Khortha language

2026-04-07T05:30:08Z

194.15.138.11:

{{Short description|Indo-Aryan dialect spoken in India}}
{{distinguish| Khotta Bhasha}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Khortha
| altname =
| nativename = खोरठा भाषा
| image = Khortha language.svg
| imagecaption = कला लांड "Khortha" written in Devanagari script
| states = [[India]]
| ethnicity = '''[[First language|L1]]''': [[Sadan peoples|Sadan]]s <br> '''L1''' or '''[[Second language|L2]]''':{{sfn|Paudyal|Peterson|2021|p=343}} [[Munda people|Munda]]s, [[Santal people|Santals]], [[Lohra (tribe)|Lohra]]s, [[Korwa people|Korwa]]s, [[Kurukh people|Kurukhs]]
| region = [[North Chotanagpur division|North Chotanagpur]] and [[Santhal Pargana division|Santhal Pargana]], [[Jharkhand]]
| speakers = 8.04 million
| date = 2011 census
| ref = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/Language_MTs.html|title=Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|website=www.censusindia.gov.in|access-date=2018-07-07}}</ref><ref name="ethnologue.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mag|title=Magahi |website=ethnologue}}</ref>(additional speakers counted under Hindi)
| familycolor = Indo-European
| fam2 = [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]]
| fam3 = [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]]
| fam4 = [[Eastern Indo-Aryan languages|Eastern]]
| fam5 = [[Bihari languages|Bihari]]
| fam6 =
| script = [[Devanagari]]
| nation = {{IND}}
* [[Jharkhand]] (additional)<ref name="avenuemail.in">{{Cite web|title=Jharkhand gives second language status to Magahi, Angika, Bhojpuri and Maithili|url=https://www.avenuemail.in/ranchi/jharkhand-gives-second-language-status-to-magahi-angika-bhojpuri-and-maithili/118291/|date=2018-03-21|website=Avenue Mail|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-27|archive-date=2019-03-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328090028/https://www.avenuemail.in/ranchi/jharkhand-gives-second-language-status-to-magahi-angika-bhojpuri-and-maithili/118291/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| iso2 =
| iso3 = none
| glotto =
| glottorefname =
| map = Khortha language distribution.svg
| mapcaption = {{align|center|Distribution of Khortha language}}
}}

'''Khortha''' is an [[Indo-Aryan language]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326895570_Khortha_a_Dying_Language_and_Urgency_to_Retain_its_Pure_Variety|title=(PDF) Khortha, a Dying Language and Urgency to Retain its Pure Variety|website=ResearchGate}}</ref> spoken primarily in the Indian state of [[Jharkhand]], mainly in 13 districts of two [[Administrative divisions of Jharkhand|divisions]]: [[North Chotanagpur division|North Chotanagpur]], and [[Santhal Pargana division|Santhal Pargana]].<ref name="avenuemail.in"/> Khortha is one of the native languages of the [[Sadan people|Sadaans]] and is used by tribal populations as a link language.<ref name="researchgate">{{Cite web|author=Atul Aman, Niladri Sekhar Dash, Jayashree Chakraborty|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343035416|title=DESIGNING A LINGUISTIC PROFILE OF KHORTHA: A LESS RESOURCED LANGUAGE SPOKEN IN THE STATE OF JHARKHAND, INDIA.|website=ResearchGate|date=January 2020|access-date=11 August 2022}}</ref><ref name="dsal">{{cite web |title=LSI Vol-5 part-2 |url=http://dsal.uchicago.edu/books/lsi/lsi.php?volume=5-2&pages=466#page/161/mode/1up |publisher=dsal |page=145 |quote="Eastern Magahi"}}</ref> It is the most spoken language variety of Jharkhand.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pattanayak|first=Binay|url=https://www.academia.edu/4227936|title=Language Diversity in Jharkhand|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-01-17 |title=Magahi |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language-of-the-day/2014-03-16 |access-date=2022-08-14 |website=Ethnologue |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Khortha a Dying Language and Urgency to Retain its Pure Variety |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326895570 |website=[[ResearchGate]]}}</ref>

