{{short description|Group of Eastern Indo-Aryan languages}} {{Distinguish|text = the languages of Bihar}} {{EngvarB|date=October 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox language family | name = Bihari | region = India and Nepal | ethnicity = Biharis (demonym) | familycolor = Indo-European | fam2 = Indo-Iranian | fam3 = Indo-Aryan | fam4 = Eastern | child1 = Bajjika | child2 = Angika | child3 = Bhojpuri | child4 = Bote-Darai | child5 = Danwar | child6 = Kumhali | child7 = Magahi | child8 = Maithili | child9 = Sadanic | child10 = Tharuic | glotto = biha1245 | glottorefname = Bihari | iso1 = bh (deprecated)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Change to Part 1 Language Code {{!}} ISO 639-3 |url=https://iso639-3.sil.org/about/news/change-part-1-language-code |access-date=8 October 2024 |website=iso639-3.sil.org}}</ref> | iso2 = bih }} '''Bihari languages''' are a group of the Indo-Aryan languages.<ref>{{cite book |last=Masica |first=Colin P. |year=1991 |title=The Indo-Aryan Languages |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=12, 26, 446–462}}</ref><ref>[https://www.ethnologue.com/subgroups/bihari Bihari] at ''Ethnologue'' (23rd ed., 2020).</ref> The Bihari languages are mainly spoken in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, and also in Nepal.<ref>Yadava, Y. P. (2013). Linguistic context and language endangerment in Nepal. Nepalese Linguistics 28: 262–274.</ref><ref name="auto1">Brass, Paul R. (1974). ''Language, Religion and Politics in North India''. Cambridge University Press.</ref> The most widely spoken languages of the Bihari group are Bajjika, Angika, Bhojpuri, Magahi and Maithili.
Despite the large number of speakers of these languages, only Maithili has been constitutionally recognised in India. Which gained constitutional status via the 92nd amendment to the Constitution of India, of 2003 (gaining assent in 2004).<ref>{{cite web |title= The Constitution (Ninety-Second Amendment) Act, 2003 |url= http://india.gov.in/my-government/constitution-india/amendments/constitution-india-ninety-second-amendment-act-2003 |date= 7 January 2004 |website = National Portal of India |access-date= 11 April 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150412014818/http://india.gov.in/my-government/constitution-india/amendments/constitution-india-ninety-second-amendment-act-2003 |archive-date = 12 April 2015}}</ref> Maithili and Bhojpuri have constitutional recognition in Nepal.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-in-school/nepal/article24876497.ece |title = Nepal|newspaper = The Hindu|date = 6 September 2018|last1 = Kumayaa|first1 = Harshitha}}</ref> Bhojpuri-Awadhi mix is also official in Fiji as Fiji Hindi. There are demands for including Bhojpuri and Magahi/Khortha in the 8th schedule of Indian constitution.
In Bihar, Hindi is the language used for educational and official matters.<ref name=Damani2015>{{cite web |last = Damani |first= Guarang |title= History of Indian Languages |url = http://www.diehardindian.com/history-of-indian-languages |date = 2015 |website = Die-hard Indian |access-date = 11 April 2015 |url-status= live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150413223200/http://www.diehardindian.com/history-of-indian-languages |archive-date = 13 April 2015}}</ref> These languages were legally absorbed under the overarching label Hindi in the 1961 Census. Such state and national politics are creating conditions for language endangerments.<ref>{{cite conference |last = Verma | first = Mahandra K.| title = Language Endangerment and Indian languages : An exploration and a critique| year = 2001| book-title = Linguistic Structure and Language Dynamics in South Asia| isbn = 9788120817654| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tcfJY7kANo8C&q=awadhi+and+magahi+languages&pg=PA5 }}</ref> After independence, Hindi was given the sole official status through the Bihar Official Language Act of 1950.<ref>{{cite book |last=Brass |first=Paul R. |title=The Politics of India Since Independence |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dtKe6XV8z7wC&pg=PA183 |edition=Second |date=8 September 1994 |page=183 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521459709 |access-date=11 April 2015}}</ref> Hindi was displaced as the sole official language of Bihar in 1981, when Urdu was accorded the status of the second official language.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Benedikter |first1=Thomas |title=Language Policy and Linguistic Minorities in India: An Appraisal of the Linguistic Rights of Minorities in India |year=2009 |publisher=LIT Verlag Münster |isbn=978-3-643-10231-7 |page=89 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vpZv2GHM7VQC&pg=PA89 |language=en}}</ref>
== Speakers == {{See also|Languages in Bihar| Maithili language|Bhojpuri language|Angika|Bajjika|Magahi|Magadhi Prakrit|Hindi in Bihar}}
The number of speakers of Bihari languages is difficult to indicate because of unreliable sources. In the urban region most educated speakers of the language name Hindi as their language because this is what they use in formal contexts and believe it to be the appropriate response because of unawareness.{{Clarify|reason=Unawareness of what? Of what languages they speak? Of what languages they grew up with natively? Of what other people understand the vague phrase "your language" to mean?|date=July 2023}} The educated and the urban population of the region return Hindi as the generic name for their language.<ref name=Cardona2003 >{{cite book |editor1-last=Cardona |editor1-first=George |editor1-link=George Cardona |editor2-last=Jain |editor2-first=Dhanesh |title=The Indo-Aryan Languages |date=11 September 2003 |page=500 |publisher=Routledge |series=Routledge Language Family Series |isbn=978-0415772945}}</ref>
