Ganwari, Goari, Gauuari, Jharkhandhi.