==Geographical distribution==
{{Pie chart
|caption=Distribution of Khortha language in the state of India<ref name=MT2011Census>{{Cite web |title=C-16: Population by Mother tongue |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/10191/download/13303/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-0000.XLSX |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604072054/https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/10191/download/13303/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-0000.XLSX |archive-date=4 June 2022 |access-date=4 June 2022 |website=censusindia.gov.in}}</ref>
|value1 = 96.27
|label1 = Jharkhand
|value2 = 1.93
|label2 = West Bengal
|value3 = 1.67
|label3 = Bihar
|other = yes
|other-color = orange
}}
Khortha is spoken in [[North Chota Nagpur division]] and [[Santal Pargana division]] of Jharkhand. The 13 districts are [[Hazaribagh district|Hazaribagh]], [[Koderma district|Koderma]], [[Giridih district|Giridih]], [[Bokaro district|Bokaro]], [[Dhanbad district|Dhanbad]], [[Chatra district|Chatra]], [[Ramgarh district|Ramgarh]], [[Deoghar district|Deoghar]], [[Dumka district|Dumka]], [[Jamtara district|Jamtara]], [[Sahebganj district|Sahebganj]], [[Pakur district|Pakur]] and [[Godda district|Godda]].<ref name="ethnologue.com"/>

In Bihar, districts where Khortha is spoken include [[Aurangabad district, Bihar|Aurangabad]], [[Gaya district|Gaya]] and [[Nawada district|Nawada]].<ref>Shekhar Dash, Niladri. "Language Attitude of Khortha Speakers in Giridih: A Survey Report". Linguistic Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.</ref>

==Classification==
Magahi speakers claim that George Grierson classified Khortha as a dialect of the [[Magahi language]] in his linguistic survey,<ref name="researchgate"/> while Khortha speakers do not associate themselves with Magahi and also protest<ref>[https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-new-language-domicile-protest-jharkhand-7773864/ protest]</ref> to remove Magahi from Jharkhand, as they think it can endanger their native Khortha language. A recent study demonstrates that Khortha is more similar to other Bihari languages of [[Jharkhand]] called [[Sadanic languages|Sadani languages]].{{sfn|Paudyal|Peterson|2021|p=328}}

==Literature==
In 1950, Sriniwas Panuri translated Kalidasa's ''Meghadutam'' in Khortha. In 1956, he composed two works ''Balkiran'' and ''Divyajyoti''. Bhubaneswar Dutta Sharma, Sriniwas Panuri, Viswanath Dasaundhi and Viswanath Nagar were among the first people who started literature in Khortha. Some prominent writers in Khortha language are A.K Jha, Shivnath Pramanik, B.N Ohdar.<ref name="researchgate"/> For the first time, efforts were made to reach Khortha language and literature to the people of Jharkhand through the Internet by the founder of the Sarkari Library, Mananjay Mahato.

