Magahi language
Magahi (𑂧𑂏𑂯𑂲), also known as Magadhi (𑂧𑂏𑂡𑂲), is a Indo-Aryan language spoken in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal states of eastern India, and in the Terai of Nepal. Magadhi Prakrit was the ancestor of Magahi, from which the latter's name derives.
| Magahi | |
|---|---|
| Magadhi | |
| |
The word "Magahi" written in Devanagari script | |
| Native to | India and Nepal |
| Region | Magadh (southern Bihar, northern Jharkhand, and northwestern West Bengal),Terai region of Eastern Nepal |
| Ethnicity | Magahi |
Native speakers | 12.6 million (2011 census) (additional speakers counted under Hindi) |
Early forms | Magadhi Prakrit
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| Dialects |
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| Devanagari (official) Kaithi (formerly) | |
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | mag |
| ISO 639-3 | mag |
| Glottolog | maga1260 |
Magahi speaking regions | |
It has a very rich and old tradition of folk songs and stories. It is spoken in approx ten districts of Bihar (Gaya, Bhagalpur, Patna, Jehanabad, Aurangabad, Nalanda, Sheikhpura, Nawada, Lakhisarai, Arwal), eight districts of Jharkhand (Hazaribag, Palamu, Chatra, Koderma, Jamtara, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Giridih) and in West Bengal's Malda district. There are around 20,700,000 speakers of Magahi, including 12 million Magahi speakers and 8 million Khortha speakers, which is considered a dialect of Magahi.
Magahi derived from the ancient Magadhi Prakrit, which was created in the ancient kingdom of Magadha, the core of which was the area south of the Ganges and east of Son River.
Though the number of speakers in Magahi is about 12.6 million, it has not been constitutionally recognised in India. In Bihar, Hindi is the language used for educational and official matters. Magahi was legally absorbed under Hindi in the 1961 Census.