Marathi language
Marathi (/məˈrɑːti/; मराठी, pronounced [məˈɾaːʈʰiː] ⓘ) is an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the official language of Maharashtra, and an additional official language in the state of Goa. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India, with 83 million speakers as of 2011. Marathi ranks 13th in the list of languages with most native speakers in the world. Marathi has the third largest number of native speakers in India, after Hindi and Bengali. The language has some of the oldest literature of all modern Indian languages. The major dialects of Marathi are Standard Marathi and the Varhadi dialect.
| Marathi | |
|---|---|
| Marāṭhī | |
| मराठी | |
The word "Marathi" in Devanagari script | |
| Pronunciation | [məˈɾaːʈʰiː] ⓘ |
| Native to | India |
| Region | Maharashtra |
| Ethnicity | Marathis |
Native speakers | L1: 83 million (2011 census) L2: 16 million (2011 census) |
Early form | |
| Dialects | |
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| Indian Signing System | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | India
|
| Regulated by | Ministry of Marathi Language and various other institutions |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | mr |
| ISO 639-2 | mar |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:mar – Modern Marathiomr – Old Marathi |
omr Old Marathi | |
| Glottolog | mara1378 Modern Marathioldm1244 Old Marathi |
| Linguasphere | 59-AAF-o |
regions where Marathi is the language of the majority or plurality regions where Marathi is the language of a significant minority | |
Map of Marathi language in India (district-wise). Darker shades imply a greater percentage of native speakers of Marathi in each district. | |
| Part of a series on | |
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| Constitutionally recognised languages of India | |
| Category | |
| 22 Official Languages of the Indian Republic | |
| Related | |
Marathi distinguishes inclusive and exclusive forms of 'we' and possesses a three-way gender system, that features the neuter in addition to the masculine and the feminine. In its phonology, it contrasts apico-alveolar with alveopalatal affricates and alveolar with retroflex laterals ([l] and [ɭ] (Marathi letters ल and ळ respectively).