==Phonology==
===Consonants===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Khortha consonant inventory{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|pp=19-20}}
! colspan="2" |
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[Dental consonant|Dental]]/<br />[[Alveolar consonant|alveolar]]
![[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]]
![[Postalveolar consonant|Post-alv.]]/<br />[[Palatal consonant|palatal]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
!{{small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|{{IPA link|m}}
|{{IPA link|n}}
|
|
|{{IPA link|ŋ}}
|
|-
!{{small|[[Breathy voice|breathy]]}}
|({{IPA link|mʱ}})
|({{IPA link|nʱ}})
|
|
|({{IPA link|ŋʱ}})
|
|-
! rowspan="4" |[[Stop consonant|Stop]]/<br />[[Affricate consonant|affricate]]
!{{small|[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
|{{IPA link|p}}
|{{IPA link|t̪}}
|{{IPA link|ʈ}}
|{{IPA link|t͡ʃ}}
|{{IPA link|k}}
|
|-
!{{small|[[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]]}}
|{{IPA link|pʰ}}
|{{IPA link|tʰ}}
|{{IPA link|ʈʰ}}
|{{IPA link|t͡ʃʰ}}
|{{IPA link|kʰ}}
|
|-
!{{small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|{{IPA link|b}}
|{{IPA link|d̪}}
|{{IPA link|ɖ}}
|{{IPA link|d͡ʒ}}
|{{IPA link|ɡ}}
|
|-
!{{small|[[Breathy voice|breathy]]}}
|{{IPA link|bʱ}}
|{{IPA link|dʱ}}
|{{IPA link|ɖʱ}}
|{{IPA link|d͡ʒʱ}}
|{{IPA link|ɡʱ}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
|
|{{IPA link|s}}
|
|
|
|{{IPA link|h}}
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
!{{small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|{{IPA link|w}}
|{{IPA link|l}}
|
|{{IPA link|j}}
|
|
|-
!{{small|[[Breathy voice|breathy]]}}
|
|({{IPA link|lʱ}})
|
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Flap consonant|Flap]]/[[Trill consonant|Trill]]
!{{small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|
|{{IPA link|ɾ}}~{{IPA link|r}}
|({{IPA link|ɽ}})
|
|
|
|-
!{{small|[[Breathy voice|breathy]]}}
|
|{{IPA link|ɾʱ}}~{{IPA link|rʱ}}
|({{IPA link|ɽʱ}})
|
|
|
|}
* Aspirated plosives /pʰ/, /dʱ/, /ɖʱ/, and /kʰ/ rarely appear in word-final position.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=20}} /ɖ/ and /ɖʱ/ never stay on the same word with their allophones /ɽ/ and /ɽʱ/.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=22}}
* Four affricates /t͡ʃ/, /t͡ʃʰ/, /d͡ʒ/, /d͡ʒʱ/ can be found in initial, medial, and final positions. When articulating these phonemes, the blade of the tongue touches the back of the teeth-ridge. When a stop consonant is articulated, the touch continues longer, and the separation of the tongue is slower than it is for the affricates.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=23}}
* /s/ occurs with all positions, while /h/ is mostly found in word-initial. In rapid conversation, there seems to be a case for h-elision between vowels. Eg. /d͡ʒohɛk/ 'to wait' is realized as [d͡ʒoɛk], and /mohor/ 'old coin' as [moːr].{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=24}}
* /ŋ/ is restricted to the word-final position. Breathy nasals /mʱ nʱ ŋʱ/, lateral /lʱ/, and flap /ɾʱ/ are only attested in word-medial and word-final positions.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=25}}
* Glides mostly occur in intervocalic positions; however, they are also found in word-final position in a few lexical items.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=26}} Inserting glides in intervocalic positions, which is common in Indo-Aryan, is not favored in Khortha.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=27}}
* Aspirated consonants cannot be geminated.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=37}} Gemination of /ɾ/ will yield the first consonant as [r], and the second as [ɾ]. Eg. [''barɾa''] 'banyan tree'.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=36}}

===Vowels===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Khortha vowel inventory{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=28}}
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|- align="center"
![[Closed vowel|Closed]]
|{{IPA link|i}} [iː]
|
|{{IPA link|ʊ}} [ʊː]
|- align="center"
![[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]]
|{{IPA link|ɛ}} [ɛː, e, eː]
|
|{{IPA link|o}} [ɔ]
|- align="center"
![[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
|
|{{IPA link|ʌ}} [ʌː]
|
|- align="center"
![[Open vowel|Open]]
|
|{{IPA link|a}} [aː]
|
|-
![[Diphthong]]s
| colspan="3" |{{IPA|/ai, ʌi, ʌʊ, eu, oi, oʊ, aʊ/}}
|}
[[Nasalization]] consistently occur with all vowels and positions in Khortha, although it is noted that /a/ is the most nasalized vowel in all accounts,{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=32}} and there is a tendency that phonemic contrast between nasalized and oral vowels is likely to be the strongest in word-medial and final positions.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=33}} Some minimal and near-minimal pairs found in the corpus are listed in the table below:

{| class="wikitable"
!Oral
!Nasal
|-
|kʰaʈ ('a rope bed')
|kʰãʈ ('small')
|-
|bʱagɛk ('to run away')
|bʱãgɛk ('to break')
|-
|pakʰa ('cubbyholes')
|pãkʰa ('feather')
|-
|ɖoɽa ('rope')
|ɖõɽa ('a black ant')
|-
|kʌɾʌdʒ ('credit')
|kʌɾʌ̃dʒ ('tropical tree') (Millettia pinnata)
|-
|pʊtʃʰ ('to ask')
|pʊ̃tʃʰ ('tail')
|-
|bɛg ('speed, force')
|bɛ̃g ('frog')
|-
|iʈa ('this one')
|ĩʈa ('brick')
|}