British linguist Grierson also mentioned that Bajjika, Angika and Surjapuri are also spoken in particular districts of Bihar. These languages are mostly spoken in rural areas.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 October 2020 |title=बिहार में कितनी भाषाएं बोली जाती है? जानिए किन इलाकों में कौन सी भाषा बोली जाती है |url=https://mainmedia.in/regionwise-different-languages-of-bihar-state/ |website=Main Media |language=Hi-IN}}</ref>
== Languages and dialects == {{-}} {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Language<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/browse/families|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104043633/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=287-16|url-status=dead|title=Browse by Language Family|archive-date=4 January 2012|website=Ethnologue|access-date=20 December 2019}}</ref> ! ISO 639-3 ! Scripts ! data-sort-type="number" |No. of speakers<ref name=Cardona2003/> ! Geographical distribution |- | '''Angika''' || anp || Devanagari; previously Kaithi; Anga Lipi || 743,600<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/language/anp |title=Angika |access-date=17 March 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324184439/http://www.ethnologue.com/language/anp |archive-date=24 March 2016 }}</ref> ||Eastern Bihar, North-eastern Jharkhand and Eastern Madhesh of Nepal |- | '''Bajjika''' || – || Devanagari; previously Tirhuta; Kaithi || 8,738,000{{citation needed|date=January 2015}} || North-Central Bihar and Eastern Madhesh of Nepal |- | '''Bhojpuri''' || bho || Devanagari; previously Kaithi || 52,245,300<ref>{{cite web |title=Bhojpuri |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/bho |website=Ethnologue |access-date=21 December 2020 |language=en}}</ref> || '''Recognized language in Nepal, Official language''' in Fiji (as the Fiji Hindi) and Jharkhand (additional) '''In India''' : Western Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Western Jharkhand, Northern Chhattisgarh, Northeastern Madhya Pradesh
Terai region of Central Nepal |- | '''Khortha''' || _(sometimes counted under Magahi) || Devanagari; previously Tirhuta || 8,040,000<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/Language_MTs.html|title=Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues – 2011|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|website=censusindia.gov.in|access-date=7 July 2018}}</ref>|| South Bihar, North-eastern and North central Jharkhand |- | '''Kudmali (Panchpargania)''' || kyw, tdb || Devanagari; sometimes Bengali, Kaithi || 556,809<ref name="auto"/>|| South-Eastern Jharkhand, Southern West Bengal,<ref>{{cite web |title=Kudmali |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/kyw |website=Ethnologue |access-date=25 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref> northern Odisha, Assam |- | '''Magahi''' || mag || Devanagari; previously Tirhuta; Kaithi, Siddham script || 14,035,600<ref name="eth2016">{{cite web|title=India|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/19/country/IN/languages/|website=Ethnologue|date=2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20171002104725/http://www.ethnologue.com/19/country/IN/languages/|archive-date=2 October 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> || South Bihar, North Jharkhand and Eastern Madhesh of Nepal |- | '''Maithili''' || mai || Devanagari; previously Tirhuta, Kaithi ||33,890,000<ref name="eth2016"/> || Northern and eastern Bihar, Jharkhand<ref>{{cite news |title=मैथिली को भी मिलेगा दूसरी राजभाषा का दर्जा |url=https://www.livehindustan.com/jharkhand/story-maithili-will-get-second-state-language-status-in-jharkhand-1835624.html |last=Praveen |access-date=30 December 2020 |work=Hindustan |date=6 March 2018 |language=hindi}}</ref> and Eastern Madhesh of Nepal |- | '''Nagpuri (Sadri)''' || sck || Devanagari; previously Kaithi || 5,100,000<ref name="auto"/>|| West-central Jharkhand, North-eastern Chhattisgarh, Northwestern Odisha |- | '''Tharu''' || thl, tkt, thr, the, thq, tkb, soi || Devanagari || 1,900,000<ref name="auto"/><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=National Population and Housing census 2021 of Nepal |url=https://censusnepal.cbs.gov.np/results/files/result-folder/Caste%20Ethnicity_report_NPHC_2021.pdf}}</ref>|| Terai regions of Nepal and some parts of border side areas of Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand and Bihar |- |'''Danuwar''' |dhw |Devanagari |46,000 <ref name="auto" /><ref name=":0" /> |Nepal |- |'''Bote-Darai''' |bmj, dry |Devanagari |30,000<ref name="auto" /><ref name=":0" /> |Nepal |- | '''Kumhali''' || kra || Devanagari || 12,000<ref name="auto"/><ref name=":0" />|| Nepal |- |'''Majhi''' |mjz |Devanagari |24,000<ref name="auto" /><ref name=":0" /> |Nepal |}
== References and footnotes == {{reflist|30em}}
== External links == {{interwiki|code=anp|Angika}} {{interwiki|code=bh|Bhojpuri}} {{interwiki|code=hif}} {{interwiki|code=mai}} * [https://books.google.com/books?id=NNMvAAAAYAAJ ''A Comparative dictionary of the Bihārī language, Volume 1'' By August Friedrich Rudolf Hoernle, Sir George Abraham Grierson (1885)] * [http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/documentation.asp?id=bih Documentation for ISO 639 identifier: bih], on www.sil.org * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080703182855/http://www.nalandaopenuniversity.com/courses.html Nalanda Open University offers courses on Bihari languages (Magahi, Bhojpuri, Maithili)]
{{Bihari languages}} {{Bihar topics}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bihari languages}} Category:Bihari languages Category:Languages of India Category:Culture of Bihar Category:Eastern Indo-Aryan languages Category:Languages of Nepal