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There are about 7,106 languages spoken worldwide. Out of those, about 915 languages are considered to be dying. For instance, the Koro language in India, spoken by only a handful of elderly people, is on the verge of extinction. The death of a language typically occurs when a more broadly or popularly spoken language takes over the one not spoken commonly. Once younger generations move onto popular languages and are no longer taught their native language, the risk of death for the language is high. Often, a new language is considered more valuable because it better connects people with the world.

When a language isn’t broadly spoken, it is very limited in the digital world, further limiting its use. Additionally, it isn’t available on large-scale translation services like Google Translate. As a result, the language ends up significantly underserved, putting it at greater risk.

Despite the bleak situation, there is a glimmer of hope in the form of artificial intelligence (AI). The rapid advancements in AI technology have opened up new possibilities for language preservation. However, it’s important to note that AI is not a panacea. It has its limitations, and there are significant obstacles that could impede its progress. Let’s delve into how AI is being leveraged to save dying languages and the challenges it faces in this noble endeavor.

 Using AI to preserve dying languages is a noble endeavor with immense potential but not without challenges. One key obstacle is more digital resources to train AI models for lesser-known languages. Compared to widely spoken languages like English or Spanish, which have abundant online content, dying languages lack the digital footprint necessary for practical AI training. As a result, AI translation tools for these languages often rely heavily on human input for accuracy improvement.

This reliance on human input poses several challenges. First, finding individuals proficient in dying languages can be difficult due to their dwindling speaker populations. Even when proficient speakers are found, soliciting feedback can be labor-intensive, mainly since most AI platforms depend on volunteer contributions rather than paid input. This lack of compensation may deter some fluent speakers from participating, potentially hindering the progress of language preservation efforts.

Moreover, the companies behind AI platforms could commercialize volunteer contributions, leading to the development of viable translation services for dying languages. While the cultural value of preserving languages may initially motivate volunteers, the prospect of commercialization may alter their willingness to contribute. This raises questions about the sustainability of volunteer-based language preservation efforts in the long term, as it could potentially exploit the goodwill of volunteers and the cultural value of the language.

Despite the daunting challenges, the importance of preserving dying languages cannot be overstated. These languages are not just words, but carriers of invaluable cultural and linguistic heritage. AI technologies offer promising solutions for their conservation, but they cannot do it alone. The key to success lies in collaborative efforts, working hand in hand with communities, providing incentives for volunteer participation, and ensuring ethical use of language data. By doing so, we can overcome these obstacles and together, safeguard linguistic diversity for future generations.

 

Welcome back after a relaxing spring back and Holi celebrations! I am excited to announce a project that I have been working on. My dream was to start a girls’ afterschool program at my ancestral village in Rajasthan in memory of my Nani. I am excited to announce that the building is near completion. I am incredibly thankful for my friends and family’s support, encouragement, and help. I will visit the place in the summer to start the program formally. Stay tuned for more exciting news to follow.

Spring season has sprung on us. In India, spring’s arrival means that the Holi festival is around the corner. Holi is both a religious and cultural celebration. Hindus celebrate spiritually, but people from other religions in India also celebrate and participate in it. It is the celebration of the harvest. It is the celebration of the arrival of warm weather after the long and cold winters. It is the start of the new year in some parts of India. Whatever the reason, it’s the biggest festival that brings people from all walks of life and all sects together and have a good time. People play with water and colors. They light a bonfire. Sweets are made and distributed. People visit each other’s homes to meet and greet. All the boundaries are broken, and you become one. Holi is on March 25th, and I can’t wait to celebrate it with my family.

