Eastern Hindi languages
Group of languages spoken in northern and central India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Eastern Hindi languages are a branch of the Indo-Aryan language family spoken primarily in Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh, Baghelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, in Northern and Central India. Eastern Hindi languages evolved from Ardhamagadhi Prakrit, which is thought to be transitional between Sauraseni and Magadhi.[1]
distributionAwadh, Baghelkhand, Chhattisgarh
| Eastern Hindi | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Awadh, Baghelkhand, Chhattisgarh |
| Ethnicity | Awadhis, Baghelis, Chhattisgarhis, Halbis, Powaris |
Native speakers | approx. 65 million in India[citation needed] |
| Linguistic classification | Indo-European
|
Early form | |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | east2726 |
 Geographical distribution of Eastern Hindi languages | |
Geographical extent
Eastern Hindi languages are primarily spoken in India and Nepal, but also have significant minorities in the Caribbean, Fiji, Mauritius, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Pakistan due to immigration. In India, they are mainly spoken in the Awadh region in eastern Uttar Pradesh, in the Baghelkhand region in northeastern Madhya Pradesh, and in Chhattisgarh.
Languages and dialects
- Awadhi (3.85 m),[2][3][4] spoken in north and north-central Uttar Pradesh as well as the Caribbean, Fiji, Mauritius and South Africa
- Caribbean Hindustani (300 k) (mostly based on Maithili, Bhojpuri and Magahi but has major Awadhi influence)
- Sarnami Hindustani
- Fiji Hindi (460 k) (mostly based on Maithili and Awadhi with Magahi influence)
- Bagheli (8 m), spoken in north-central Madhya Pradesh and south-eastern Uttar Pradesh.
- Chhattisgarhi (18 m), spoken in southeast Madhya Pradesh and northern and central Chhattisgarh.
- Surgujia (1.7 m), spoken in Chhattisgarh