===Vowel rules===
When a word root is bound with an affix that contains a vowel, the internal open central vowel /a/ of the first syllable is replaced by the mid-close central vowel. Eg. ''gʱaɾ'' ('house') + ''wʌin'' (plural) → ''gʱʌɾwʌin'' 'houses'. This process is pretty common, but it is not related to [[vowel harmony]] and is more likely due to intonation. It also does not apply to compounds and reduplicated nouns. Eg. ''gatʃʰ-palha'' 'greenery' (lit. "tree-leave").{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=38}}

Final-vowel stem, when is marked with plural suffix -wʌin, the final vowel is dropped. Eg. ''kaɽa'' + ''wʌin'' → ''kʌɽwʌin'' 'buffalos'. Root with /a/ final merges with the initial /a/ of the following element. Eg. ''kʰa-a'' (eat-2PL.IMP.HON) → ''kʰa'' 'you eat!' (plural and honorific).{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=39}}

The long open vowel is dropped when it is followed by the mid-close central vowel. In some verbs, the open central vowel is dropped in imperative constructions due to the addition of the suffix ''-o''. Eg. ''kʰa-o'' (eat-2SG.IMP) → ''kʰo'' 'you eat!'{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=39}}

The nominalizing suffix ''-bɛ'' assimilates with additive clitic ''=o'', producing the contracted version ''-bo'' 'NMLZ.ADD'.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=40}}

==Morphology==
===Nominal morphology===
====Pronouns====
Khortha pronouns can distinguish the honorific status of the addressee and certain deictics of the third-person addressees.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=105}}
{| class="wikitable"
! !! Nominative/unmarked !! Ergative !! Oblique !! Genitive
|-
! {{gcl|1SG}}
| ham/hʌm|| ham=ẽ || hamra/hʌmra || ham-ʌr/hʌm-ʌr
|-
! {{gcl|1PL}}
| hamin || || hamni=ke || hamnik
|-
! {{gcl|2SG}}
| toẽ || || tora || tor
|-
! {{gcl|2SG}}.{{gcl|HON}}
| tohẽ || || tohʌr(a) || tohʌr/tohnik
|-
! {{gcl|2PL}}
| tohin || || tohʌni=ke || tohnik
|-
! {{gcl|3SG}}.PROX
| i || i=ẽ || ekra || ekʌr
|-
! {{gcl|3SG}}.{{gcl|DIST}}
| u || || okra || okʌr/ukʌr
|-
! {{gcl|3PL}}.PROX
| ekʰin/ikʰin || || ekʰni=ke || ekʰinek/ekʰinkʌr
|-
! {{gcl|3PL}}.{{gcl|DIST}}
| okʰin || || okʰni=ke || okʰinek/okʰinkʌr
|-
! {{gcl|3SG}}.PROX.{{gcl|HON}}
| in || || || inkʰʌr
|-
! {{gcl|3SG}}.{{gcl|DIST}}.{{gcl|HON}}
| un || || || unkʰʌr
|}

====Cases====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Case
! Marker
! Function
|-
! [[Nominative]]
| -Ø
| Intransitive subject, transitive subject, non-human and non-specific objects
|-
! [[Ergative case|Ergative]]
| =ẽ
| Agent in the Perfective
|-
! [[Oblique case|Oblique]]
| =ke
| Indirect object, definite-animate-direct objects
|-
! [[Genitive]]
| =k/=kʌr/=rʌ
| Possession
|-
! [[Instrumental case|Instrumental]]
| =ĩ/=ẽ
| Medium
|-
! [[Locative case|Locative]]
| -ẽ
| Location
|}

* The ''nominative'' subject of an intransitive clause, transitive agent in non-past tenses, non-human and non-specific objects receive no overt marking.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=93}}

{{Interlinear|indent=3|abbreviations=LNK:linker; ADDR:addressee|ham/hamin kãdʌ-l-i|I/We cry-PST-1|'I/We cried.'}}

