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| Marwari | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pronunciation | [mɑɾvɑɽi] |
| Native to | India |
| Region | Marwar |
| Ethnicity | Marwari |
Native speakers | 21 million, total count (2011 census)[1] (additional speakers counted under Hindi)[2] |
| Devanagari (in India) Perso-Arabic (in Pakistan) Mahajani (historical) | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | mwr |
| ISO 639-3 | mwr – inclusive codeIndividual codes: dhd – Dhundarirwr – Marwari (India)mve – Marwari (Pakistan)wry – Merwarimtr – Mewariswv – Shekhawati |
| Glottolog | Noneraja1256 scattered in Rajasthani |
 Dark green indicates Marwari speaking home area in Rajasthan, light green indicates additional dialect areas where speakers identify their language as Marwari. | |
Marwari (मारवाड़ी,مارواڑی,Mārwāṛī,IPA:[maɾwaɽi])[a] is aWestern Indo-Aryan language belonging to theIndo-Iranian subdivision of theIndo-European languages. Marwari and its closely related varieties likeDhundhari,Shekhawati andMewari form a part of the broader Rajasthani language family. It is spoken in the Indian state ofRajasthan, as well as the neighbouring states ofGujarat andHaryana, some adjacent areas in eastern parts ofPakistan, and some migrant communities inNepal.[4][5][6] There are two dozen varieties of Marwari.
Marwari is popularly written inDevanagari script, as are many languages ofIndia andNepal, includingHindi,Marathi,Nepali, andSanskrit; although it was historically written inMahajani, it is still written in thePerso-Arabic script by the Marwari minority in Eastern parts ofPakistan (the standard/westernNaskh script variant is used inSindh Province, and the easternNastalik variant is used inPunjab Province), where it has educational status but where it is rapidly shifting toUrdu.[7]
Marwari has no official status in India and is not used as a language of education. Marwari is still spoken widely inJodhpur,Pali,Jaisalmer,Barmer,Nagaur, andBikaner. It is also one of the most common languages spoken byIndians in Kenya.
It is believed that Marwari andGujarati evolved fromOld Western Rajasthani orDingal.[8] Formal grammar of Gurjar Apabhraṃśa was written byJain monk andGujarati scholarHemachandra Suri.[citation needed]
Marwari is primarily spoken in the Indian state ofRajasthan. Marwari speakers have dispersed widely throughout India and other countries but are found most notably in the neighbouring state ofGujarat and in EasternPakistan. Speakers are also found inBhopal. With around 7.9 million speakers in India according to the 2001 census.[9]
Somedialects of Marwari are:[10]
| Dialect | Spoken in |
|---|---|
| Thali/Bikaneri | Bikaner,Jaisalmer,Phalodi,Balotra districts |
| Godwari | Jalore,Sirohi,Sanchore,Pali districts |
| Dhatki | EasternSindh andBarmer |
| Shekhawati | Jhunjhunu,Sikar,Neem ka thana districts |
| Standard Marwari | Ajmer,Beawer,Jodhpur,Kekri,Nagore |
Indian Marwari [rwr] in Rajasthan shares a 50%–65% lexical similarity with Hindi (this is based on aSwadesh 210 word list comparison). It has manycognate words with Hindi. Notable phonetic correspondences include /s/ in Hindi with /h/ in Marwari. For example, /sona/ 'gold' (Hindi) and /hono/ 'gold' (Marwari).
