Kinnauri language

Last updated

Kinnauri
𑚊𑚝𑚦𑚤𑚮𑚎𑚨𑚶𑚊𑚛,Kanawaringskad,ཀནབརིངསྐད
Kinnauri.jpg
Region Himachal Pradesh
Native speakers
all Kinnauri varieties: 84,000; Kinnauri proper: about 45,000 (2011 census) [1]
Dialects
Language codes
ISO 639-3 Variously:
kfk  – Kinnauri proper
cik  –  Chitkuli Kinnauri
ssk  –  Sunam (Thebor)[ citation needed ]
jna  –  Jangshung (Thebor)
scu  –  Shumcho (Thebor)
Glottolog kinn1250
ELP Kinnauri
  Jangshung [2]
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Kinnauri is the most widely used language in Kinnaur. The languages have seen different nomenclatures in written literature. Kinnauri was mentioned as Kunawaree (Gerard 1842, Cunninham 1844), Kanauri (Konow 1905), Kanawari (Bailey 1909) and Kunawari (Grierson 1909). [3] It is the language of upper caste in lower Kinnaur. [4] It is also spoken in Moorang tehsil and, Ropa and Giabong villages in upper Kinnaur. It is a Sino-Tibetan dialect cluster centered on the Kinnaur district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

Contents

Kaike, once thought to be Kinnauri, is closer to Tamangic. Bhoti Kinnauri and Tukpa (locally called Chhoyuli) are Bodish (Lahauli–Spiti).

Linguistic varieties and geographical distribution

A signboard in Kinnauri Language A signboard in Kinnauri Language.jpg
A signboard in Kinnauri Language

Kinnaur has nearly ten linguistic varieties, with Kinnauri being the major language. Ethnologue lists the following locations for Kinnauri proper and related languages.

Kinnauri is spoken in the villages from Badhal Rampur Bushahr to Sangla and north along Satluj river to Morang. Mainly the Kinnauri-speaking area is located in lower parts of Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh. The estimated population of Kinnauri speaking people is 45,000.

Chitkuli Kinnauri is spoken by a thousand people in the Baspa river area of the Sangla valley in Nichar subdivision, Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh (in Chitkul and Rakchham villages).

Jangshung is spoken in Morang tehsil, Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh (in Jangi, Lippa, and Asrang villages). These villages have a population of nearly 2600.

Sumcho is spoken in Poo tehsil, Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh (in Kanam, Labrang, Spilo, Shyaso, Taling, and Rushkaling villages) by a population of 2500.

Bhoti Kinnauri is spoken in Poo division of upper Kinnaur. The language shows slight phonemic variations in the valley. Main varieties are spoken in Poo Hangrang and Nako villages. It is a generic Tibetan language spoken by nearly 7000 people.

Chhoyuli is a Tibetic language spoken in Nesang and Kunnu Charan villages of Poo division in upper Kinnaur. It has a population of around 700. The language is considered a variety of Bhoti Kinnauri but is shows enough characteristics to stand as an independent language.

Sunnami language is spoken in Sunnam village of Poo division in upper Kinnaur. It has a population of about 700.

Pahari Kinnauri is an Indo-Aryan language of Kinnaur spoken mainly by the Scheduled Caste community of Nichar, Kalpa, Sangla and Moorang tehsils in Kinnaur. It has a population of 9000.

In absence of a detailed sociolinguistic survey on language use, the actual number of fluent speakers of KLs is unknown. The actual number of speakers is much lower than the total population. Census data include native as well as the non native and the migratory workers in the survey. [5]

Phonology

This description is of the Pangi dialect of Kinnauri.

Consonants

Bilabial Alveolar Retroflex Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal mnɲŋ
Plosive voiced bdɖɡ
voiceless ptʈk
aspirated pʰtʰʈʰkʰ
Affricate voiced dzdʒ
voiceless tstʃ
aspirated tsʰtʃʰ
Fricative sʃh
Trill r
Approximant ljw

Note on palatals: /dʒ/, /tʃ/, /tʃʰ/, and /ʃ/ are post-alveolar. /ɲ/ is alveolo-palatal.

Vowels

Kinnauri has six pairs of long/short vowels:

Front Central Back
Close iɨu
Mid eo
Open a

Syllables

/h/, aspirated obstruents (i.e. /pʰ/, /tʰ/, /ʈʰ/, /kʰ/, /t͡sʰ/, /t͡ʃʰ/), and glides (i.e. /w/, /j/) do not occur in syllable codas.

All consonants may occur in onsets and word-medially.