Despite significant efforts to improve girls’ education in India, the state of girls’ education in Rajasthan remains a cause for concern. A recent report on Household Consumption of Education in India revealed that Rajasthan has the second-lowest overall literacy rates in the country, with the lowest rates for females. Shockingly, 26 percent of girls aged 14 to 18 in the state are out of school, and of these, 24 percent have never been enrolled in any school. The dropout rate is also alarming, as half of the girls enrolled in Class I in 2008-09 do not continue to secondary school. One of the key factors contributing to this situation is inadequate public spending at the secondary level, constituting only 10 percent of the total state budget. The Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan aims to address gender gaps, but its underutilization in Rajasthan raises concerns. One way to improve girls’ education is by eliminating fees in government schools, providing monetary incentives, and addressing the impact of COVID-19 on education. These are crucial steps to ensure universal access to secondary education for girls in Rajasthan.

I would like to discuss Linguistics and natural language processing (NLP) in today’s blog. These are two fields that are of particular interest to me. They both study and understand human language. Linguistics is the scientific study of language and its structure. NLP is used to develop computer systems that can understand, interpret, and generate human language. The intersection of these fields is fascinating and a rapidly growing field. 

Linguistics analyzes language structure, meaning, and use. In study of Linguistics we aim to understand the universal properties of language, describe different languages, and explore how languages evolve over time.

Linguistics is divided into several components:

-Phonetics and Phonology: Study of speech sounds.

-Morphology: Study of word structure and formation.

-Syntax: Study of sentence structure.

-Semantics: Study of meaning.

-Pragmatics: Study of language use in context.

Natural Language Processing (NLP): NLP is a subfield of artificial intelligence (AI). It deals with interactions between computers and human language. It is used to develop algorithms and models to enable computers to understand, interpret, and generate human language.

NLP has various applications, including:

-Machine Translation: Translating text from one language to another.

-Sentiment Analysis: Determining the sentiment expressed in text.

-Named Entity Recognition: Identifying entities (e.g., names of people, places) in text.

-Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: Interacting with users in natural language.

Linguistic knowledge is often used to develop NLP systems to improve language understanding and generation. Linguistic theories and principles, such as syntactic and semantic structures, are applied in the design of NLP algorithms. Recent advancements in machine learning, particularly with deep learning techniques, have significantly improved the capabilities of NLP systems. Large-scale language models, like GPT-3 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3), have surpassed human expectations in understanding and generating languages.

Ahirwati, sometimes known as Hirwati, is an Indo-Aryan dialect of India. It is spoken within the Ahirwal region, located southwest of Delhi. It is one of the Rajasthani languages and is likely a dialect of Mewati spoken by the Mev’s of Alwar area, but in many respects, it is intermediate with the neighboring varieties of Bangru and Bagri and is incredibly close to Shekhawati. Ahirwati faces various challenges threatening its continued existence.

Yaduvanshi Ahirs used this dialect, hence the name Ahirwati. Ahir is an ethnic group in India with a rich cultural heritage. The language is a crucial aspect of the community’s identity and communication.

The exact number of speakers of Ahirwati is unknown. In the past, it was written in Devanagari, Gurmukhi, or the Perso-Arabic script.
A peculiar feature of Ahirwati’s grammar is using the same postposition to identify both the agent (in certain tenses) and the object.

I recently wrote and published a book about the importance of learning new languages. It is a children’s book. It encourages young readers to take on the challenges of learning a new language. My relationship with my grandparents suffered due to the lack of ordinary language. I didn’t realize it was important early on, but as I have matured, I know if I had known my grandparents’ language, I would have had a very different relationship with them.
My book, The Little Boy Learns Hindi is about a young boy who is initially hesitant about learning a new language but eventually learns it with the help of his grandmother. The book is available on Amazon, Kindle, Barnes and Noble, Target, Walmart, Booktopia, Nook, Kobo, and Scribe. If you are interested, please check it out.
I am providing the link for Amazon Kindle.
https://a.co/d/aRbelap

