Bhili language

Bhili (Bhili: भीली), IPA: [bʱiːliː], is a Western Indo-Aryan language spoken in west-central India, in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.^[3] Other name for the language include Bhilboli; several varieties are called Garasia. Bhili is a member of the Bhil languages, which are related to Gujarati and Rajasthani. The language is written using the Devanagari script.

Bhili
भीली
The word "Bhili" written in Devanagari script
Native to	India
Region	Bhil Pradesh (Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra)
Ethnicity	Bhil
Native speakers	3,206,533 (2011 census)[1]
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Western Indo-Aryan Bhil Central Bhili
Writing system	Devanagari, Gujarati[2]
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Variously: bhb – Bhili (Bhagoria, Bhilboli, Patelia) gas – Adiwasi Garasia gra – Rajput Garasia (Dungri)
Glottolog	bhil1251  Bhili rajp1235  Rajput Garasia adiw1235  Adiwasi Garasia
Percentage Bhili speakers by Indian district, 2011

Bhili has no official status in India.

Phonology

Consonants

		Labial	Dental/ Alveolar	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Stop	voiceless	p	t	ʈ		k
	aspirated	pʰ	tʰ	ʈʰ		kʰ
	voiced	b	d	ɖ		ɡ
	breathy	bʱ	dʱ	ɖʱ		ɡʱ
Affricate	voiceless				tʃ
	voiced				dʒ
Fricative			s		(ʃ)		h
Nasal		m	n	ɳ		(ŋ)
Lateral			l	ɭ
Trill			r
Approximant		w			j

• /w/ may also be heard as [ʋ] in free variation.
• /ʃ/ occurs in loanwords from Persian and Hindi.^[4]
• [ŋ] is heard as an allophone of /n/ preceding /k/.

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
High	i		u
Mid-high	e	ə	o
Mid-low	ɛ		ɔ
Low	(æ)	a

• Vowels /i, u/ can also be heard as [ɪ, ʊ].
• [æ] is borrowed from Hindi.
• /ə/ may also be heard as [ɤ] in final position.^[5]

Further reading

• Bodhankar, Anantrao. Bhillori (Bhilli) – English Dictionary. Pune: Tribal Research & Training Institute, 2002.^{[[[Wikipedia:Cleanup|not Bhilori language?]]]}
• Jungblut, L. A Short Bhili Grammar of Jhabua State and Adjoining Territories. S.l: s.n, 1937.
• Thompson, Charles S. Rudiments of the Bhili Language. Ahmedabad [India]: United Printing Press, 1895.

See also

• Languages of India
• Languages with official status in India
• List of Indian languages by total speakers

References

1. "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
2. "ScriptSource - Bhili". Retrieved 13 February 2017.
3. Ishtiaq, M. (1999). Language Shifts Among the Scheduled Tribes in India, A Geographical Study. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. ISBN 9788120816176.
4. Phillips, Maxwell P. (2012). Dialect Continuum in the Bhil Tribal Belt: Grammatical Aspects. University of London.
5. Vyas, Yogendra Dhirubhai (1967). A linguistic study of Bhili dialects: A descriptive study of central and north Bhili. Ahmedabad: Gujarat University.