Kinnauri has the following types of syllables:

Grammar

Word order in Kinnari is SOV, it is a postpositional language, it shows agreement in person number features, adjective precedes head in the noun phrase, modifiers precede the head noun, causative occurs after main verb, marker of comparison follows the standard of comparison, negatives are pre-verbal, auxiliary follows the main verb, anaphor follows the antecedent and main clause precedes the subordinate clause. It exhibits some exceptions in SOV language features. SOV language should have preposed genitives and adjective should follow noun. But Kinnauri has postpositional genitive and the adjective precedes the noun. [6]

Script

The language does not have a script. It is an oral language

Language vitality

Kinnaura people are bilinguals who speak Hindi along with their mother tongue. Hindi is the main lingua franca for people from different language groups in Kinnaur. It is also the main language in schools, colleges, government offices, market place, banks and more such domains. Younger generation is exposed to entertainment media like movies, music, mobile phone, newspapers etc., in Hindi. Kinnauri songs beings produced show heavy influence of Hindi. Young learners are encouraged to learn and speak Hindi in order to benefit in education and employment in future. Fluent speakers of Kinnauri are only the elders or the mid aged people who have little exposure to the outer world or are still unaffected by the modernity. But whether the next generation will inherit the cultural knowledge or the legacy of ancestors is doubted. From UNESCO factors study, all languages in Kinnaur region are definitely endangered, inter-generational transmission is unsafe, number of speakers using Kinnauri as first language is very low, domains are shifting, Hindi is replacing Kinnauri in most domains, there is lack of literary traditions, government support towards the protection and promotion of Kinnaur language or culture is absent, very little is known about the linguistic structure of the languages in the region. [7] Like other tribal languages, Kinnauri too may lose much of its linguistic characteristics due to lack of proper documentation and government support and community apathy as well. Among urgent measures, Kinnauri languages need community collaborative efforts to document and discuss among the locals, scholars, linguists and researchers.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinnaur district</span> District of Himachal Pradesh in India

Kinnaur district is one of the twelve administrative districts of the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The district is divided into three administrative areas and has six tehsils. The administrative headquarters of the district is at Reckong Peo. The revered Kinnaur Kailash mountain, one of the Panch Kailash sites, is situated in Kinnaur. As of 2011, it is the second least populous district of Himachal Pradesh, after Lahaul and Spiti.

The Western Pahari languages are a group of Northern Indo-Aryan languages spoken in Northern India, primarily in the state of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu.

Sangla is a town in the Baspa Valley, also referred to as the Sangla valley, in the Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh, India, close to the Tibetan border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chitkul</span> Village in Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India

Chhitkul is a village in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. During winters, the place mostly remains covered with the snow and the inhabitants move to lower regions of Himachal.

Sunam is an underdocumented Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Sunnam village, Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nako, Himachal Pradesh</span> Village in Himachal Pradesh, India

Nako is a village in the Himalayas of northern India, located near the Indo-China border in the Trans-Himalayan region of Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh. Nako Lake is a prominent feature here where it borders the village. Nako Monastery, dated to 1025, is located in the village as well as several other Buddhist chortens.

The West Himalayish languages, also known as Almora and Kanauric, are a family of Sino-Tibetan languages centered in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and across the border into Nepal. LaPolla (2003) proposes that the West Himalayish languages may be part of a larger "Rung" group.

The Lahuli–Spiti languages the exonym for a subgroup of the Tibetic languages related to the (Stöd) Ngari Tibetan spoken in the Lahaul and Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh, India, belonging to the South-Western group of Tibetic languages, earlier classified as Western Innovative Tibetan. They are more closely related to Standard Tibetan than to the neighboring Ladakhi–Balti languages spoken further north.

Shumcho is an underdocumented Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Jangshung is an underdocumented Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India. Most Jangshung speakers reside in the villages of Jangi, Lippa and Asrang. They belong to the upper caste, while the lower castes in the same villages speak Shumcho, a related but distinct language of the Kinnauric branch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahasu Pahari</span> Indo-Aryan language of Himachal Pradesh, India

Mahasu Pahari is a Western Pahari language spoken in Himachal Pradesh. It is also known as Mahasui or Mahasuvi. The speaking population is about 1,000,000 (2001). It is more commonly spoken in the Himachal Pradesh, Shimla (Simla) and Solan districts. It is to be known that Shimla and Solan were parts of the old Mahasu district. Himachal Pradesh State on 1 September, 1972 reorganised the districts dissolving Mahasu district. The Solan district was carved out of Solan and Arki tehsils of the then Mahasu district and tehsils of Kandaghat and Nalagarh of the then Shimla District of Punjab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pahari Kinnauri language</span> Western Pahari language of northern India

