Kherwarian languages

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Kherwarian
Geographic
distribution
India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan
Linguistic classificationAustroasiatic
  • Munda
    • North Munda
      • Kherwarian
Proto-languageProto-Kherwarian
Subdivisions
  • Santalic
  • Mundaric
Language codes
Glottologkher1245
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File:Kherwarian languages map.svg
Approximate locations and distribution of the Kherwarian languages

The Kherwarian languages consist of non-Korku North Munda languages that are mainly spoken in Eastern Indian states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and neighboring countries of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. Together, Korku and the Kherwarian language continuum form the conventional North Munda branch of the Austroasiatic language family.[1][2][3]

The Dravidian-speaking Kurukh people in Ranchi suburbs have adopted a creolized dialect of Kherwarian Mundari called Keraʔ Mundari. Its verbal morphology is less complex than an average Austroasiatic Kherwarian language.[4][5]

Typology

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Vowel harmony in Kherwarian affixes yields some differences depending on the nature of the vowel of the verb stem, while others do not. There are harmonic and non-harmonic affixes. In phonological lexical words, disyllables have certain vowel restrictions.

Stress is fixedly released at the second syllable. LH (weak-strong) prosodic word pattern is pervasive even in morphological words. Unlike Korku, the Kherwarian languages lack phonemic tones, giving a good reason for the Korku-Kherwarian classification of North Munda.


Like many other Munda languages, the Kherwarian languages are pronominalized languages with complex verbal agreement systems. Encoding double- and triple agreements with a third argument or non-argument are possible, and indexation of the third argument usually involves a possessor. The Kherwarian languages, and to some extent, Korku and Kharia, also seems to lack discrete evidence for the existence of the usual parts of speech categories such as nouns, verbs, adjectives. One lexeme can do all the functions without any kind of morphological derivation.

1). Ho

sab-ke-d-kin-a=le

catch.hold.of-ACT.AOR-TR-3DU.OBJ-FIN=1PL.SUBJ

sab-ke-d-kin-a=le

catch.hold.of-ACT.AOR-TR-3DU.OBJ-FIN=1PL.SUBJ

'we seized them two'

2). Santali

hɔpɔn=e

son=3SG.SUBJ

idi-ke-d-e-tiŋ-a

take.away-ACT.AOR-TR-3SG.OBJ-POSS.1SG-FIN

hɔpɔn=e idi-ke-d-e-tiŋ-a

son=3SG.SUBJ take.away-ACT.AOR-TR-3SG.OBJ-POSS.1SG-FIN

'he took away my son'

3). Ho (Mayurbhanj dialect)

tʃa=n

tea=1

em-a-ɲ-me

give-APPL-1-2

tʃa=n em-a-ɲ-me

tea=1 give-APPL-1-2

'give me tea'

Table below summarizes nominal markings using cases and postpositions in Kherwarian lects and Korku:[6]

Accusative Dative Oblique Genitive Instrumental Comitative Locative Ablative Allative
Santali -ʈʰɛn -ren/-ak/-rɛak -tɛ -ʈʰɛn/-ʈʰɛtʃ -tɛ -kʰon -sen/-setʃ
Mundari (naŋgen) -ke -aʔ -te -re -ate
Keraʔ Mundari -ke -ta/-ke -aʔ/-raʔ -loŋ -re -se
Ho -ren/-aʔ/-re-aʔ -te -loʔ -re -(e)te -te
Bhumij -ren -te -lo -re -ate -te
Birhor -ke -a/-ʈʰi(n)/-ren -te -lo -re -te -te
Korku -khè -kʰè -à(ʔ) -ten -gon -èn -àten/-tan/-te -ʈae

Innovations

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Low-level subgroup innovations of the Kherwarian languages include:

  • Active voice *-ˀt
  • Causative -ocho, -ichi & -rika

Interaction with neighboring languages

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Regional Indo-Aryan languages such as Khortha, Sadri, and Kurmali have been observed as parts of a Jharkhandi sprachbund with the Kherwarian lects, mainly cited to intense language contact and high degree of multilingualism.

Languages

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References

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Sources

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