Ajay Kumar at 16:47, 29 August 2023

2023-08-29T16:47:37Z

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{{Short description|Indo-Aryan language of Himachal Pradesh, India}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Mahasu Pahari
| altname = Mahasui
| nativename = 𑚢𑚩𑚭𑚨𑚰𑚃, महासुई
| states = [[India]]
| region = [[Himachal Pradesh]]
| ethnicity = Mahasu
| speakers = 1 million
| date = 2002
| ref = e18
| speakers2 =
| familycolor = Indo-European
| fam2 = [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]]
| fam3 = [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]]
| fam4 = [[Northern Indo-Aryan languages|Northern]]
| fam5 = [[Western Pahari]] (Himachali)
| iso3 = bfz
| glotto = maha1287
| glottorefname = Mahasu Pahari
| ELP2 = 1584
| ELPname2 = Baghati
| image = {{multiple image
| total_width = 275
| image1 = Mahasuvi.png
| image2 = mahasuibushahri.png
}}
| imagecaption = Mahasui written in Tankri script and Bushahri script.<ref>{{cite book |last=Grierson |first=George Abraham |author-link=George Abraham Grierson|date= |title=Linguistic Survey Of India, Volume 9.4 |url= |location= |publisher= |pages=613-14 |isbn=}}</ref>
| script = [[Tankri script]], [[Devanagari]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Grierson |first=George Abraham |author-link=George Abraham Grierson|date= |title=Linguistic Survey Of India, Volume 9.4 |url= |location= |publisher= |pages=383–84 |isbn=}}</ref>
}}
{{Contains special characters|Indic}}'''Mahasu Pahari''' ([[Takri script|Takri]]: {{Lang|bfz|𑚢𑚩𑚭𑚨𑚱 𑚞𑚩𑚭𑚪𑚯}}) is a [[Western Pahari]] (Himachali, [[Takri script|Takri]]: {{Lang|him|𑚩𑚮𑚢𑚭𑚏𑚥𑚯}}) 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 district|Shimla]] (Simla) and [[Solan district|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, India|Arki]] tehsils of the then Mahasu district and tehsils of [[Kandaghat]] and [[Nalagarh]] of the then Shimla District of Punjab.{{wtc|Mahasu Pahari language}}

== Area ==
[[File:Mahasuvi Pahari sample.webm|thumb|320px|A sample for Mahasuvi language's Rohruri dialect]]
According to different locations, the language has developed several dialects. Lower Mahasu Pahari (Baghati, Baghliani, [[Keonthal|Kiunthali]]), Upper Mahasu Pahari ([[Rampur, Himachal Pradesh|Rampuri]], [[Rohru|Rohruri]], [[Nawar Valley|Nawari]], [[Jubbal|Jubbali]], Shimla Siraji, [[Kumarsain|Sodochi]]). The Kiunthali variety appears to be understood by others, and their attitude toward it is favorable. Rampuri is also called Kochi; Rohruri is also called Soracholi; and Sodochi is also known as Kumharsaini or Kotgarhi after the [[Kumarsain]] and [[Kotgarh]] areas of [[Shimla District]] respectively.<ref name="India1961">{{cite journal|title=Mother tongues of India according to the 1961 census|last=Mallikarjun|first=B.|journal=Language in India|volume=2|date=2002-08-02|access-date=2023-07-23|url=http://www.languageinindia.com/aug2002/indianmothertongues1961aug2002.html}}</ref> Intelligibility among dialects is above 85%. Lexical similarity is 74%–82% with upper dialects, and 74%–95% with lower dialects. The language is used in home and for religious purposes. It is understood and spoken from people of vital age group. The educated are more proficient in [[Hindi]] and English. It is considered to be highly endangered as the number of people speaking it is constantly going down. It is closely related to [[Sirmauri language|Sirmauri]] and to [[Jaunsari language|Jaunsari]].

