Bagri language

Indian language From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bagri (IPA: [baːɡɽiː]) is an Indo-Aryan language of Rajasthani languages group that takes its name from the Bagar tract region of Northwestern India in the states of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana.[3] It is closely related to other Rajasthanic languages and Haryanvi with SOV word order. The most striking phonological feature of Bagri is the presence of three lexical tones: high, mid, and low, akin to Rajasthani, Haryanvi, and Punjabi. Bagri is a language of earlier Bikaner state which included district Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Churu, Bikaner of Rajasthan and Sirsa (Haryana), Hisar (Haryana), Fazilka (Punjab) at a point in time.

NativetoIndia
RegionBagar
EthnicityRajasthani
Native speakers
8,556,652 (2011 census)[1]
Quick facts Native to, Region ...
Bagri
बागड़ी
The word "Bagri" written in Devanagari script
Native toIndia
RegionBagar
EthnicityRajasthani
Native speakers
8,556,652 (2011 census)[1]
Devanagari,
Official status
Recognised minority
language in
Language codes
ISO 639-3bgq
Glottologbagr1243
Map
Bagar Region
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The speakers are mostly in India, with a minority of them in Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar areas in modern day Pakistan. According to the 2011 census of India, there are 234,227 speakers of Bagri in Rajasthan and 1,656,588 speakers of Bagri in Punjab and Haryana.[4] However, reported speaker numbers for Rajasthani languages, including Bagri, can be misleading due to classification practices in the Indian census.

None of the Rajasthani languages—including major varieties such as Marwari, Mewari, Dhundhari, Hadauti, Malvi, and Bagri—possess official status in India. They are not recognized in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, nor do they hold the position of an official language at the state or national level.[5] Hindi serves as the official language of Rajasthan.[6]

In the Census of India, most speakers of Rajasthani varieties are categorized under the broader "Hindi" umbrella as mother tongues. This practice groups numerous distinct Indo-Aryan languages and dialects spoken in Rajasthan (and adjacent regions) with Hindi, resulting in an underrepresentation of the actual number of Rajasthani language users.[7]

Geographical distribution

More information States, Districts and tehsils ...
The following table shows the Geographical distribution of Bagri speakers in the states of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana.
StatesDistricts and tehsils
Rajasthan
Punjab
Haryana
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Features

Phonology

Bagri distinguishes 31 consonants including a retroflex series, 10 vowels, 2 diphthongs, and 3 tones.

More information Labial, Dental ...
Consonants[12]
Labial Dental Retroflex Palatal Velar Glottal
plosive Voiceless p t ʈ ⟨ṭ⟩ c k
Aspirated ʈʰ ⟨ṭh⟩
Voiced b d ɖ ⟨ḍ⟩ ɟ ⟨j⟩ g
Breathy ɖʰ ⟨ḍh⟩ ɟʰ ⟨jh⟩
fricative s h
sonorant Nasal m n ɳ ⟨ṇ⟩
Approximant l ɭ ⟨ḷ⟩ j ⟨y⟩ w
Flap ɽ ⟨ṛ⟩
Trill r
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/ɳ/, /ɭ/ and /ɽ/ do not occur word initially.

More information Front, Central ...
Vowels[12]
Front Central Back
Close iː ⟨ī⟩ uː ⟨ū⟩
Near-close ɪ ⟨i⟩ ʊ ⟨u⟩
Close-mid eː ⟨e⟩ ə ⟨a⟩ ⟨o⟩
Open-mid ɛː ⟨ai⟩ ɔː ⟨au⟩
Open aː ⟨ā⟩
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All vowels have their nasalised counterpart, marked with ◌̃ ( in Devanagari).

Bagri has 3 tones in a similar way to the Punjabi language. A rising-falling tone ◌́,  a rising tone ◌̀, and an unmarked mid tone.[12]

Declension

  • There are two numbers: singular and plural.
  • Two genders: masculine and feminine.
  • Three cases: simple, oblique, and vocative. Case marking is partly inflectional and partly postpositional.
  • Nouns are declined according to their final segments.
  • All pronouns are inflected for number and case but gender is distinguished only in the third person singular pronouns.
  • The third person pronouns are distinguished on the proximity/remoteness dimension in each gender.
  • Adjectives are of two types: either ending in /-o/ or not.
  • Cardinal numbers up to ten are infected.
  • Both present and past participles function as adjectives.

Verbs

  • There are three tenses and four moods.

Syntax

  • Sentence types are of traditional nature.[clarification needed]
  • Coordination and subordination are very important in complex sentences.
  • Parallel lexicon are existing and are very important from sociolinguistic point of view.[clarification needed]

Samples

रोळो

roļo

है

hai

के

ke

कोई

koī

तेरै

terai

रोळो है के कोई तेरै

roļo hai ke koī terai

Do you have any problem?

तू

कठ्ठै

katthe

गयैड़ो

gayairo

हो

ho

तू कठ्ठै गयैड़ो हो

tū katthe gayairo ho

Where did you go?

घोड़ो

Ghodo

होवै

hovai

जियां

jiyan

घोड़ो होवै जियां

Ghodo hovai jiyan

Like a horse

ब्या

Byāh

ma

कुण

kun

आयो

āyo

ब्या म कुण आयो

Byāh ma kun āyo

Who came in the marriage?

टाबरों,

tabaron,

के

ke

करो

karo

हो

ho

टाबरों, के करो हो

tabaron, ke karo ho

What are you doing kids?

दोफारां

Dophārān

गी

gi

मेरी

meri

आसंग

āsang

कोनी

koni

दोफारां गी मेरी आसंग कोनी

Dophārān gi meri āsang koni

I'm not well since afternoon.

भांडा

Bhanda

भांडा

Bhanda

Utensils

बैद

Baid

बैद

Baid

Doctor

कोजवाड़

kojwād

कोजवाड़

kojwād

Embarrassing.

Official status

Bagari is language of Bagar region of Rajasthan extended to some parts of Punjab and Haryana and Pakistan also. Bagri is spoken by Kumawats, Jats, Rajputs, Bagri Kumhars, Suthar, Meghwal, Chamars and others casts residing there. Bagri derives its roots from Marwari when bhati dynasty ruled over the region from Bhatner, modern day Hanumangarh which is epicentre of Bagri language. Bagri culture is also same in this region .

[13]

Work on Bagri

  • Grierson, G. A. 1908. (Reprint 1968). Linguistic Survey of India. Volume IX, Part II. New Delhi: Motilal Banarasidass
  • Gusain, Lakhan. 1994. Reflexives in Bagri. M.Phil. dissertation. New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University
  • Gusain, Lakhan. 1999. A Descriptive Grammar of Bagri. Ph.D. dissertation. New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University
  • Gusain, Lakhan. 2000a. Limitations of Literacy in Bagri. Nicholas Ostler & Blair Rudes (eds.). Endangered Languages and Literacy. Proceedings of the Fourth FEL Conference. University of North Carolina, Charlotte, 21–24 September 2000
  • Gusain, Lakhan. 2000b. Bagri Grammar. Munich: Lincom Europa (Languages of the World/Materials, 384)
  • Gusain, Lakhan. 2008. Bagri Learners' Reference Grammar. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Northside Publishers
  • Wilson, J. 1883. Sirsa Settlement Report. Chandigarh: Government Press

Regions where Bagri is spoken:

See also

References

Bibliography

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