Pakistani Marwari [mve] shares 87%lexical similarity between its Southern subdialects in Sindh (Utradi, Jaxorati, and Larecha) and Northern subdialects in Punjab (Uganyo, Bhattipo, and Khadali), 79%–83% withDhakti [mki], and 78% with Meghwar and Bhat Marwari dialects. Mutual intelligibility of Pakistani Marwari [mve] with Indian Marwari [rwr] is decreasing due to the rapid shift of active speakers in Pakistan toUrdu, their use of theArabic script and different sources of support medias, and their separation from Indian Marwaris, even if there are some educational efforts to keep it active (but absence of official recognition by Pakistani or provincial government level). Many words have been borrowed from other Pakistani languages.[7]
Merwari [wry] shares 82%–97% intelligibility of Pakistani Marwari [mve], with 60%–73% lexical similarity between Merwari varieties in Ajmer and Nagaur districts, but only 58%–80% with Shekhawati [swv], 49%–74% with Indian Marwari [rwr], 44%–70% with Godwari [gdx], 54%–72% with Mewari [mtr], 62%–70% with Dhundari [dhd], 57%–67% with Haroti [hoj]. Unlike Pakistani Marwari [mve], the use of Merwari remains vigorous, even if its most educated speakers also proficiently speakHindi [hin].[11]
| Dialect | Lexical Similarity withHindi | Phonetic Correspondences |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Marwari [rwr] | 50%–65% | Notable: /s/ in Hindi → /h/ in Marwari (e.g., /sona/ 'gold' → /hono/ 'gold') |
| Pakistani Marwari [mve] | 87% (SouthernSindh) / 79%–83% (Dhakti [mki]) / 78% (Meghwar, Bhat Marwari) | Mutual intelligibility decreasing due to shifts inPakistan |
| Merwari [wry] | 82%–97% (with Pakistani Marwari [mve]) / 60%–73% (Ajmer,Nagaur) | 58%–80% (Shekhawati [swv]) / 49%–74% (Indian Marwari [rwr]) / 44%–70% (Godwari [gdx]) / 54%–72% (Mewari [mtr]) / 62%–70% (Dhundari [dhd]) / 57%–67% (Haroti [hoj]) |
| Merwari [wry] vs. Pakistani Marwari [mve] | Intelligibility: 82%–97% | |
| Merwari [wry] vs. Indian Marwari [rwr] | Intelligibility: 49%–74% | |
| Merwari [wry] vs. Shekhawati [swv] | Intelligibility: 58%–80% | |
| Merwari [wry] vs. Godwari [gdx] | Intelligibility: 44%–70% | |
| Merwari [wry] vs. Mewari [mtr] | Intelligibility: 54%–72% | |
| Merwari [wry] vs. Dhundari [dhd] | Intelligibility: 62%–70% | |
| Merwari [wry] vs. Haroti [hoj] | Intelligibility: 57%–67% |
| Front | Central | Back | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | ||
| ɪ | ʊ | |||
| Mid | e | ə | o | |
| ɛ | ɔ | |||
| Open | ä | |||
Marwari languages have a structure that is quite similar to Hindustani (Hindi or Urdu).[citation needed] Their primary word order issubject–object–verb[15][16][17][18][19] Most of the pronouns and interrogatives used in Marwari are distinct from those used in Hindi; at least Marwari proper andHarauti have aclusivity distinction in their plural pronouns.[citation needed]
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Marwari vocabulary is somewhat similar to other Western Indo-Aryan languages, especiallyRajasthani andGujarati, however, elements of grammar and basic terminology differ enough to significantly impede mutual intelligibility.
Word List
Swadesh 100-word list with Marwari translations and IPA transcriptions, illustrating core vocabulary for linguistic comparison and historical linguistics.
