Kutchi language

Not to be confused with the Kachi Koli or the Kachin languages or with the Kacchi dialect of Thali.

Kutchi (/ˈkʌtʃi/; કચ્છી, 𑊺𑋀𑋪𑋁𑋢, ڪڇّي) or Kachhi^[b] is a dialect of Sindhi spoken in the Kutch region of Gujarat, and some parts of Rajasthan, India and Sindh, Pakistan.^[4][5] The Jadeja rulers of Cutch and Rajputs of Kutch, speak Kutchi language.^[6] Apart from Rajputs, Kutchi Jains, Kutchi Lohana, Kutchi Rabari, Sidis of Kutch even today use Kutchi in their home as lanugage of communication.

Kutchi
કચ્છી, 𑊺𑋀𑋪𑋁𑋢, ڪڇّي
Kutchi in Khudabadi, Gujarati and Sindhi scripts
Native to	India Pakistan[1]
Region	Kutch (India) Sindh (Pakistan) [a]
Ethnicity	Kutchi
Native speakers	1,031,000 (in India) (2011)[2]
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Northwestern Sindhic Kutchi
Dialects	Kutchi-Swahili
Writing system	Gujarati,[3] Khudabadi, Khojki, Perso-Arabic
Language codes
ISO 639-3	kfr
Glottolog	kach1277
Sindhic languages. Kutchi language shown in pink

Influences from other languages

Some scholars have considered Kutchi to be a dialect of Sindhi, but the two languages are quite distinct from one another.^[7] Over time, it has borrowed vocabulary from Gujarati. The variety of Kutchi spoken in Sindh and in the Banni region of Kutch is more similar to the Lari dialect of Sindhi, whereas the Kutchi spoken in the eastern parts of Kutch has more Gujarati influence, and is slowly becoming more similar to Gujarati.

Most Kutchis living in India are bilingual or trilingual, due to exposure to closely related neighbouring languages such as Gujarati. Many Pakistani Kutchis are also bilingual or trilingual; many residents of Karachi speak Kutchi.^[1][8] Its differences from neighbouring languages are more pronounced in its spoken varieties, but it has many loans from Gujarati, Marwari (a major western Rajasthani language) and Hindi-Urdu as well. Kutchi-speakers are often part of the Charans, Jadeja, Bhanushalis, Lohanas, Brahmins (Rajgor), Meghwals, Visa Oswal and Dasa Osval (Oshwal) Jains, Ismaili Khojas and followers of the Satpanth, Bhatias, Rabaris, Muslim Kutchi Khatris, the Muslim Rajput-Rayma, or Kutchi Memons.^[9]

During the British reign, many traders and families of the Kutchi communities left the Indian subcontinent and settled in regions of East Africa such as Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zaire/Congo, and even as far south as South Africa. The landing point of entry into Africa was in Zanzibar, a trading post of goods between India and East Africa in the late 1800s. Kutchi communities in this region often integrated Swahili words and phrases into their language, producing a creole language called Kutchi-Swahili.

Common words and phrases

There are distinct regional accents and variations in grammar. As in many languages spoken along Asian trade routes. Many Kutchi speakers also speak Gujarati as a separate language, especially as it is the language in which Kutchi speakers customarily write. Kutchi speakers' Gujarati accent and usage tends towards standard forms that any Gujarati speaker would be able to understand.

The following words are commonly used by Hindu individuals descending from the Kutch rural area of Gujarat, India, who, especially if in east Africa, reject Kutchi. These are colloquial forms of general Gujarati phrases that are often used in daily conversation in villages, particularly of Kutchi predominance, and are Gujaratisized versions of Kutchi words. Kutchi is also very close to Sindhi and Gujarati due to historical, cultural and geographic influences. These relationships are evident in the following examples:

Kutchi	Sindhi	Gujarati	Memoni	Gloss
Chhado hane/Chhadyo	Chad hane/Chhadyo hane	Chhodo have	Chhadyo Hane	Now drop it
Achanto/Vinanto	Maan Achan-tho/Va(n)a-tho	Aavu(n)' chhu(n)' / Jaau(n)' chhu(n)'	Achanto/Vinato	I am coming / going
Kichadi Khyo taa?	Kichadi khaaoo/khayo tha?	Kichdi khaao chho?	Kichadi Khiyo taa?	Are you eating kichdi?
Toke vaanchejo naye?	Tokhe Van(j)ro nahe?'	Tare javanu nathi?	Toke vanchejo naye?	Don't you have to go?
Booey taraf ji ticket	Binhi/Ba-ii taraf ji ticket	Banne taraf ni ticket	Banne taraf ji ticket	A round trip ticket
Mujo samaan vinayi viyo	Muhinjo Samaan Vi(n-ae)ayji wayo/wiyo	Maro saman khovai gayo che	Mijo samaan khovai vayo	I lost my luggage

Note: Bracketed texts indicate nasal or strong sounds

Writing system

Kutchi is normally written using a modified version of the Gujarati script.^[3] Many books and magazines are published in the language using the modified Gujarati script, including Vadhod ("Inquiry"). In parts of Pakistan, the modified Perso-Arabic script is used instead.^[10] In earlier times it was written in the Khudabadi and Khojki scripts, the latter of which is now extinct. Additionally, there may have been a Kutchi script, samples of which may be in the Kutch Museum^{[citation needed]}. Below is a table of how different Kutchi words can be written in different scripts:

Meaning	Transliteration	Gujarati Script	Perso-Arabic Script	Khojki Script
Boy	Chokro	છોકરો	چوڪرو	𑈏𑈲𑈈𑈦𑈲
Clothes	Kapraa	કપ્રા	کپڑا	𑈈𑈟𑈵𑈦𑈬
Goodbye	Aavjo	આવજો	آوجو	𑈁𑈨𑈐𑈲
How are you doing?	Tu Kii Ai?	તુ કી આય?	تو کی آے؟	𑈙𑈯𑈺𑈈𑈮𑈺𑈁𑈥?
What happened?	Kuro Thiyoh?	કુરુ થિયુ?	کرو تھیو؟	𑈈𑈯𑈦𑈯𑈺𑈚𑈮𑈥𑈯?
Where is it?	Kidaa Ai?	કિદા આય?	کدا آے؟	𑈈𑈭𑈛𑈬𑈺𑈁𑈥?
Note: Bracketed texts indicate nasal or strong sounds

One of the issues confronting research into the Kutchi is the inaccessibility of information about the language. The Kutchi Language Online website (now archived) maintains a list of Kutchi vocabulary words, which can be accessed through their website.^[11] Dr Rajul Shah, an ayurvedic doctor, psychologist and a graphologist has created a script to use for the language.^[12][13]

Kutchi people

Main article: Kutchi people

See also

• Kutchi cinema
• Kutchi Memon
• Memoni language
• Oswal
• Bhatia
• Lohana
• Khojki
• Bhanushali
• Patidar
• Meghwal

Notes

1. Also spoken in parts of Rajasthan and Sindh near the border with Kutch, India
2. Katchi, Kutchhi, Kachchi, Kachchhi, Kachhi, or Cutchi.