While conducting research for my nonprofit Rajasthani Boli, I learned that the Rajasthani language still needs a Unicode. Rajasthan state government approved a project in 2019 to develop a Unicode for ten Rajasthani languages. It is handled by Rajasthan State Archives, Bikaner (RSAB)
Unicode is a standardized system for encoding and representing text characters from all worldwide writing systems. It provides a unique code point for every character, regardless of platform, program, or language. The Unicode Consortium is a nonprofit organization that manages and maintains the Unicode standard.
Unicode includes a comprehensive set of characters covering scripts for major languages, mathematical symbols, punctuation marks, and more. It aims to be a universal character encoding that can represent all the characters used by the world’s diverse languages and writing systems. One of the primary goals of Unicode is to ensure consistency in character encoding across different platforms and software applications. This means that a Unicode-encoded document or text should display the same way regardless of the system or software used to view it. Unicode supports multiple languages and scripts simultaneously. This is crucial for applications and documents containing text in different languages. It eliminates the need for different encoding systems for each language. Unicode is designed to be extensible, allowing new characters and scripts to be added. This flexibility ensures that the standard can evolve to accommodate the needs of new languages and writing systems. Unicode is backward compatible with ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) and includes the characters from ASCII as a subset. This makes it easier to transition from older character encoding standards to Unicode.

 

Hindus all over the world recently celebrated Diwali, the Festival of Lights. It fell on November 12th this year based on the Hindu lunar calendar.
Diwali, also known as Deepawali, is one of the most significant and widely celebrated festivals in Hinduism. The true meaning of Diwali goes beyond the surface-level festivities and illuminations; it is time for self-reflection and a renewed commitment to positive values. It is the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. The Festival is rooted in various Hindu mythologies, with one of the most popular stories being the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after defeating the demon king Ravana. The lighting of lamps, candles, and fireworks symbolizes the victory of righteousness and dispelling ignorance. Families and communities come together and exchange gifts, feast on delicious sweets, and decorate homes with colorful rangoli (artistic patterns created on the ground using colored powders, rice, or flower petals). The Festival fosters a sense of unity and shared joy among people of diverse backgrounds.
Diwali also carries a symbolic significance of inner cleansing and renewal. It is a time when people clean and decorate their homes, symbolizing the removal of negativity and welcoming positive energy. The act of cleaning is not just physical but also extends to purifying one’s thoughts and actions. Diwali is associated with the worship of Goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu deity of wealth and prosperity. Families perform puja (ritual worship) to seek her blessings for material and spiritual abundance. This aspect underscores the importance of ethical conduct and responsible use of wealth to better oneself and society. Diwali promotes the idea of social harmony and the celebration of diversity. During the Festival, people visit friends and neighbors, exchange sweets, and participate in community events. This fosters a sense of brotherhood and unity, transcending caste, creed, and religious barriers. Recently, there has been a growing awareness of the environmental impact of Diwali celebrations, mainly due to the use of firecrackers. Many individuals and communities are now adopting eco-friendly practices, encouraging the use of lights over loud fireworks, and promoting a more sustainable approach to celebrating the Festival.
Diwali festival transcends religious boundaries, resonating with people from various backgrounds who share the universal message of hope and joy.

Computational linguistics plays a crucial role in preserving languages, especially endangered or less-studied languages, by leveraging technology to document, analyze, and revitalize linguistic diversity. Here are some ways in which computational linguistics contributes to language preservation:

Documentation and Corpus Creation:

Computational linguists develop digital language corpora, which are extensive collections of texts and recordings in a particular language. These corpora serve as a comprehensive database for linguistic analysis and research.
Corpora help linguists document grammar, vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and phonetic features, preserving the linguistic richness of a language.

Language Documentation Tools:

Computational tools are developed to assist field linguists and anthropologists in collecting and transcribing audio recordings of native speakers.

These tools can help create language dictionaries, grammatical descriptions, and other linguistic resources that are vital for the preservation of less-studied languages.

Language Revitalization:

Computational linguistics can contribute to the creation of language learning resources and interactive applications that help teach and revitalize endangered languages.

Mobile apps, websites, and language learning software are designed to make learning the language more engaging and accessible.