| Sr. No. | Marwari Meaning | IPA | English Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | म्हूं | /mʰũː/ | I |
| 2 | थूं | /tʰũː/ | you (singular) |
| 3 | आपण | /aːpəɳ/ | we |
| 4 | ई | /iː/ | this |
| 5 | ऊ | /uː/ | that |
| 6 | कोण | /koːɳ/ | who |
| 7 | के | /keː/ | what |
| 8 | नइ | /nəi/ | not |
| 9 | सगळो | /səgəɭoː/ | all |
| 10 | ढेर | /ɖʰeːɾ/ | many |
| 11 | एक | /eːk/ | one |
| 12 | बी | /biː/ | two |
| 13 | थाळो | /tʰaːɭoː/ | big |
| 14 | लांबो | /laːmboː/ | long |
| 15 | नान्डो | /naːɳɖoː/ | small |
| 16 | औरत | /ɔːɾət/ | woman |
| 17 | मर्द | /mərd̪/ | man (adult male) |
| 18 | आदमी | /aːd̪miː/ | person |
| 19 | माछली | /maːtʃʰliː/ | fish |
| 20 | चिड़ी | /tʃɪɖiː/ | bird |
| 21 | कुक्कुर | /kʊkkʊɾ/ | dog |
| 22 | जूं | /d͡ʒũː/ | louse |
| 23 | रुख | /ɾʊkʰ/ | tree |
| 24 | बीज | /biːd͡ʒ/ | seed |
| 25 | पात | /paːt̪/ | leaf |
| 26 | जड़ | /d͡ʒəɽ/ | root |
| 27 | छाल | /tʃʰaːl/ | bark (of a tree) |
| 28 | चमड़ी | /tʃəmɖiː/ | skin |
| 29 | मास | /maːs/ | meat |
| 30 | लहू | /ləhʊ/ | blood |
| 31 | हड्डी | /ɦəɖɖiː/ | bone |
| 32 | चर्बी | /tʃəɾbiː/ | grease |
| 33 | अंडो | /əɳɖoː/ | egg |
| 34 | सींग | /siːŋ/ | horn |
| 35 | पूंछ | /pũːtʃʰ/ | tail |
| 36 | पांख | /paːŋkʰ/ | feather |
| 37 | केस | /keːs/ | hair |
| 38 | माथो | /maːtʰoː/ | head |
| 39 | कान | /kaːn/ | ear |
| 40 | आँख | /aːnkʰ/ | eye |
| 41 | नाक | /naːk/ | nose |
| 42 | मुख | /mʊkʰ/ | mouth |
| 43 | दांत | /d̪aːnt̪/ | tooth |
| 44 | जिह्वा | /d͡ʒɪɦʋaː/ | tongue |
| 45 | नख | /nəkʰ/ | fingernail |
| 46 | पैर | /pɛːɾ/ | foot |
| 47 | टांग | /ʈaːŋ/ | leg |
| 48 | घुटनो | /ɡʱʊʈʈʰnoː/ | knee |
| 49 | हाथ | /ɦaːt̪ʰ/ | hand |
| 50 | पंख | /pəŋkʰ/ | wing |
| 51 | पेट | /peːʈ/ | belly |
| 52 | आंत | /aːnt̪/ | guts |
| 53 | गरदन | /ɡəɾdən/ | neck |
| 54 | पीठ | /piːʈʰ/ | back |
| 55 | छाती | /tʃʰaːt̪iː/ | breast |
| 56 | दिल | /dɪl/ | heart |
| 57 | कलेजा | /kəleːd͡ʒaː/ | liver |
| 58 | पिऊ | /piːu/ | drink |
| 59 | खाई | /kʰaːi/ | eat |
| 60 | कांट | /kaːɳʈ/ | bite |
| 61 | देख | /d̪eːkʰ/ | see |
| 62 | सुन | /sʊn/ | hear |
| 63 | जाण | /d͡ʒaːɳ/ | know |
| 64 | सूत | /suːt̪/ | sleep |
| 65 | मरी | /məɾiː/ | die |
| 66 | मार | /maːɾ/ | kill |
| 67 | तर | /t̪əɾ/ | swim |
| 68 | उड | /uɖ/ | fly (verb) |
| 69 | चाल | /tʃaːl/ | walk |
| 70 | आव | /aːʋ/ | come |
| 71 | लेट | /leːʈ/ | lie (down) |
| 72 | बैठ | /bɛːʈʰ/ | sit |
| 73 | खड़ो हो | /kʰəɖoː ho/ | stand |
| 74 | दे | /d̪eː/ | give |
| 75 | कह | /kəɦ/ | say |
| 76 | सूरज | /suːɾəd͡ʒ/ | sun |
| 77 | चंद | /tʃənd̪/ | moon |
| 78 | तारा | /t̪aːɾaː/ | star |
| 79 | पानी | /paːniː/ | water |
| 80 | बारिश | /baːɾɪʃ/ | rain |