Pahari Kinnauri, or Kinnauri Pahari, also known as Oras Boli, is a Western Pahari of northern India. It is spoken by different tribal groups in Kinnaur District, Himachal Pradesh; the language used to be commonly known as 'Kinnauri Tribal language', but this is now considered a derogatory term. It is not clear how distinct it is from other varieties of Himachali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodh people</span> Ethnic group of Himachal Pradesh, India

The Bodh people, also known as Khas Bhodi, are an ethnic group of Himachal Pradesh, India. They are found in Lahaul tehsil, Lahaul and Spiti district, predominantly in the Bhaga and Chandra valleys, but also to a lesser extent in Pattani valley, Miyar Valley, in the upper reaches of Pangi, Himachal Pradesh and Paddar valley, Jammu and Kashmir. Their religion is predominantly Buddhism with animistic and shaivite practices. Caste wise, they are identified as Rajput, Thakur or Kshetri although caste rules are not as rigid as in the plains. Historically, 3-4 prominent families of the area were accorded the titles of Rana, Wazir or Thakur by the kings of Chamba, Kullu or Ladakh for the purpose of general administration and revenue collection. They have a mix of martial traditions alongside shamanistic and lamaistic beliefs. Certain families/clans used to be significant zamindars/jagirdars. There is a significant cultural and ethnic mixing due to the region passing under the hegemony of rulers of Ladakh, Kullu and Chamba over the last many centuries. The language spoken differs from valley to valley with some dialects being very close to Kumaoni, while others are mixed with Chambyali and Dari. They are progressive, enterprising, honest and were involved in the centuries old India-Tibet-Nepal trading routes. Organized into family groups/clans with clan names ending in the suffix "-pa" similar to the "-ta" suffix found in the family/clan names of the Simla area.

Chitkuli Kinnauri is a language spoken in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is spoken in two villages in the Sangla division of Kinnaur - specifically in Chitkul and Rakchham villages. The number of speakers as per Ethnologue was 1060 in 1998.

Bhoti may refer to several Tibetic (Sino-Tibetan) languages spoken in India:

Bhoti Kinnauri is a Tibetic language spoken in the Lahaul and Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh, India. It forms a closely knit group with other Lahuli–Spiti languages, and is fairly close to Standard Tibetan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhaba Valley</span> Valley in Himachal Pradesh, India

The Bhaba Valley is a valley in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is formed by the Wangyur river in the district of Kinnaur, which originates near Bhaba Pass. Bhaba valley is constituted by in total five panchayats of Bhaba Nagar tehsil. The Wangtu bridge is the gateway to the valley. There are 17 villages within the valley. These villages are in turn divided into five Panchayats: Katgaon, Yangpa 1, Yangpa 2, Kraba and Kafnu. Most of the valley's inhabitation is in Katgaon village.

Stod Bhoti (sTodpa), occasionally known as Lahul Bhoti or Lahuli, is a Tibetic language spoken in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It forms a closely knit group with other Lahuli–Spiti languages, and is fairly close to Standard Tibetan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pangwali</span> Western Pahari language of India

Pangwali is a Western Pahari language of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is spoken in the Pangi Tehsil of Chamba district, and is threatened to go extinct. Pangwali is natively written in the Takri script, but Devanagari is used as well. It is very similar to the Padderi language of Padder, J&K.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tobdan</span>

Tobdan is a historian and linguist from Himachal Pradesh, India. He is noted for his work on the cultural traditions, histories, and languages of the Lahaul and Spiti district, and some neighboring regions.

References

  1. ↑ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  2. ↑ Endangered Languages Project data for Jangshung.
  3. ↑ NEGI, HARVINDER K U M A R. “Languages of Kannaura Tribe.” Languages of INDIAN HIMALAYAS, , 2021.
  4. ↑ NEGI, HARVINDER K U M A R. “LANGUAGE USE, PRESTIGE AND VITALITY OF LANGUAGES IN KINNAUR.” International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics , 2023.
  5. ↑ NEGI, HARVINDER K U M A R. “LANGUAGE USE, PRESTIGE AND VITALITY OF LANGUAGES IN KINNAUR.” International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics , 2023.
  6. ↑ NEGI, HARVINDER K U M A R. “Typological Characteristics of Kinnauri.” Interdisciplinary Journal of LinguisticC, KU Srinagar, India 5 (2012): 329–48.
  7. ↑ NEGI, HARVINDER K U M A R. “LANGUAGE USE, PRESTIGE AND VITALITY OF LANGUAGES IN KINNAUR.” International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics , 2023.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.