== Script ==
The native script of the language is a variety of [[Takri script|Takri]] Script. There are some written records of the language in [[Takri script]] and [[Nastaliq script]] but nowadays [[Devanagari script]] is usually used.[[File:Kiunthali.png|thumb|Specimen in Kochi spoken around [[Rampur Bushahr]]|alt=|center]]

== Phonology ==

=== Consonants ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" |
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[Dental consonant|Dental]]
![[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]]
![[Postalveolar consonant|Post-alv.]]/ [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! rowspan="4" |[[Stop consonant|Plosive]] / [[Affricate]]
!voiceless
|p
|t
|ts
|ʈ
|tʃ
|k
|
|-
!aspriated
|pʰ
|tʰ
|tsʰ
|ʈʰ
|(tʃʰ)
|kʰ
|
|-
!voiced
|b
|d
|dz
|ɖ
|dʒ
|ɡ
|
|-
!breathy
|bʱ
|dʱ
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
!voiceless
|
|
|s
|
|ʃ
|
| rowspan="2" |ɦ
|-
!voiced
|
|
|z
|
|(ʒ)
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|m
|
|n
|ɳ
|
|(ŋ)
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Lateral consonant|Lateral]]
|
|
|l
|ɭ
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Trill consonant|Trill]]/[[Tap consonant|Tap]]
|
|
|r
|ɽ
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|ʋ
|
|
|
|(j)
|(w)
|
|}

* Sounds [tsʰ bʱ dʱ] are only seldom heard among dialects.
* Allophones of /b d ɡ/ are heard as [b̥ d̥ ɡ̊] in word-final position.
* [tʃʰ] occurs from Hindi loanwords.
* [ʒ] can be heard as allophone of /dʒ/.
* [ŋ] is heard when a nasal occurs before velar stops.
* /ɦ/ may also be heard as a voiceless [h] among dialects.
* [j, w] are mainly heard after vowels. [w] can also be an allophone of /ʋ/.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jouanne|first=Thomas|title=A preliminary analysis of the phonological system of the Western Pahārī language of Kvār|publisher=University of Oslo|year=2014}}</ref>

=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!
! [[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
! [[Back vowel|Back]]
|- align="center"
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
|i iː
|
|u uː
|-
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|e eː
|(ə)
|o oː
|-
![[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
|ɛ
|
|ɔ ɔː
|- align="center"
![[Open vowel|Open]]
|
|
|ɑ ɑː
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Nasal vowels
! rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" | [[Front vowel|Front]]
! colspan="2" |[[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
!short
!long
|- align="center"
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
|ĩ
|ũ
|ũː
|-
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|ẽ
|õ
|õː
|-
![[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
|
|ɔ̃
|ɔ̃ː
|- align="center"
![[Open vowel|Open]]
|
|ɑ̃
|ɑ̃ː
|}

* A short /u/ may also have an allophone of a near-close sound [ʊ].
*[ə] is mainly heard as an allophone of /ɑ/. /ɑ/ can also be heard as an open mid sound [ʌ].

== Status ==
The language is commonly called [[Pahari language|Pahari]] or Himachali. The language has no official status and is recorded as dialect of Hindi.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Indian Language Census|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/Language-2011/Statement-1.pdf}}</ref> According to the [[UNESCO|United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)]], the language is of definitely endangered category, i.e. many Mahasui children are not learning Mahasui as their mother tongue any longer.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Endangered Language (Mahasui)|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/apr/15/language-extinct-endangered}}</ref> Earlier, the language had state patronage. Everything changed since independence, due to favoritism towards Hindi by the Indian Government.

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.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Pahari Inclusion|work=Zee News|url=https://zeenews.india.com/news/himachal-pradesh/hp-for-inclusion-of-pahari-language-in-eighth-schedule_615857.html}}</ref> There has been no positive progress on this matter since then even when small organisations strive to save the language and demand it.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Pahari Inclusion|work=The Statesman|url=https://www.thestatesman.com/cities/demand-for-pahari-as-language-in-8th-schedule-of-constitution-1479046804.html}}</ref> Due to political interest, the language is currently recorded as a dialect of Hindi, even when having a poor mutual intelligibility with it.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Twitter|KansaThali/status/1379743372039102465?|s=20&t=bZA5I_Poy_5mjja4Q9TBfA|Grierson's language divisions of Shimla}}
* {{Facebook|madanmaps/photos/a.109483098016001/122844900013154|Western Pahari languages}}
* {{YouTube|xs7KiMq847E|A brief history of Pahari Languages}}
*[http://llmap.org/assets/maps/LinguisticSurveyIndia/wpah.png Map of Western Pahari languages] from [[G.A. Grierson|Grierson's]] early 20th-century [[Linguistic Survey of India]]

{{Dogri-Kangri languages}}

[[Category:Indo-Aryan languages]]
[[Category:Northern Indo-Aryan languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:Endangered languages of India]]
[[Category:Languages written in Devanagari]]

Mahasu Pahari - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 16:47, 29 August 2023