7/23/2019 Rajasthani Language
1/16
CHAPTER-l
INTRODUCTION
1 1 RAJASTHANl:
DIALECTS AND CLASSIFICATION
The present work is a grammatical description ofBagri, a dialect ofRajasthani which
is
a member
of
Indo-Aryan language family. Bagri
is
spoken in northern-Rajasthan
and its adjacent areas of a r y a n ~ and Punjab ( Map-I). It
is
also reported to be
spoken in Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar areas ofPunjab in Pakistan.
In the past, the constituent regions of the present Rajasthan were known by
different names. Many a times due to change in their rulers, the boundaries of the
separate regions also changed. The northern of these regions was known as Jangal,
the eastern as Matsya, the southern as Medpat, Wagad, Pragvat, Malaw and
Gurjratra, the western as Maru, Mad, Vall, Travani, the south eastern as Sivi and the
central part as Arbud and Sapadlaksha.
The current name Rajasthan
l
was introduced
by
Colonel Tod in 1829 and it
gradually replaced the old name Rajputana given by George Thomas in 1800.
Through the course
of
time the name Rajasthan got established mainly after the State
Reorganization on 1st November, 1956 and consequently, the dialects spoken in this
state were called as the varieties ofRajasthani (Map-2).
1 Colonel Tad (182 9)Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, Part I Calcutta: Indian Antiquary
7/23/2019 Rajasthani Language
2/16
MAP I:
INDIA:
BAGRI SPEAKING AREA IN RAJASTHAN HARY ANA AND PUNJAB
lb
7/23/2019 Rajasthani Language
3/16
Hist9rically, Gujarati and Rajasthani were developed from Gurjari
Apabhramsa around 11th century A.D. Up to the fifteenth century, Rajasthani and
Gujarati shared common literature. The literature
of
the early period 1050-1450
A.D.) is thus a common heritage Munshi, 1935)
of
both the languages - Gujarati
and Rajasthani. During the first half of the fifteenth century, both these languages
began their independent growth, and consequently the modern Rajasthani came into
being Fig.l). The development of literature in Dingal style
of
Rajasthani begins from
1050 A.D. with Prithviraj Ras0
2
.
Though, Rajasthani is not _enlisted
in
the Eighth Schedule
of
the Constitution
and
is
still considered as one
of
the 48 dialects
of
Hindi,
3
yet its popularity and status
are remarkable from the literary and linguistic points of view. Rajasthani is spoken by
27,405,537 speakers, that is more than fifty percent of the total population
of
Rajasthan, comprising its eight dialects plus 13,328,581
s p e ~ e r s of
Rajasthani ?)
according to the 1991 Census. Rajasthani language, literature and culture have an
independent tendency
of
development.
There are eight dialects
of
Rajasthani Map 2), with their respective speakers
in
braces according to the Census
of ndia
1991, these are: Bagri 593, 730) spoken in
Hanumangarh and Ganganagar districts of Rajasthan and adjoining sections of
Haryana and Punjab;
Shekhawati{970,413) in Sikar and Jhunjhunu area;
Mewati 102,916)
in
Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur area; Marwari 4,673,276)
in
Jodhpur, Bikaner, laisalmer, Barmer, ChufU Nagaur, Ajmer, Pali districts;
M e \ ~ i J : i C ? J 14,622) in Udaipur, Rajsamand area; Dhundhari 965,006) in Jaipur,
2
Mahcshwari, H.
L
1960) Rajasthani Bhasha AUf Sahitya vs. 1500-1650) Calcutta: Adhunik
3 Census
of
India 1991) Languages part, Annexure-I, New Delhi: Government
oflndia
Press
2
7/23/2019 Rajasthani Language
4/16
Marwari 4,673,276
MAP 2:
DIALECTS OF
RAJASTHANI
~ i t h their respective speakers in braces according to the Census o India
1991
b
7/23/2019 Rajasthani Language
5/16
Sawai Marlhopur, Tonk
reglOn
HarautiC1.235,252) in Kota, Bundi, lhalawar
districts; and Wagri(1.420,051) in Chittorgarh, Banswara and Dungarpur region. Out
o
these eight dialects, Marwari
is
considered a dominant and standard variety
o
Rajasthani as a high variety
o
literature and a lot
o
work in grammar and dictionary
have been written in this dialect.
It
is
believed that when Aryans settled in Panchnad, their language at that time
was Vedic Sanskrit and the changed form
o
literary Vedic Sanskrit was called
Sanskrit. The languages in use among the common masses were known as Prakrits.
