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{{Short description|Indo-Aryan language spoken in India}}
{{Short description|Indo-Aryan language spoken in India}}
{{Infobox language
{{Infobox language
|name = Surjapuri
| name             = Surjapuri
|altname = Sura, Deshi Bhasa
| altname         = Deshi Bhasa
|nativename = सुरजापुरी, সুরজাপুরী
| nativename       = গৌড়ীয় ভাষা
|image=[[File:Surjapuri.png|200px]]
| pronunciation    = {{IPA|sjp|surd͡ʒaˈpuɾi|}}<br />{{IPA|sjp|deʃi|}}<br />{{IPA|sjp|ɡou̯.ɽi.ɔ|}}
|imagecaption='Surjapuri' in [[Devanagari]] & [[Bengali alphabet|Bengali]] scripts
| image           = File:Surjapuri language.png
|states = [[India]], [[Nepal]], [[Bangladesh]]
| imagecaption     = 'Surjapuri' in [[Bengali alphabet|Bengali]] & [[Devanagari]] scripts
|region = [[Bihar]], [[West Bengal]]
| states           = [[India]], [[Nepal]], [[Bangladesh]]
|speakers =2,256,228
| region           = [[Bihar]], ([[Kosi-Seemanchal]]) and [[West Bengal]] ([[Islampur subdivision|Islampur]])
|date = 2011 census
| speakers         = 2,256,228
|ref =<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/Language_MTs.html|title=Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|website=www.censusindia.gov.in|access-date=2018-07-07}}</ref>
| date             = 2011 census
|speakers2 = Census results conflate some speakers with Hindi.<ref>{{cite web |title=Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues – 2001 |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement1.aspx |website=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=30 May 2017}}</ref>
| ref             = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/Language_MTs.html|title=Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|website=www.censusindia.gov.in|access-date=2018-07-07}}</ref>
|script=[[Devanagari]], [[Bengali alphabet|Bengali]]
| ethnicity        = [[Surjapuri people|Surjapuri]]
|familycolor = Indo-European
| script           = [[Devanagari]], [[Bengali–Assamese script|Bengali–Assamese]], [[Kaithi]] (historical)
|fam2 = [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]]
| familycolor     = Indo-European
|fam3 = [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]]
| fam2             = [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]]
|fam4 = [[Eastern Indo-Aryan languages|Eastern]]
| fam3             = [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]]
|fam5 = [[Bengali-Assamese languages|Bengali–Assamese]]
| fam4             = [[Eastern Indo-Aryan languages|Eastern]]
|iso3 = sjp
| fam5             = [[Odia language|Odia]]–[[Bengali-Assamese languages|Bengali–Assamese]]{{sfn|Toulmin|2006|p=305}}
|glotto = surj1235
| fam6            = [[Bengali-Assamese languages|Bengali–Assamese]]
|glottorefname = Surjapuri
| fam7            = [[Kamarupi Prakrit|Kamrupa]]{{sfn|Toulmin|2006|p=305}}
| fam8            = [[KRNB lects|Kamta]]
| fam9            = Western Kamta
| iso3             = sjp
| glotto           = surj1235
| glottorefname   = Surjapuri
| notice            =IPA
}}
}}
{{Contains special characters|Indic}}


'''Surjapuri''' is an [[Indo-Aryan languages#Eastern Zone|Eastern Indo-Aryan language]] spoken in [[Eastern India]] including [[North Bengal]], [[West Bengal]], and [[Purnia division|Eastern Bihar]], as well as in [[Nepal]]. Among speakers in some regions, it is known as 'Deshi Bhasa'. It possesses similarities with [[Rangpuri language|Kamatapuri]], [[Assamese language|Assamese]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], and [[Maithili language|Maithili]].
'''Surjapuri''' is an [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan language]] of the [[Bengali–Assamese languages|Bengali-Assamese branch]], spoken in [[Eastern India]] including some eastern parts of [[Purnia division]] ([[Kishanganj district|Kishanganj]], [[Katihar district|Katihar]], [[Purnia district|Purnia]], and [[Araria district|Araria]] districts) of [[Bihar]], parts of [[Uttar Dinajpur district]] in [[West Bengal]] and [[Goalpara region|Goalpara]] Division of [[Assam]] in India, as well as parts of [[Thakurgaon district]] in Bangladesh and [[Jhapa district]] in [[Nepal]]. Among speakers in some regions, it is known as 'Deshi Bhasa'.{{Citation needed|date=May 2026}} It possesses similarities with [[Rangpuri language|Kamatapuri]], [[Assamese language|Assamese]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], and [[Maithili language|Maithili]].