Machine Translation:

Machine translation systems, often built with NLP (Natural Language Processing) techniques, can facilitate translation between a lesser-known language and a widely spoken one. This can make the language more accessible to a broader audience.

For instance, tools like Google Translate and DeepL support translation for numerous languages, including many less-commonly spoken ones.

Speech Recognition and Text-to-Speech Systems:

Computational linguistics aids in the development of speech recognition and text-to-speech systems for endangered languages. These technologies can make it easier to digitize spoken and written content.
Text-to-speech systems can also help in the creation of audiobooks, making literature in lesser-known languages accessible to a wider audience.

Phonetic and Phonological Analysis:

Computational techniques allow for the analysis of phonetic and phonological features of languages. This is essential for understanding and preserving pronunciation and accentual nuances.

Language Revival and Preservation Projects:

Computational linguistics can support language revitalization projects by providing tools and expertise to build language learning software, digitize written materials, and facilitate communication in the language.

Cultural Preservation:

Computational linguistics is not just limited to the linguistic aspects of language preservation. It also contributes to the preservation of cultural knowledge, oral traditions, and folklore associated with a language.

Collaborative Platforms:

Online platforms and databases allow linguists, researchers, and community members to collaborate and share their findings, resources, and language data, making it easier to work on the preservation of a language collectively.
In summary, computational linguistics provides the technology and methodologies required to document, analyze, and promote linguistic diversity. By creating digital resources, language learning tools, and facilitating communication in endangered languages, computational linguistics plays a crucial role in language preservation and revitalization efforts. It ensures that these languages remain accessible and relevant in an increasingly globalized world.

Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going. — Rita Mae Brown

An endangered language is a language at risk of becoming extinct or no longer spoken as a native language by a community of speakers. The endangerment of a language is often categorized into different levels, with varying degrees of vulnerability. 

I am providing UNESCO language endangerment classification here.

The UNESCO list has six categories of endangerment:

• Extinct: No speakers are left. (Note: The Atlas presumes extinction if no known speakers exist since the 1950s.)
• Critically endangered: The youngest speakers are grandparents and older, and they speak the language partially and infrequently
• Severely endangered: The language is spoken by grandparents and older generations. While the parent generation may understand it, they do not speak it to children or among themselves.
• Definitely endangered: Children no longer learn the language as a mother tongue in the home.
• Vulnerable: Most children speak the language, but it may be restricted to specific domains (e.g., home)
• Safe / Not Endangered: It is spoken by all generations, and intergenerational transmission is uninterrupted. (Note: These languages are not included in the Atlas because they are not endangered.)

Languages become endangered due to a variety of factors, some of which include:

1. Language Shift: Language shift is a primary reason for language endangerment. This shift occurs when a community, often under pressure from socioeconomic, political, or cultural factors, abandons its native language in favor of a more dominant or prestigious language. This shift often happens when people perceive that speaking a majority or global language is more advantageous.
2. Small and Isolated Communities: Languages spoken by small, isolated communities are more vulnerable because they have limited opportunities to interact with speakers of other languages and may face challenges in transmitting their language to the younger generation.
3. Colonialism and Forced Assimilation: In many cases, colonial powers imposed their languages on indigenous populations, leading to the decline and eventual endangerment of native languages.
4. Globalization: The spread of global media, technology, and the internet has made dominant languages more accessible and appealing, contributing to the decline of more minor regional languages.
5. Lack of Documentation and Revitalization Efforts: Languages that lack written records or documentation are particularly vulnerable because there are no resources for future generations to learn and study the language. Furthermore, if communities do not actively promote and revitalize their language through education and cultural activities, it can lead to endangerment.

Efforts to combat language endangerment include language revitalization programs, documenting endangered languages, and supporting language transmission to younger generations. However, many endangered languages continue to face challenges, and the loss of linguistic diversity is a significant concern for cultural preservation and understanding. Recognizing the value of linguistic diversity and the cultural heritage languages represent and taking steps to protect and revitalize them is essential.

