Mandeali
Western Pahari language of north India
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Mandeali (Takri: 𑚢𑚘𑚶𑚖𑚮𑚣𑚭𑚥𑚯) is a Western Pahari language, spoken in northern India, predominantly in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh by the people of the Mandi Valley and particularly in the major city of Mandi. Other spellings for the name are Mandiyali and Mandiali. UNESCO reports it is one of the highly endangered languages of India.[3] Speakers of the dialect have decreased by 21% from 1961 to 2001.
| Mandeali | |
|---|---|
| maṇḍiyālī | |
| 𑚢𑚘𑚶𑚖𑚮𑚣𑚭𑚥𑚯, मण्डियाली | |
Mandeali written in Mandi-Suket Takri Script[1] | |
| Native to | India |
| Region | Himachal Pradesh |
| Ethnicity | Mandyali People |
Native speakers | 623,000 (2011 Census)[2] |
| Devanagari Mandiali Takri | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mjl – Mandeali |
| Glottolog | mand1409 Mandeali |
The language is distantly related to Kullui. The Chambealic varieties are often considered separate languages, but at least some are 90–95% intelligible with Mandeali proper. Its sub-dialect are different than Mandeali.[4]
Dialects
Preliminary survey suggests speakers have functional intelligibility of Kangri. People in southeast Mandi district may have more difficulty understanding Kangri. Standard Mandeali is spoken throughout the broad valley running north and south from Jogindernagar to Sundarnagar. Mandeali Pahari is spoken north around Barot, east of Uhl River. Intelligible with difficulty to standard Mandeali. May be intermediate variety between Mandeali and Kullui. The dialect is very close to the Kullvi spoken in neighbouring lug valley region of Kullu district and are culturally, linguistically closer to Kullu. Southeast district contains transition to Mahasui. The dialect spoken is also sometimes referred as Suketi or dialect of Outer Seraj Area as dialect is an intermediate variety of Kullvi and Upper Mahasuvi of neighbouring Shimla and Kullu district. In the west, Sarkaghat is also a bit different from standard Mandeali, perhaps forming a transition towards Hamirpur and Bilaspur areas. Lexical similarity: 89% with Palampuri dialect of Kangri, 83% with Chambeali.[5]
Phonology
Consonants
- [ŋ] is heard when a nasal occurs before velar stops.
- [f] can be heard as an allophone of pʰ.
- Aspirated versions of m, n,ɳ, l,ɭ, r, w can be considered as separate phonemes.
Vowels
The vowels of Mandeali language are shown below.
Grammar
Nouns
Mandeali distinguishes two genders (Masculine and feminine), two numbers (Singular and plural) and four cases of direct, oblique, vocative, and ergative. Oblique also serves as locative and ergative also performs the function of instrumental. Nouns may be further divided into extended and unextended declensional subtypes, with the former characteristically consisting of masculines ending in unaccented -ā and feminines in -ī.
The following tables displays the suffix paradigms.
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The following table of noun declensions shows those suffix paradigms in action. Examples include ghōṛā "stallion", mhaṭhī "girl", ghəːr "house", kāndh "wall".
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Adjectives
Adjectives may be divided into declinable and indeclinable categories. Declinable adjectives have endings that change by the gender, number and case of the noun that they qualify. Declinable adjective have endings that are similar but much simpler than those of nouns:
| Sing. | Pl. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Declin. | Masc. | Dir. | -ā -आ |
-ē -ए |
| Obl. | -ē -ए |
-ē -ए | ||
| Fem. | -ī -ई |
-ī -ई | ||
| Indeclin. | ||||
Indeclinable adjectives are invariable and can end in either consonants or vowels (including ā and ī ). The direct masculine singular (-ā) is the citation form. Most adjectives ending in consonants are indeclinable.
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Postpositions
Mandeali uses a system of particles, known as postpositions. Their use with a noun or verb requires the noun or verb to take the oblique case, and they are the locus of grammatical function, or "case-marking"
| Transliteration | Devanagari | Functions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Used alone | rā, rī, rē | रा,री,रे | genitive marker; declines like an adjective. Example: "X rā/rī/etc. Y" means "X's Y", with rā/rī/etc. agreeing with Y. |
| jō | जो | marks the indirect object (dative marker), or, if definite, the direct object (accusative marker). | |
| lā/lē/tē | ला/ले/ते/ | ablative marker, "from" | |
| khō | खो | orientative marker; "towards" | |
| minjh | मिंझ | inessive marker, "in." Often contracted to 'anjh | |
| tik,tikkar | तिक/तिक्कर | terminative marker, "until, up to" | |
| May use a secondary preposition | kanē/sāugī | कने/साउगी | comitative marker, "with"
Often contracted to nē/kē |
| gās | गास | superessive marker, "on" or "at." | |
| bālē | बाले | possessive marker; "with" (as in possession) e.g. म्हठीया बाले "in the girl's possession." | |
| bārē | बारे | "about" | |