There were two categories
o
Prakrits : First Prakrits and Second Prakrits. Pali and
Ardha-Magadhi represented the First Prakrits whereas Saurseni, Magadhi and
Maharashtri represented the Second Prakrits. With the course
o
time Apabhramsas
were developed from the Prakrits. There are known to be twenty seven varieties o
Apabhramsas.
According to Dr. Grierson, Nagar Apabhramsa dominated Gujarat-Rajasthan
area; whereas, Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterji called the same as Saurseni Apabhramsa
that was spoken in lower Rajasthan and upper Gujarat area. K.M.Munshi said, it was
Gurjari
or
the Apabhramsa
o
Gurjar Desh that was spoken
in
this area. The latter
view seems more appropriate
as
majority
o
modern linguists supports this view.
Gurjari Apabhramsa was spoken in the Gujarat-Rajasthan area. With the course o
time Gurjari Apabhramsa gave birth to Gujarati and Rajasthani around eleventh
century A.D. Thereafter, Rajasthani started separating from Gujarati in the fifteenth
century and finally developed independently having its literary form known as Dingal.
3
7/23/2019 Rajasthani Language
6/16
Since the beginning o twentieth century Rajasthani has been making progress
immensely n each and every genre o literature and linguistics.
Aryan languages
1
Vedic Sanskrit
1
Prakrits Sanskrit
- 1
1
Saurseni Prakrit Magadhi Prakrit
Maharashtri Prakrit
_
1 I
Gurjari Apabhramsa Saurseni Apabhramsa
1 1
Old Rajasthani Gujarati
1
Modern Rajasthani
I
[Bagri Shekhawati Mewati Marwari Dhundari Harauti Mewari Wagri.]
Fig. 1 : Development ofRajasthani and its dialects
1.2 GEOGRAPHY:
Out o the eight dialects o Rajasthani Bagri s spoken predominantly
n
Hanumangarh and Ganganagar districts o Rajasthan; Sirsa and Hissar Districts o
Haryana; and Faridkot Firozpur and Bhatinda districts o Punjab. Bagri s also
spoken across the border
n
Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar areas
o
Pakistan.
4
7/23/2019 Rajasthani Language
7/16
~ R
A
lKANEJi
S
\
CHURU
T H A
MAP 3 : BAGRI
SPE KING A:REA
4b
N
~ f A \ R l A N A
r
EtBJ
7/23/2019 Rajasthani Language
8/16
The name Bagri4 derived from the word Bagar which means arid and barren
land. But this word has no relevance today as the area
is
fully irrigated and fertile.
However, the language spoken in this area is continued
to
be called Bagri due
to
geographical significance of the area.
The Bagri speaking area is
located between 28
4
and 30 10 north latitudes
and between 72 30 and 75 30 east longitudes (Map-3). Roughly, the Bagri
speaking area consists of 48,260 square kilometres. Out of which 20,813 square
kilometres cover Hanumangarh and Ganganagar districts; 10,180 square kilometres
of
Punjab; and 12,21 osquare kilometses
of
Sirsa and Hissar districts
of
Haryana and rest
of the area of Pakistan.
According to the CensusofIndia, there were 309,903 Bagri speakers in 1961;
1,055,607
in
1971
5
;
and 593,730
in
1991. The data mentioned
in
the Census are
misleading
s is
clear from the returns given above. They are changing drastically
from 196) to 1991. The number of actual speakers is higher since Bagri
is
used as a
lingua franca of majority of the population in the northern Rajasthan, western Haryana
nd
southern Punjab.
1.3 ]>OLITICAL HISTORY:
Before July 12th, 1994 Hanumangarh district was a Tehsil of Ganganagar district.
Erstwhile Ganganagar district
is
named after its head quarters which .itself
is
named
after Maharaja Gangasingh, the ruler of former Bikaner State, whose continuous
efforts resulted in the advent :of Gang canal in this thirsty and arid land of this area.
4
Grierson, G.A.(l908) (Repr. 1968)Linguistic Survey ofindia(vol.IX, part.II)New Delhi:Motilal
Banarasi dass
5
Masica, C.P.(l991)Thc Indo-Aryan Languages. Cambridge: Cambrid University Press
5
7/23/2019 Rajasthani Language
9/16
Several Explorations and excavations have been made by archaelogical experts
6
.
These have proved that the civilization
o
the Indus valley had extended and it was
inhabited by the people akin to those who had flourished at Mohenjodaro and
Harappa. The famous terra-cotta cakes were also utilized fo