One of the endangered languages of Rajasthan is Dhatki, also known as Dhatti. It was once spoken by the Dhatti community in the Jaisalmer and Barmer districts of Rajasthan. This language belonged to the Indo-Aryan language group and had linguistic ties to Marwari. Unfortunately, Dhatki is considered an extinct language, with no known fluent speakers left. It was traditionally spoken by Maheshwari, Meghwal and sodha Rajput communities. Other two languages at verge of extinction are Thali and Dhavadi, both are spoken in some villages of Udaipur and Jaisalmer.

Hi friends,

Google translate does not have an option to translate Rajasthani language. To keep our language alive, it is imperative that it gets recognition at every possible platform. Rajasthan’s literary history is vast and ancient. Not enough has been done to make our literary heritage available to general population. I have signed this petition to include Rajasthani language in Google translate. I encourage you to do the same for the sake of our language and culture. Thanks!

 

https://chng.it/r5LrhDkfft

The Mahajani script, also known as Mahajani Lipi, is a historically significant script that was used for writing various languages, primarily in the northwestern regions of India during the 17th to 20th centuries. Mahajani is notable for its unique and distinctive characters, and it has historical relevance, especially in the context of business and trade records. Mahajani originated in the historical region of Punjab, which includes parts of present-day India and Pakistan. It was widely used in areas such as Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and other northwestern regions. The Mahajani script was commonly employed for business and trade purposes. It was used for maintaining account books, ledgers, and records of transactions, making it an important script for mercantile activities. Mahajani characters are unique and visually distinct. The script is written from left to right and consists of a set of characters that are often cursive in nature. Each character has a distinct shape and style. Mahajani script included numerical symbols, and it was used for writing numerical values in a distinctive way.While primarily associated with Punjabi, Mahajani was also used to write other regional languages, including Marwari and Hindi, among others. Over time, the Mahajani script gradually declined in usage, particularly with the spread of Devanagari script and other scripts. The decline was partly due to political and administrative changes in the region.

Hindi/Rajasthani Alphabets:

Hindi and Rajasthani both use Devanagri script. Both are phonetic languages. Words are pronounced exactly as they are written. You don’t have to memorize the correct spelling of a word. All consonants have an ‘a’ sound inherent in them.

There are 13 vowels in Hindi.

Vowels are those letters which can be pronounced with an open vocal track or without touching the tongue anywhere inside the mouth. There are twelve such letters in Hindi.

• Hindi vowel # 1:  अ a
  “अ” is a short vowel. It is pronounced like first “A” in America or “U” in urn.
• Hindi vowel # 2:  आ aa
  “आ”  is a long vowel. It has the sound of “A” in art or A in cart. “
• Hindi vowel # 3:  इ i
  “इ” is a short vowel. It is pronounced like “e” in e-ager or  “I” in ink.
• Hindi vowel # 4:  ई ii
  “ई” is a long vowel. It has the same sound as that of “इ” but being a long vowel it doesn’t end abruptly. It has the sound of “EE” in seek or “EA” in peak.
• Hindi vowel # 5:  उ u
  “उ” is a short vowel. It has the sound of “U” in pull or full.
• Hindi vowel # 6:  ऊ oo
  “ऊ” is a long vowel. It is pronounced  like short उ except for a little longer time. It has the sound of “oo” in pool or fool.
•  Hindi vowel # 7:  ए e
    “ए” is a short vowel. It has the sound of “E” in shed or “AI” in said.
• 8. Hindi vowel # 8:  ऐai
  “ऐ” is a long vowel. It has the sound of “A” in shade or “AI” in mail.
• 9. Hindi vowel # 9:  ओ o
  “ओ” has the sound of “O” in old or “OA” in coal.
• 10. Hindi vowel # 10:  औ au
  “औ” has the sound of “O” in shot or “AU” in caught.
• 11. Hindi vowel # 11:  अं um
  “अं” has the sound of “UM” in drum or lump.
• 12. Hindi vowel # 12:  अ: uh
  “अ:” has the sound of “AH” in aha or ahem and “UGH” in ugh.
• 13. Hindi vowel # 13: ऋ ri
    “ऋ” has the sound of “RI” in rig or rim.