* Restricted in past tense constructions, the ''ergative'' agent is marked by ''=ẽ'', which is homophonous with the instrumental and locatives.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=94}}
{{Interlinear|indent=3|abbreviations=LNK:linker; ADDR:addressee|ham{{=}}ẽ petʃʰu mʌhina e{{=}}go kʌmidʒ ʈip-au-l-i{{=}}e|I{{=}}ERG last month one{{=}}CLF shirt stitch-CAUS-PST-1{{=}}FOC|'I have someone stitch a shirt last month.'}}

It seems that ergative marking is not obligatory in the Parnadiya dialect (spoken in the districts of [[Hazaribagh district|Hazaribagh]], [[Chatra district|Chatra]], [[Koderma district|Koderma]], and [[Giridih district|Giridih]]) even though transitivity is prominent and the sentences are in past tenses.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=95}}

{{Interlinear|indent=3|abbreviations=LNK:linker; ADDR:addressee|Ram hʌmra kʌlʌm de-l-kʌi|Ram me.OBL pen give-PST-3SG|'Ram gave me a pen.'}}

{{Interlinear|indent=3|abbreviations=LNK:linker; ADDR:addressee|ham/hamin piʈʰa kʰa-i-l-i-ʌi|I/We rice.bread eat-LNK-PST-1-3SG|'I/We ate the chapati.'}}

In extremely rare contexts, ''=ẽ'' can occur in the present tense, but likely to express emphasis rather than ergativity.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=96}}

{{Interlinear|indent=3|abbreviations=LNK:linker; ADDR:addressee|ham{{=}}ẽ kʌma{{=}}h-i tʌ daru piʌ{{=}}h-i|I{{=}}FOC earn{{=}}AUX.PRES-1 TOP alcohol drink{{=}}AUX.PRES-1|'I am the one who earns, so I (can) drink.' (The speakers focus on themselves)}}

* Patient, object, indirect object (mostly animate and definite indirect objects) arguments are indicated their syntactic roles by the ''Oblique'' case marker ''=ke''. There is a clear preference for object marking for human indirect objects over non-humans, animate over inanimate.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=97}} The hierarchy is animate human > animate nonhuman > inanimate nonhuman. Likewise, when two objects appear in the same noun phrase, then the animate/human object is obligatorily marked while the inanimate/non-human object usually remains unmarked.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=98}} Consider the following example:

{{interlinear
| indent = 2
| top =
|Ram{{=}}ẽ beʈi{{=}}ke lʌwʌntʃus de-l-ʌi.
|Ram{{=}}ERG daughter{{=}}OBL chocolate give-PST-3SG
|Agent Animate.Human.Recipient Inanimate.Indirect.Object Verb | style3 = font-variant: small-caps;
|Ram gave a chocolate to his daughter.
}}

Pronouns and personal names are always marked with the oblique when they are the objects.{{sfn|Paudyal|2025|p=99}}

{{Interlinear|indent=3|abbreviations=LNK:linker; ADDR:addressee|okʰin hʌmni{{=}}ke dekʰ-l-a|They.DIST we{{=}}OBL see-PST-PL|'They saw us.'}}

====Honorificity====

===Verbal morphology===
====Person indexation====
The Khortha verbs show indexation of the S/A argument, whether the argument is marked with ergative (perfective only) or non-ergative in other TAMs.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="2" |
! singular
! plural
! plural (HON)
|-
! colspan="2" | 1st person
| colspan="2" | ''-i''
|
|-
! colspan="2" | 2nd person
| ''-ẽ/-e''
| ''-a''
|
|-
! colspan="2" | 3rd person
| ''-Ø/-ʌi/-ʌe/-e''
| ''-a''
| ''-th/-thun/-thin/-thĩ''
|-
! colspan="2" | addressing
| colspan="3" | ''=o''
|-
|}
Note ''-k'' marks 2nd person singular agent in Parnadiya dialect.

Verbs can index both A and P when the A argument is the first person and the P argument is a third person, i.e. the 1→3 scenario.