| 81 | नदी | /nəd̪iː/ | river |
| 82 | तालाब | /t̪aːlaːb/ | lake |
| 83 | समुद्र | /səmʊd̪ɾ/ | sea |
| 84 | लवण | /lʊʋəɳ/ | salt |
| 85 | पाथर | /paːt̪ʰəɾ/ | stone |
| 86 | रेत | /ɾeːt̪/ | sand |
| 87 | धूळ | /d̪ʰuːɭ/ | dust |
| 88 | धरती | /d̪ʰəɾt̪iː/ | earth |
| 89 | बादल | /baːd̪əl/ | cloud |
| 90 | धूआं | /d̪ʰuːãː/ | smoke |
| 91 | आग | /aːɡ/ | fire |
| 92 | राख | /ɾaːkʰ/ | ash |
| 93 | जळ | /d͡ʒəɭ/ | burn |
| 94 | रोड | /ɾoːɖ/ | road |
| 95 | पहाड़ | /pəɦaːɖ/ | mountain |
| 96 | लाल | /laːl/ | red |
| 97 | हरो | /ɦəɾoː/ | green |
| 98 | पीलो | /piːloː/ | yellow |
| 99 | उजळो | /uːd͡ʒəɭoː/ | white |
| 100 | काळो | /kaːɭoː/ | black |
Marwari is generally written in the Devanagari script, although theMahajani script is traditionally associated with the language. In Pakistan, it is written in thePerso-Arabic script with modifications. Historical Marwariorthography for Devanagari uses other characters in place of standard Devanagari letters.[20]
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | ا (आ, ा) (ā) [∅]/[ʔ]/[aː] | ب (ब) (b) [b] | بھ (भ) (bh) [bʱ] | ٻ (ॿ) (b̤) [ɓ] | ٻھ (ॿ़) (b̤h) [ɓʱ] | پ (प) (p) [p] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | پھ (फ) (ph) [pʰ] | ت (त) (t) [t̪] | تھ (थ) (th) [t̪ʰ] | ٹ (ट) (ṭ) [ʈ] | ٹھ (ठ) (ṭh) [ʈʰ] | ث (स) (s) [s] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | ج (ज) (j) [d͡ʒ] | جھ (झ) (jh) [d͡ʒʱ] | چ (च) (c) [t͡ʃ] | چھ (छ) (ch) [t͡ʃʰ] | ح (ह) (h) [h] | خ (ख) (kh) [kʰ] ([x]) |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | د (द) (d) [d̪] | دھ (ध) (dh) [d̪ʱ] | ڈ (ड) (ḍ) [ɖ] | ڈھ (ढ) (ḍh) [ɖʱ] | ذ (ज़) (z) [z] | ڏ (ॾ) (d̤) [ᶑ] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | ڏھ (ॾ़) (d̤h) [ᶑʱ] | ر (र) (r) [r] | رؕ (ड़) (ṛ) [ɽ] | رؕھ (ढ़) (ṛh) [ɽʱ] | ز (ज़) (z) [z] | زھ (ॼ़) (zh) [zʱ] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | ژ (झ़) (zh) [ʒ] | س (स) (s) [s] | سھ (स्ह) (sh) [sʰ] | ش (श) (ś) [ʃ] | شھ (श्ह) (śh) [ʃʰ] | ݾ (ष) (x) [χ] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | ݾھ (ष्ह) (xh) [χʰ] | ص (स) (s) [s] | ض (ज़) (z) [z] | ط (त) (t) [t̪] | ظ (ज़) (z) [z] | ع (ॽ) ( ’ ) [ʔ] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | غ (ग़) (ġ) [ɣ] ([gʱ]) | ف (फ़) (f) [f] ([pʰ]) | ق (क़) (q) [q] ([k]) | ک (क) (k) [k] | کھ (ख) (kh) [kʰ] | گ (ग) (g) [k] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | گھ (घ) (gh) [gʱ] | ل (ल) (l) [l] | لھ (ल़ / ल्ह) (lh) [lʰ] | ݪ (ळ) (ḷ) [ɭ] | ݪھ (ऴ / ळ्ह) (ḷh) [ɭʰ] | م (म) (m) [m] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | مھ (म़ / म्ह) (mh) [mʰ] | ن (न, ङ) (n, ṅ) [n]/[ŋ] | نھ (ऩ / न्ह) (nh) [nʰ] | ن٘ـ ں (ं) (◌̃) [◌̃] | ݨ (ण) (ṇ) [ɳ] | ݨھ (ण़ / ण्ह) (ṇh) [ɳʰ] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | و (व) (w) [ʋ] | ہ (ह) (h) [h] | ی (ए, ई, े, ी) (e, ī) [j]/[e]/[iː] | ے (ए, े) (e) [e] |
