Bhojpuri language

Bhojpuri is a way to talk.

Many people use it. It is used in India and Nepal.

People also speak it in places like Fiji and Mauritius. It helps people share songs and stories. Some people use it to make music. This music is called Chutney music. It is a fun way to keep the language alive.

It is a special way to connect with others.

Bhojpuri is a way of speaking.

About 50.5 million people speak it. Most live in India and Nepal.

It is also spoken in many far places. These include Fiji, Mauritius, and Suriname. People also speak it in the Caribbean.

Bhojpuri has a long history. It comes from an old language called Magadhi Prakrit. Long ago, saints used Bhojpuri to share their ideas.

Between the years 1100 and 1400, people made folk stories. They also wrote songs. In the 1800s, many people moved to other countries for work. They took their language with them.

This helped create new kinds of music. In Trinidad, people made Chutney music. This music uses Bhojpuri sounds and English words. In Mauritius, singing helps keep the language alive. Today, some people worry about the language. They think Hindi might replace it. But Bhojpuri still brings people together through art and song.

Bhojpuri is a lively way of speaking used by many people.

About 50.5 million people spoke it according to the 2011 Census of India. Most speakers live in the Bhojpur-Purvanchal region of India and parts of Nepal. It is also spoken in places far away like Fiji, Mauritius, and Suriname. Some people in the Caribbean also speak varieties of it. In Fiji, a dialect called Fiji Hindi is used by Indo-Fijians.

This language is very important to the cultures of these different lands.

Learning how Bhojpuri works involves looking at its special sounds. It belongs to the Eastern Indo-Aryan group of languages. One unique thing is how it uses certain vowel sounds. For example, it has a drawled "a" sound. You can see this sound written with a special mark called an Avagraha.

The language also uses specific endings for verbs. To talk about the future, speakers add a suffix like "-ba" to a verb. This makes the language sound distinct from its close relatives.

Bhojpuri has a very long and interesting history. It is a descendant of an ancient language called Magadhi Prakrit. The name "Bhojpuri" comes from the word Bhojpur. This name traces back to the 12th century and the Raja Bhoj lineage.

Between the years 1100 and 1400, people created famous folk stories. These included tales like Lorikayan and Raja Bharthariar. Later, between 1400 and 1700, many saints used the language to share their beliefs. They even added Arabic and Persian words to the vocabulary.

Many important events changed how the language spread around the world. Between 1838 and 1917, many laborers moved to British colonies for work. They traveled to places like Trinidad, Guyana, and South Africa.

In these new homes, the language mixed with other local words. This created new musical styles like Chutney music in the Caribbean. In South Africa, the language was sometimes called "Kalkatia." Scholars like George Abraham Grierson studied the language deeply in the late 1800s. He even published collections of Bhojpuri folksongs in 1884.

Today, Bhojpuri continues to live through art and modern stories. In the 20th century, writers like Bhikhari Thakur made famous plays. These plays included titles like Bidesiya and Beti Bechwa.

The first Bhojpuri film, Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo, was released in 1962. This helped start a whole film industry for the language. However, UNESCO lists it as potentially vulnerable. This is because the influence of Hindi is growing in some areas. Still, music remains a powerful way for people to keep their traditions alive.

Bhojpuri is a vibrant Indo-Aryan language spoken by millions of people.

It is native to the Bhojpur-Purvanchal region of India and the Terai region of Nepal. According to the 2011 Census of India, approximately 50.5 million people speak the language. It is primarily found in eastern Uttar Pradesh, western Bihar, and northwestern Jharkhand. The language also has a global presence due to historical migration. It is a minority language in Fiji, Mauritius, Suriname, and parts of the Caribbean. In Fiji, the local dialect is known as Fiji Hindi. In the Caribbean, it is often called Caribbean Hindustani.

Linguistically, Bhojpuri is classified as an Eastern Indo-Aryan language. It belongs to the Bihari group alongside Magahi and Maithili. These languages are all direct descendants of the ancient Magadhi Prakrit. Scholars often categorize Bhojpuri as Western Magadhan. This is because it possesses unique properties not found in other Magadhan languages. For example, Bhojpuri uses the honorific pronoun "raürā" or "raüwā." This term is totally absent in other related languages. Additionally, the simple present tense in Bhojpuri uses a specific suffix. While Maithili uses "-chhi," Bhojpuri uses a suffix starting with "-la." This results in forms like "dēkhe-lā" for "he sees."

The sounds of Bhojpuri are also quite distinctive. One notable feature is the use of a drawled "a" vowel. This sound is often represented by a symbol called an Avagraha (ऽ). For instance, the word "dekh'la" is written as देेखऽलऽ. This drawled sound helps differentiate Bhojpuri from Middle Indo-Aryan languages. Another feature is how the language handles adjectives. In Hindi, adjectives often change based on the noun's gender. In Bhojpuri, adjectives do not change with the noun. For example, while Hindi uses "moṭā" or "moṭī," Bhojpuri simply uses "moṭ."

The history of the language is deeply tied to the name Bhojpur. This name comes from the descendants of Raja Bhoj from Ujjain. After they captured Shahabad in the 12th century, they named their capital Bhojpur. This area included modern districts like Buxar, Kaimur, and Rohtas. The word "Bhojpuri" itself is derived from this place. The earliest written mention of the word appears as "Bodjpooria" in 1789.

Throughout history, the language has had many different names. In the Mughal armies, speakers were called "Buxariya." In Bengal, they were known as "Paschhimas." Some scholars even suggested names like "Mallika" or "Kashiki."

Bhojpuri has evolved through several distinct historical stages. Between 1100 and 1400 A.D., much Bhojpuri folklore emerged. This included famous tales like Lorikayan and Raja Bharthariar. During the period of saints from 1400 to 1700, many religious leaders used Bhojpuri for discourse. Figures like Kabir and Dariya Saheb spoke the language. During this time, Arabic and Persian words also entered the vocabulary. Between 1838 and 1917, the language became international. This happened because many laborers were taken to British colonies as plantation workers.

This migration created unique varieties of the language across the world. In South Africa, the language was sometimes called "Kalkatia." This variety was influenced by contact with English, Zulu, and Fanagalo. In the Caribbean, the language helped create new musical genres. In Trinidad and Tobago, Bhojpuri folk traditions evolved into Chutney music. This genre often mixes Bhojpuri elements with English lyrics and Soca rhythms. In Mauritius, music is a primary way people maintain the language. They often mix Bhojpuri with Mauritian Creole in their songs.

In the modern era, Bhojpuri continues to influence art and media. The 20th century saw great contributions from writers like Bhikhari Thakur. He wrote famous plays such as "Bidesiya" and "Beti Bechwa."

The Bhojpuri film industry began in 1962 with the movie "Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo." However, the language faces some modern challenges. UNESCO lists Bhojpuri as a potentially vulnerable language. This is due to the heavy influence of Hindi. For example, the traditional word "Bujhã" is often replaced by the Hindi word "Samjhã."