Rajasthani languages emerged from Indo Aryan languages.

In prehistoric times there was a single language called Proto-Indo-European language. It was spoken during neolithic to early bronze age. From this language, emerged the Indo-European languages. They were spoken in part of Europe, Iranian Plateau and northern Indian subcontinent. Indo European languages gave rise to Indo Iranian languages. They were spoken in approximately the late 3rd millennium BC. From Indo Iranian languages 3 languages emerged: Indo Aryan, Iranian and Nuristani. Modern Indo-Aryan languages descend from Old Indo-Aryan languages such as Vedic Sanskrit through middle Indo-Aryan language such as Prakrit.

Modern Indo-Aryan languages can be further divided into these groups.

Dardic:

Dardic languages are a group of Indo-Aryan languages largely spoken in the northwestern frontier of the Indian subcontinent. Kashmiri is a Dardic language.

Northern Indo-Aryan languages:

These are also known as the Pahari (‘hill’) languages. They are spoken throughout the Himalayan regions of the subcontinent. Some examples are Nepali, Garhwali, Kumaoni, dogri, Kangri etc.

Northwestern Indo-Aryan languages:

These are spoken in the northwestern region of India and Eastern Pakistan such as Punjabi, Sindhi among many other languages.

Western Indo-Aryan languages:

These are spoken in the central and western areas within India, such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Examples are Rajasthani, Gujarati and bhil languages among others. Romani is also part of this group and spoken by Romani people in Europe who historically migrated from India.

Central Indo-Aryan Languages:

These are spoken primarily in the Hindi belt regions and the plains of Ganga including Delhi and the surrounding areas. Some of these languages are Braj and Awadhi,Haryanvi, Urdu, Hindi, Khariboli. Urdu is a Persianized derivative of Khariboli and Hindi is a standardized and Sanskritized version of Khariboli.  It is the official language of the Government of India.

Eastern Indo-Aryan Languages:

These are also known as Magadhan languages. They are spoken throughout the eastern subcontinent, including Odisha, Bihar, Bengal, Assam, Bangladesh alongside other regions surrounding the northwestern Himalayan corridor.

Southern Indo-Aryan Languages:

These include Marathi-Kokani languages. These are spoken in Maharashtra and Kokan region.

Insular Indo-Aryan languages:

Insular Indo-Aryan languages are spoken in Shri Lanka and Maldives. Examples are Sinhali and Maldivian.

Hindi Consonants:

There are total 34 consonants. Lot of Hindi consonants make same sounds as English consonants. But there are a few completely new sounds in Hindi that are not present in English language. To learn these new sounds, it will require practice and patience. It may seem difficult in the beginning, but it will be well worth in the end. One thing to notice is that all consonants have “अ(a)” sound inherently in them at the end. Try this: make a sound of “C (क)” in car. You will notice that in the end there is a sound of “A (अ)” as in around.

CONSONANTS AND THEIR PRONUNCIATIONS IN ENGLISH:

I have tried my best to give examples in English as close as possible but there are certain sounds which are not used in English language therefore no words are available for examples.

When practicing these sounds know the difference between an aspirated and unaspirated sound. Aspirated sounds are one that release a puff of air when pronouncing them. Unaspirated sound do not release air. You can put your palm in front of your mouth when practicing these sounds and notice the difference in sounds based on air movement.

Example:

• spin – no air felt on hand
• Pin – feel the puff of air on the hand

Also know the difference between voiced and unvoiced consonants. Voiced consonants are those which are pronounced using our vocal cords. Unvoiced consonants are pronounced by not using vocal cords. You can keep your hand on your throat over the vocal cords and feel the vibration with voiced sounds or no vibration with unvoiced sounds.