| Final | Middle | Initial | Devanagari Initial | Devanagari Diacritic | Latin | IPA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ـہ | ـَ | اَ | अ | - | a | [ə] | |
| ـَا / یٰ | ـَا | آ | आ | ा | ā | [aː] | |
| N/A | ـِ | اِ | इ | ि | i | [ɪ] | |
| ـِى | ـِيـ | اِی | ई | ी | ī | [iː] | |
| ـے | ـيـ | اے | ए, ऎ | ॆ, े | e | [eː] | |
| ـَے | ـَيـ | اَے | ऐ | ै | ai | [ɛː] | |
| N/A | ـُ | اُ | उ | ु | u | [ʊ] | |
| ـُو | اُو | ऊ | ू | ū | [uː] | ||
| ـو | او | ओ | ो | ō | [oː] | ||
| ـَو | اَو | औ | ौ | au | [ɔː] | ||
Below is a sample text in Marwari, in standard Devanagari Script, and transliterated into Latin as perISO 15919.[22]
| Devanagari Script | ISO 15919 Latin | English |
|---|---|---|
| सगळा मिणख नै गौरव अन अधिकारों रे रासे मांय जळम सूं स्वतंत्रता अने समानता प्राप्त छे। वणी रे गोड़े बुध्दि अन अंतरआत्मा री प्राप्ती छे अन वणी ने भैईपाळा भावना सू एकबीजे रे सारू वर्तन करणो जोयीजै छे। | Sagḷā miṇakh nai gaurav an adhikārõ re rāse māy jaḷam sū̃ svatantrā ane samāntā prāpt che. Vaṇī re goṛe buddhi an antarātmā rī prāptī che an vaṇī ne bhaiīpāḷā bhāvnā sū ekbīje re sārū vartan karṇo joyījai che. | All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. |
Marwari : also called Rajasthani, Merwari, Marvari. 12,963,000 speakers in India and Nepal. In India: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, throughout India. Dialects are Standard Marwari, Jaipuri, Shekawati, Dhundhari, Bikaneri.
The lok gathā (literally, folk narrative) was a highly developed tradition in the Indian subcontinent, especially after the twelfth century, and was simultaneous with the growth of apabhransa, the literary languages of India that derived from Sanskrit and the Prakrits. This developed into the desa bhāṣā, or popular languages, such as Old Western Rajasthani (OWR) or Marubhasa, Bengali, Gujarati, and so on. The traditional language of Rajasthani bards is Dingal (from ding, or arrogance), a literary and archaic form of old Marwari. It was replaced by the more popular Rajasthani (which Grierson calls old Gujarati) that detached itself from western apabhransa about the thirteenth century. This language was the first of all the bhasas of northern India to possess a literature. The Dingal of the Rajasthani bards is the literary form of that language and the ancestor of the contemporary Marvari and Gujarati.
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