{{Interlinear|indent=3|abbreviations=LNK:linker|kail{{=}}e bap{{=}}ke ɖagɖʌr{{=}}ke dekha-i de-l-i-ʌi|yesterday{{=}}FOC father{{=}}OBL doctor{{=}}OBL show-LNK v2:AUX-PST-1-3SG|'It was yesterday that I showed father to the doctor.'}}

{{Interlinear|indent=3|abbreviations=LNK:linker; ADDR:addressee|ham okra dekh-l-i-ʌi|I he.OBL see-PST-1-3|'I saw him.'}}

====Tense-aspect-mood====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
! Markers
! Examples
|-
! Future
| ''-b/-t''
| ''rʌhʌ-t'' ("he/she/it will be")
|-
! Present
| ''=hV''
| ''kãdʌ=hʌ-th'' ("They cry")
|-
! Past
| ''-l''
| ''hʌ-l-a'' ("they/them were")
|-
! Imperfective
| ''-it''
|
|-
! Past habitual
| ''-tʌ''
|
|-
! Imperative
| ''-o''
|
|-
! Polite imperative
| ''-a''
|
|-
! Indirect request
| ''-hak''
|
|}

====Complex predicates====
Khortha complex predication employs a wide array of helper verbs ("auxiliary verb", v2) that can add fuller meanings to the semantic head.

{| class="wikitable"
!Verb
!Meaning
!Functional meaning as auxiliary verb
|-
|a-
|'come'
|Cislocative/ventive
|-
|ja
|'go'
|Translocative/itive
|-
|pʌhũch
|'reach'
|Movement towards the deictic center
|-
|paw
|'to get a chance'
|Permissive causative
|-
|de
|'give'
|Benefactive, Telicity
|-
|lag
|'start, begin'
|Inception
|-
|pʌɽ
|'fall'
|Sudden actions
|-
|par
|'can, be able'
|Ability
|-
|li
|'take'
|Autobenefactive
|-
|khoj
|'want, wish, desire'
|Desirative mood
|-
|rakh
|'keep'
|Resulting permanent state
|}

==Sample phrases==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! English !! Khortha !! Khortha ([[Devanagari]])
|-
| Ramu felt shy.|| Ramu ke laaj laago hae.||रामु के लाज लागो हए।
|-
| Amit has courage.|| Amit thhin jor he.|| अमित ठिन जोर हए।
|-
| I feel shy|| Hamra laaj laago hae || हमरा लाज लागो हय।
|-
| Give the horse the feed. || Ghora-ke khaay ke dahi.||घोड़ा के खाय के दही।
|-
| The child did not hit his sister.|| Chhaua-ta aapan bahin-ke nai maarle hae.|| छऊवा टा आपन बहिन के नाय मारले हय।
|-
| Ram's sister wedding is tomorrow.|| Kaael ram-ke bahin-ke biha hae. ||काईल रामके बहिनके बिहा हय।
|-
| The boy ate a banana.||Chhourata eego kaera khaelo.||छौड़ाटा एगो कईरा खईलो।
|-
| Buy twenty five rupees’ sugar.||Pacchis taka-ke chini kinle.||पच्चीस टाकाके चीनी किनले।
|-
| Ajay wrote a letter to his mother yesterday.|| Ajay kaael aapan maay-ke chitthi likhle hae.|| अजय काईल आपन माय के चिट्ठी लिखले हय।
|}

==See also==
*[[Khortha cinema]]
* [[2021–2022 Language Movement in Jharkhand]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Cite book|last=Paudyal|first=Netra P.|year=2025|title=A Grammar of Khortha, in Brill's Studies in South and Southwest Asian Languages|publisher=[[Brill Publishing|Brill]]|place=[[Leiden]]|isbn=978-90-04-71266-9|doi=10.1163/9789004712676}}
* {{Cite journal|last1=Ray|first1=Bablu|last2=Kumar|first2=Akash|date=2022|title=Person Agreement in Khortha: A Language of Jharkhand|journal=Interdisciplinary Journal of Linguistics|volume=15|pages=85–98}}
* {{Cite journal|last1=Paudyal|first1=Netra P.|last2=Peterson|first2=John|date=2021|title=How one language became four: the impact of different contact-scenarios between "Sadani" and the tribal languages of Jharkhand|journal=Journal of South Asian Languages and Linguistics|language=en|volume=7|issue=2|pages=275–306|doi=10.1515/jsall-2021-2028|issn=2196-078X|doi-access=free}}

{{Bihari languages}}
{{Languages of India}}

[[Category:Bihari languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Jharkhand]]
[[Category:Languages written in Devanagari]]
[[Category:Languages listed as Hindi dialects in latest census]]

IndianPedia - User contributions [en]

Khortha language