Example : Notice the difference between B and P. Keep the hand on your throat while saying then alternately. B is a voiced consonant and P is an unvoiced consonant.

Table of Hindi consonants

 

• क  ख    ग    घ   ङ
• ka kha  ga  gha  ṅa
• च  छ    ज   झ   ञ
• ca cha  ja  jha  ña
• ट  ठ       ड   ढ    ण
• ṭa ṭha  ḍa  ḍha  ṇa
• त    थ     द     ध     न
• ta tha  da   dha  na
• प   फ     ब     भ    म
• pa pha  ba  bha  ma
• य  र   ल   व
• ya ra   la   va
• श   ष     स    ह
• sha ṣha sa    ha
• क्ष  त्र      ज्ञ
• Ksh tra   gya

 

ASPIRATED consonants:

• ख [kha] makes sound of “kh” as in Khaki
• घ [gha] makes sound “gh” in Shanghai.
• छ [cha] makes sound of “ch” in choo choo train
• झ [jha] makes sound of “dge”  in hedgehog
• ठ [th] makes sound of “t” in tight.
• ढ [dh] makes sound “dh” in adhere.
• थ [tha] makes sound of “th” in thermos.
• ध [dha] makes sound of “dh” in dharma
• फ [pha] makes sound of “p” in push.
• भ [bha] makes sound of “bh” in abhor.
• श [sha] makes sound of “sh in shut.
• ष [sha] makes sound of “sh” in shut.

It occurs only in borrowed Sanskrit words in Hindi.

• ह [ha] makes sound of “h” in hurt
• क्ष [ksh] makes sound of “ictio” in friction.

UNASPIRATED consonants:

• क [ka] makes sound of “k” in skirt.
• ग [ga] makes sound of “g” in gum.
• ङ [nga] makes sound of “ong” in tongue.
• च [ca] makes sound of “ch” in church.
• ज [ja] makes sound of “j” in jug.
• ञ [nya] makes sound of “ina” pinata.
• ट [ta] makes sound of “t” in turf.
• ड [da] makes sound of “d” in dad.
• ण [ṇa] makes sound of “un” in grunt.
• त [ta] makes sound of “t” in pasta or “t” in Istanbul (city)
• द [da] makes sound of “th” in the or than
• न [na] makes sound “n” in nun.
• प [pa] makes sound of “p” in spit.
• ब [ba] makes sound of “b” in bus.
• म [ma] makes sound of “m” in mug.
• य [ya] makes sound of y” in yuck.
• र [ra] makes sound of “r” in run.
• ल [la] makes sound of “l” in luck.
• व [va] makes sound of “v in vent.
• स [sa] makes sound of “s” in sun

 

 

Rajasthani Language and dialects:

India is a very interesting country when it comes to languages. Usually people are very much surprised and awestruck when they find out that there are 22 official and numerous unofficial spoken languages in India and hundreds of dialects. Same rule applies to Rajasthan. Rajasthani is not one language. There are at least 18 spoken tongues or dialects in Rajasthan. It is still not settled that if they should be considered each a languages or a dialects. Then there are subdialects. These dialects are based on geographical area but also sometimes on the community or caste one is from. Word Rajasthani language was first used by Grierson who used the word “Rajasthani” to refer to the languages spoken in Rajasthan in the Linguistic Survey of India, published in 1908:

“Rajasthani means literally the language of Rajasthan….The name as connoting a language has been invented for the purposes of this survey in order to distinguish it from Western Hindi on the one hand and from Gujarati on the other.”

There has been a lot of push in Rajasthan to get national recognition for Rajasthani language. But it is still not part of 22 official languages of India. Though in Rajasthan, it is an unofficial second language. It is taught in universities and offered as an elective subject in some schools. The problem is that there is not one Rajasthani language so question arises which dialect to choose? How do you decide which dialect is worth promoting and others not?
More on different dialects and Rajasthan government’s effort to create a Unicode for Rajasthani language in my next blog…..Don’t forget to come back and check!