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| Kangri | |
|---|---|
| कांगड़ी | |
 Kangri written in Takri and Devanagari | |
| Native to | India |
| Region | Himachal Pradesh |
Native speakers | 1.1 million (2011)[1] |
| Takri,Devanagari | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | xnr |
| Glottolog | kang1280 |
Kangri (Takri:𑚊𑚭𑚫𑚌𑚪𑚯) is aWestern Pahari language, spoken inHimachal Pradesh, predominantly in theKangra district,Hamirpur district and hilly parts ofUna district ofHimachal Pradesh, as well as in some parts ofMandi andChamba districts ofHimachal Pradesh and in hilly parts ofPathankot andHoshiarpur districts ofPunjab.[1] It is also spoken in some areas ofJammu region and in a few villages ofPakistan by the people belonging to the families migrated fromKangra region. It is associated with the people of theKangra.[1]
Like most ofIndo-Aryan languages, Kangri does form a dialect continuum with its neighbouring languages. This includes the Pahari varieties spoken to the eastMandeali andKullui, north toChambeali,Gaddi &Bhateali, south-east toKahluri andHinduri, Baghliani, Baghati and Keonthali dialects ofMahasui. Besides it also share continuum north-west toDogri.[2] It is classified underWestern Pahari.
The native script of the language isTakri Script but now people write Kangri Language in Devanagari script.
| Labial | Dental/ Alveolar | Retroflex | Post-alv./ Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | (ɳ) | ||||
| Plosive/ Affricate | voiceless | p | t | ʈ | tʃ | k | |
| aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | ʈʰ | tʃʰ | kʰ | ||
| voiced | b | d | ɖ | dʒ | ɡ | ||
| Fricative | s | ɦ | |||||
| Lateral | l | ɭ | |||||
| Tap | ɾ | ɽ,ɽ̃ | |||||
| Approximant | (j) | ||||||
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | iː | uː | |
| Near-close | ɪ | ʊ | |
| Mid | e | ə | o |
| Open-mid | ɔ | ||
| Open | æ | ɑː |
Kangri is a tonal language like Punjabi or Dogri but the assignment of tones differs in Kangri when compared to them.[4]
Most of the surrounding language varieties (including Kangri) lack voiced, aspirated obstruents (J. C. Sharma 2002, Masica 1993). The cognates of Hindi voiced, aspirated obstruents are voiced but have no aspiration. They are distinct from the cognates of voiced unaspirated obstruents by the tone induced by the loss of aspiration. Another difference to note between Kangri and Punjabi/Dogri is that these forms surface as voiced consonants in Kangri, but voiceless consonants in Punjabi/Dogri. That is, Kangri has lost the aspiration (in gaining tone), but Punjabi/Dogri has lost both aspiration and voicing. It is likely that these are separate innovations which originated in the West (Punjab or Jammu & Kashmir) and have spread outwards. The loss of aspiration (and gaining of tone) has been fully realized in all three languages, but the loss of voicing has not yet reached Kangri.[4]
The pronouns of Kangri for different persons and numbers are as follows:
| Person | Number | Kangri | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Singular | मैं | mæ̃ |
| Plural | असाँ / अहाँ | əsãː / əhãː | |
| 2nd | Singular | तू | t̪u |
| Plural | तुसाँ / त्वहाँ | t̪usãː / t̪vəhãː | |
| 3rd | Singular & Plural | सै | sæ |
Using the nounघर (/kʰər/, "home") as an example, the cases in Kangri are:
| Case | Kangri | Hindi Equivalent | English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | घर | घर | home |
| Accusative | घरे यो/जो | घर को | to home |
| Ergative | घरैँ | घर ने | (by) home |
| Comitative | घरेने | घर के साथ | with home |
| Instrumental | घरेते | घर से | through home |
| Dative | घरेताँइ | घर के लिए | for home |
| Ablative | घरेते | घर से | from home |
| Genitive | घरे दा / दे / दि / दियाँ | घर का / की / के | of home |
| Case | Kangri | Hindi Equivalent | English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inessive | घरेच | घर में | in home |
| Adessive | घरे पर | घर पर | on home |
| Case | Kangri | Hindi Equivalent | English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vocative | घर॑ | ओ घर | O home |
| Semblative | घर देआ / दए / दइ / दीयाँ | घर सा / सी / से | like home |
| Similative | घरे साइ | घर जैसा | similar to home |
| Terminative | घरे तिक्कर | घर तक | up to home |
| Noun | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| घर | घरे | घरेयाँ |
| घड़ा | घड़े | घड़ेयाँ |
| नदी | नदिया | नदियाँ |
| घ्यो | घ्यो | घ्योआँ |
The language is commonly clubbed asPahari orHimachali. Some Dogri linguists have referred Kangri as part of their language due to similarities and decent mutual intelligibility between them.[5][6][need quotation to verify] This is generally observed only in bordering lects due to dialect continuum present among many Indo-Aryan languages. Kangri writers & poets have been making submissions to Pahari language's cause under Himachal Pradesh Academy of Arts, Culture & Languages (HPAACL).[7] The language has no official status. According to theUnited Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the language is of definitely endangered category, i.e. many Kangri children are not learning Kangri as their mother tongue any longer.
The demand for the inclusion of 'Western Pahari' under the Eight Schedule of the Constitution, which is supposed to represent multiple Pahari languages of Himachal Pradesh, had been made in the year 2010 by thestate's Vidhan Sabha.[8] There has been no positive progress on this matter since then even when small organisations are taking it upon themselves to save the language.[9]
Gautam Sharma Vyathit andChandrarekha Dhadwal are noted for their contributions to the preservation of Kangri folk songs as well as their novel contributions to Kangri literature.
