Kurmali or Kudmali (ISO: Kuṛmāli) is an Indo-Aryan language classified as belonging to the Bihari group of languages spoken in eastern India.[5] As a trade dialect, it is also known as Panchpargania (Bengali: পঞ্চপরগনিয়া), for the "five parganas" of the region it covers in Jharkhand. Kurmali language is spoken by around 5.5 lakh people mainly in fringe regions of Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal, also a sizable population speak Kurmali in Assam tea valleys.[6] Intellectuals claim that Kurmali may be the nearest form of language used in Charyapada.[7] Kurmali is one of the demanded languages for enlisting in Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India.[8]
During the British Raj, the Kurmali language was known as Panchpargania (meaning "five regions") for present-day Bundu, Barenda, Sonahatu (split into Sonahatu and Rahe), Silli, Tamar blocks of Ranchi district of Jharkhand state as a trade language between two linguistic region. Now the Sonahatu and Rahe make the core region of Panchpargania.[15]
As per the Census of 2011, there are 3,11,175 Kurmali Thar speakers in India (hailing mostly from West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Maharashtra) and 2,44,290 Panch Pargania speakers (mostly from Jharkhand), making a total of 555,465 Kurmali speakers in India.[1] They are grouped under the umbrella of "Hindi languages".[2] Note that both, Kurmali Thar and Panch Pargania are dialects of the Kurmali language.[2]
Language variation
The speakers of Kurmali are spread over a vast region of East India, especially in fringe areas of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. These states are mostly dominated by Bengali, Nagpuri and Odia speakers. And hence, local dialectal change and language shift can be noticed in these areas. As the Kurmi of West Bengal identifies themselves as the speaker of Kurmali but due to age-long settlement in the Bengali region their language shifting towards Manbhum dialect of Bengali. As did in northern Odisha with Bengali and Odia admixture.[2]
In Manbhum this [Kurmali] language (a kind of mixed dialect essentially Bihari in its nature, but with a curious Bengali colouring) is principally spoken by people of the KuRmi caste, who are numerous in the district of chotanagpur, and in the Orissa Tributary state of Mayurbhanja.[16]
The Kurmali language bears 61%–86% lexical similarity with Panchpargania, 58%–72% with Khortha, 51%–73% with Nagpuri (Sadri), 46%–53% with Odia, 41%–55% with Bengali, 44%–58% with Hindi.[6] Hence the Panchpargania is considered as a major variety of the Kurmali language, while sometime it's opined as a distinct language. It's also fact that the language closely resembles the Khortha language and has some good number loanwords from Munda language family, specifically from Santali language. Although not as much as Khortha language.[15]: 296, 297
It is believed that the early form of the Kurmali language was spoken in Jharkhand, the original homeland of the Kudmi Mahato.[17] But now it is also influenced by Nagpuri (Sadri) language in Jharkhand.[7] Although the language is now Indo-Aryan in nature, it has some distinctive feature like lexical items, grammatical markers and categories that are neither available in Indo-Aryan nor in Dravidian or even in the Munda language family. Thus it is believed that the language was at once a separate language. But because of its long settlement in the Aryan belt, the native speaker gradually abandoned the original structure and switched to the Aryan form of the language, bearing substrate of old.[15]The language currently falls in 6b (threatened) and 7 (shifting) level of EGIDS, which are corresponding to the UNESCO language endangerment category level "Vulnerable" and "Definitely Endangered".[18] But Ethnologue scaled Kurmali language in 6a (vigorous) level and its variety Panchpargania (widely used in Jharkhand) in 3 (trade) level of EGIDS, and both are corresponding to "Safe" status of UNESCO language endangerment category level.[6][19]
Variety
The language is transferred orally from generation to generation and the Kurmali language remains unstandardized due to influence of other Indo Aryan languages. Thus the speaker uses different variety and accent. However, language can be classified on the basis of the speakers territorial region. Singhbhum Kudmali, Dhalbhum Kudmali, Ranchi Kudmali (Panchpargania), Manbhum Kudmali, Mayurbhanj Kudmali etc. are the major regional varieties.[18] And all those varieties bear 58%–89% lexical similarity with each other.[6]
^The census results conflate as the language has no standardized form, So the different dialects are grouped with the regional dominant languages.[2] Apart from this, Kurmali language is mainly returned as mother tongue by the Kudmi people. While many other communities who use Kurmali language as their mother tongue. They return themselves their own community name instead of Kurmali at the time of census.
^A community speaking Kudmali language as mother tongue in one administrative/linguistic zone may not necessarily spoken as mother tongue in another administrative/linguistic zone.
^"POPULATION MONOGRAPH OF NEPAL"(PDF). nepal.unfpa.org. (Social Demography); census 2011 (First ed.). Kathmandu, Nepal: Central Bureau of Statistics, Govt. of Nepal. 2014. p. 60. ISBN9789937289726. Archived(PDF) from the original on 18 April 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
Grierson, G.A. (1903). Linguistic survey of India, Vol – V. Indo-Aryan family, Eastern group, Pt – II, Specimens of Bihari and Oriya languages. Calcutta: Office of the superintendent, Government printing, India. pp. 145–157.
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