States of India by Meitei speakers

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Meitei language (officially known as Manipuri language), the sole official language and the lingua franca of Manipur, [1] one of the scheduled languages of India, [2] one of the recognised educational and literary languages of Assam [3] and Tripura states, [4] has its speakers spread across entire India. [5]

Contents

Meitei language, along with Gujarati language, hold the third place among the fastest growing languages of India, following Hindi (first place) and Kashmiri language (second place), according to the 2011 census of India. [6] [7] [8] [9]

2011 census

State & Union territoriesPopulation of speakers [10] [11] [12] [13]
India 1761079
Manipur 1522132
Assam 168133
Tripura 23779
Nagaland 9511
Meghalaya 4451
Karnataka 4103
NCT of Delhi 3892
Maharashtra 3475
Arunachal Pradesh 2835
Jammu & Kashmir 2370
Mizoram 2242
Rajasthan 2168
West Bengal 2010
Andhra Pradesh 1356
Uttar Pradesh 1204
Madhya Pradesh 1009
Tamil Nadu 928
Punjab 901
Haryana 563
Uttarakhand 490
Chandigarh 460
Kerala 444
Gujarat 408
Sikkim 383
Goa 367
Jharkhand 364
Odisha 306
Bihar 238
Chhattisgarh 202
Himachal Pradesh 188
Dadra & Nagar Haveli <100
Andaman & Nicobar Islands <100
Daman & Diu <100
Puducherry <100

As a second language

According to the Ethnologue, in India, Meitei language is used as a second language (L2) by the various Naga ethnic groups and Kuki-Chin ethnic groups, including Aimol, Anal, Chiru, Chothe, Gangte, Hmar, Inpui, Kharam, Koireng, Kom, Lamkang, Mao, Maram, Monsang, Moyon, Purum, Tarao, Thadou (Chin people), Thangal Naga peoples. [14]

See also

Notes

    Related Research Articles

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    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Meitei language</span> Tibeto-Burman language of India

    Meitei, also known as Manipuri, is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and one of the official languages India. Meitei is the most widely-spoken Tibeto-Burman language of India and third the most used language of northeast India after Assamese and Bengali. There are 1.76 million Meitei native speakers in India according to the 2011 census. Most of these, or 1.52 million, are found in the state of Manipur, where they represent majority of its population. There are smaller communities in neighbouring Indian states, such as Assam (168,000), Tripura (24,000), Nagaland (9,500), and elsewhere in the country (37,500). The language is also spoken by smaller groups in neighbouring Myanmar and Bangladesh.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Meitei people</span> Ethnic group of South Asia

    The Meitei people, Meetei, Manipuri people is an ethnic group native to Manipur. They form the largest and dominant ethnic group of Manipur in Northeast India. They speak the Meitei language, one of the 22 official languages of the Indian Republic and the sole official language of Government of Manipur. The Meiteis primarily settled in the valley areas in modern-day Manipur, though a sizeable population has settled in the other Indian states of Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Mizoram. There is also a notable presence of Meitei people in the neighbouring countries of Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Meitei ethnic group represents about 53% of Manipur's population.

    Hmar is a Kuki ethnic group living in Northeast Indian state of Manipur, Mizoram, Assam and western Myanmar (Burma) and eastern Bangladesh. They use Meitei language as their second language (L2) in Manipur. They speak Mizo language as their L1 in Mizoram.

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    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Hailakandi district</span> District of Assam in India

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    Silchar is a city and the headquarters of the Cachar district of the state of Assam, India. It is second largest city of Assam after Guwahati in terms of area, population and GDP. It is also administrative capital of Barak Valley division. It is located 343 kilometres south east of Guwahati. It was founded by Captain Thomas Fisher in 1832 when he shifted the headquarters of Cachar to Janiganj in Silchar. It earned the moniker "Island of Peace" from Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India. Silchar is the site of the world's first polo club and the first competitive polo match. In 1985, an Air India flight from Kolkata to Silchar became the world's first all-women crew flight. Silchar was a tea town and Cachar club was the meeting point for tea planters.

    Bishnupriya Manipuri, also known as Bishnupriya Meitei or simply as Bishnupriya, is an Indo-Aryan lect belonging to the Bengali–Assamese linguistic sub-branch. It is a creole of Bengali language and Meitei language and it still retains its pre-Bengali features. It is spoken in parts of the Indian states of Assam, Tripura and Manipur as well as in the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh. It uses the Bengali-Assamese script as its writing system. Bishnupriya Manipuri, being a member of the Eastern Indo-Aryan languages, was evolved from Magadhi Prakrit. So, its origin is associated with Magadha realm. The Government of Tripura categorised Bishnnupriya Manipuri under the "Tribal Language Cell" of the State Council of Educational Research and Training. Its speakers are also given the "Other Backward Classes" status by the Assam Government and notably, there is no legal status of the Bishnupriyas in Manipur. In the 2020s, the Bishnupriya speaking people started demanding that the Assam Government should give them the status of "indigenous people" of Assam and treat the same like other indigenous communities of the state.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishnupriya people</span> Ethnic group in India and Bangladesh

    The Bishnupriyas, also known as the Bishnupriya Manipuris or Bishnupriya Meiteis, is an ethnic group found in the parts of Northeast Indian states of Assam, Tripura, Manipur and in northeastern Bangladesh. They speak the Bishnupriya Manipuri language, which is a creole of Bengali language and Meitei language, which retains its pre-Bengali features. The most distinctive feature of the language is it is replete with Tibeto-Burman elements. The culture of the Bishnupriya people is strongly influenced by that of the Meitei people.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Barak Valley</span> Region in the Indian state of Assam

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    Chiru (Naga) is a Southern Naga language spoken mostly in Manipur. The Chiru population numbers approximately 8,599. It is an endangered spoken in three districts of Manipur: Senapati, Noney district of Manipur and Cachar district of Assam. Chiru has been recognized as a Scheduled Tribe of Manipur by the government of India since 1956 under "The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Act, Act No. 63 of 1956" Dated 25 September 1956. The total population of the native speakers of Chiru is only 8599. The native speakers have high proficiency in Meitei language. The language is neither used in schools nor in radio or mass media. Older people read and write in Meitei language. The younger generation of Chiru speakers prefers Roman script. The speakers of this language use Meitei language as their second language (L2) according to the Ethnologue.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Manipuri Sahitya Parishad</span> A literary club for Meitei language

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    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jiribam district</span> District of Manipur

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    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Manipuri Language Day</span> Annual event dedicated to Meitei language

    Manipuri Language Day, is an annual celebration of the Manipuri (Meitei) language in India and Bangladesh 20 August. It is a of the day on which Manipuri was added to the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India, making it one of the official languages of India on 20 August 1992.

    References

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      "MANIPURI | DIRECTORATE OF KOKBOROK & OTHER MINORITY LANGUAGES". kokborokoml.tripura.gov.in. Government of Tripura . Retrieved 16 November 2023.
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    13. "India - Census of India 2011 - LANGUAGE ATLAS - INDIA". censusindia.gov.in. Census of India, Government of India . Retrieved 16 November 2023.
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