| kaṭhē | कठे | benefactive marker; "for" | |
| sāhī̃ | साहीं | comparative marker; "like" (in resemblance) | |
| bājhī | बाझी | abessive marker; "without" | |
| bālē/nēḍē | बाले/नेडे | "near" | |
| lāgē | लागे | apudessive marker; "adjacent/next to" | |
| bhītar | भीतर | "inside" | |
| bāhar | बाहर | "outside" |
Other postpositions are adverbs, following their obliqued targets either directly or with the inflected genitive linker rē; e.g. ghōṛē (rē) kanē/sāugī "with the stallion". But nowadays it's more common to not use the genitive linker rē
Pronouns
The pronouns of Mandeali for different persons and numbers are as follows:
| Person | Number | Mandeali | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Singular | हाऊँ | ɦaːũ |
| Plural | आस्से | asːe | |
| 2nd | Singular | तू | tu |
| Plural | तुस्से | t̪usːe | |
| 3rd Proximate | Singular | ए / ये | eː / jeː |
| Plural | यों | jõː | |
| 3rd Distal | Singular | से | seː |
| Plural | स्यों | sjõː |
Noun Cases
Using the noun घर (/gʱəːr/, "home") as an example, the cases in Mandeali are:
| Case | Mandeali | Hindi Equivalent | English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | घर | घर | home |
| Accusative | घरो / घरा जो | घर को | to home |
| Ergative | घरे | घर ने | (by) home |
| Comitative | घरा के / घरा कन्ने / घरा साउगी | घर के साथ | with home |
| Instrumental | घरा ले / घरा ला | घर से | through home |
| Dative | घरा कट्ठे | घर के लिए | for home |
| Ablative | घरा ले / घरा ला | घर से | from home |
| Genitive | घरा रा / रे / री | घर का / की / के | of home |
Locatives
| Case | Mandeali | Hindi Equivalent | English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inessive | घरा / घरा मंझ | घर में | in (home) |
| Adessive | घरा गास / प्रयाल्हे / पर | घर पर | on (home) |
Others
| Case | Mandeali | Hindi Equivalent | English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vocative | घरा (sing.) / घरो (pl.) | ओ घर | O home |
| Similative | घरा साँहीं | घर जैसा | similar to home |
| Terminative | घरा तिक्कर / तिक | घर तक | up to home |
Numerals
| Numeral | Mandeali |
|---|---|
| 1 | एक्क ekk |
| 2 | दुई duī |
| 3 | त्राए trāē |
| 4 | चार chār |
| 5 | पांज pānj |
| 6 | छेह chheh |
| 7 | सात्त sātt |
| 8 | आठ āṭh |
| 9 | नौ nau |
| 10 | दस das |
| 11 | ग्यारा gyārā |
| 12 | बारा bārā |
| 13 | तेहरा tehrā |
| 14 | चउदा chaudā |
| 15 | पंद्रा pandrā |
| 16 | सोळा soḷā |
| 17 | सतारा satārā |
| 18 | ठारा ṭhārā |
| 19 | उन्नी unni |
| 20 | बीह bīh |
Script
The native script of the language is a variety of Takri called Mandeali Takri.
Vocabulary
Samples
| Words/phrases | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| जैदया | jaidyā | Hello/Salutation |
| केथी | kethī | Where? |
| की | kī | Why? |
| किह्याँ | kihyān | How? |
| केसरा/कोसरा | kosrā/kesrā | Whose? |
| कुण | kuṇ | Who? |
| केत्रा | ketrā | How many? |
| केड्डा | keḍḍā | How much? |
| केढ़े हे तुस्से? | keṛhe he tusse? | How are you ? |
| केथी जो लगीरे जांदे? | kethī jo lagīre jānde? | Where are you going? |
| क्या हुई ग्या? | kyā huī gyā? | What happened? |
| तुस्सारा नाओं क्या हा? | tussārā nāõ kyā hā? | What is your name? |
| हांडणा दे मांजो तू। | hāṇdṇā de mānjo tū. | Let me walk. |
| केथी ला/ते आईरे तुस्से? | kethī lā/te āīre tusse? | From where have you come? |
Names of months
Traditionally, the month formats is based on Hindu calendar.
| मंडयाली | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| चइतर | chaitar | March–April |
| बसाख | basākh | April–May |
| जेठ | jeṭh | May–June |
| हाह्ड़ | hāhṛ | June–July |
| साओण | sāoṇ | July–August |
| भाद्रो | bhādro | August–September |
| सौज | sauj | September–October |
| कातक | kātak | October–November |
| मंगसर | mangsar | November–December |
| पौस | paus | December–January |
| माघ | māgh | January–February |
| फागण | phāgaṇ | February–March |
Names of days
Days are generally indic.
| मंडयाली | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| त्वार | Twār | Sunday |
| सोमबार | Sombār | Monday |
| मंगळबार | Mangaḷbār | Tuesday |
| बुद्धबार | Buddhbār | Wednesday |
| बीरबार | Bīrvaar | Thursday |
| सुक्करबार | Sukkarbār | Friday |
| सनिचर | Sanichar | Saturday |
•Twār is a loan word from Urdu (Itwār)
Status
The language is commonly called Pahari or Himachali, just like many other neighbouring languages. The language has no official status. According to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the language is of definitely endangered category, i.e. many Mandeali children are not learning Mandeali as their mother tongue anymore.[6]
The demand for the inclusion of 'Pahari (Himachali)' under the Eight Schedule of the Constitution, which is supposed to represent multiple Pahari languages of Himachal Pradesh, had been made in the year 2010 by the state's Vidhan Sabha.[7] There has been no positive progress on this matter since then even when small organisations strive to save the language and demand it.[8] Due to political interest, the language is currently recorded as a dialect of Hindi,[9] even when having a poor mutual intelligibility with it and being close to other Pahari languages such as Mahasui, Kahluri and Kangri.