==Geographical distribution==
==Geographical distribution==
Surjapuri is mainly spoken in the parts of [[Purnia division]] ([[Kishanganj district|Kishanganj]], [[Katihar district|Katihar]], [[Purnia district|Purnia]], and [[Araria district|Araria]] districts) of the [[Mithila (region)|Mithila region]] of [[Bihar]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nKqF_AgDd4gC&q=Mithila+India+state&pg=PA148 | title=Small States Syndrome in India | access-date=16 February 2017 | pages=146| isbn=9788170226918 | last1=Kumāra | first1=Braja Bihārī | year=1998 }}</ref> It is also spoken in [[West Bengal]] ([[Uttar Dinajpur district|Uttar Dinajpur]] and [[Dakshin Dinajpur district|Dakshin Dinajpur]] districts, and in North Malda of [[Malda district]], specially in Harishchandrapur and Chanchal area and [[Siliguri]] city of [[Darjeeling district]] – part of the North Bengal region within the [[Jalpaiguri division]]), as well as in parts of eastern Nepal.
Surjapuri is mainly spoken in some parts of [[Purnia division]] ([[Kishanganj district|Kishanganj]], [[Katihar district|Katihar]], [[Purnia district|Purnia]], and [[Araria district|Araria]] districts) of [[Bihar]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nKqF_AgDd4gC&q=Mithila+India+state&pg=PA148 | title=Small States Syndrome in India | access-date=16 February 2017 | pages=146| isbn=9788170226918 | last1=Kumāra | first1=Braja Bihārī | year=1998 }}</ref> It is also spoken in [[West Bengal]] (some parts of [[Islampur subdivision]] of [[Uttar Dinajpur district]] and [[Jalpaiguri division]] in northern Bengal region), [[Bangladesh]] ([[Thakurgaon District]]) as well as in parts of eastern [[Nepal]] of [[Jhapa District]] and [[Morang District]].


==Related languages==
==Related languages==
Surjapuri is associated with the [[Kamtapuri language]] (and its dialects Rangpuri and Koch Rajbangshi) spoken in [[North Bengal]] and [[Goalpara region|Western Assam]],<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Hernández-Campoy |editor-first1=Juan Manuel |editor-last2=Conde-Silvestre |editor-first2=Juan Camilo |title=The Handbook of Historical Sociolinguistics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zc77I8CMgTYC&pg=PA508 |date=15 February 2012 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9781118257265 |access-date=5 March 2018}}</ref> as well as with [[Assamese language|Assamese]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], and [[Maithili language|Maithili]].
Surjapuri is associated with the [[Kamtapuri language]] (and its dialects [[Goalpariya dialects|Goalpariya]], Rajbanshi and Koch Rajbangshi) spoken in [[North Bengal]] and [[Goalpara region|Western Assam]],<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Hernández-Campoy |editor-first1=Juan Manuel |editor-last2=Conde-Silvestre |editor-first2=Juan Camilo |title=The Handbook of Historical Sociolinguistics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zc77I8CMgTYC&pg=PA508 |date=15 February 2012 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9781118257265 |access-date=5 March 2018}}</ref> as well as with [[Assamese language|Assamese]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], and [[Maithili language|Maithili]].


===Pronouns<ref>{{harv|Toulmin|2006|p=184}}</ref><ref>{{harvcol|Bez|2012}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Kakati|1941}}</ref>===
===Pronouns===
Source:<ref>{{harv|Toulmin|2006|p=184}}</ref><ref>{{harvcol|Bez|2012}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Kakati|1941}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"  
{| class="wikitable"  
|-
|-
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Surjapuri has the oblique plural suffixes: sā (hamsā-, tomsā-) and smā (ismā-, usmā-). They are also seen in [[Early Assamese]] as: sā (āmāsā-, tomāsā-) and sambā (esambā-, tesambā-) and their occurrences are similar.<ref>{{harvcol|Bez|2012}}</ref>
Surjapuri has the oblique plural suffixes: sā (hamsā-, tomsā-) and smā (ismā-, usmā-). They are also seen in [[Early Assamese]] as: sā (āmāsā-, tomāsā-) and sambā (esambā-, tesambā-) and their occurrences are similar.<ref>{{harvcol|Bez|2012}}</ref>
== Phonology ==
=== Consonants ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" |
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[Dental consonant|Dental]]/<br>[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]]
![[Postalveolar consonant|Post-alv.]]/<br>[[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|{{IPAlink|m}}
|{{IPAlink|n}}
|
|
|{{IPAlink|ŋ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="4" |[[Stop consonant|Stop]]/<br>[[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
!{{small|[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
|{{IPAlink|p}}
|{{IPAlink|t}}
|{{IPAlink|ʈ}}
|{{IPAlink|tʃ}}
|{{IPAlink|k}}
|
|-
!{{small|[[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]]}}
|{{IPAlink|pʰ}}
|{{IPAlink|tʰ}}
|{{IPAlink|ʈʰ}}
|{{IPAlink|tʃʰ}}
|{{IPAlink|kʰ}}
|
|-
!{{small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|{{IPAlink|b}}
|{{IPAlink|d}}
|{{IPAlink|ɖ}}
|{{IPAlink|dʒ}}
|{{IPAlink|ɡ}}
|
|-
!{{small|[[Breathy voice|breathy]]}}
|{{IPAlink|bʱ}}
|{{IPAlink|dʱ}}
|{{IPAlink|ɖʱ}}
|{{IPAlink|dʒʱ}}
|{{IPAlink|ɡʱ}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
|
|{{IPAlink|s}}
|
|
|
|{{IPAlink|h}}
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Tap consonant|Tap]]
|
|{{IPAlink|ɾ}}
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Lateral consonant|Lateral]]
|
|{{IPAlink|l}}
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|{{IPAlink|w}}
|
|
|{{IPAlink|j}}
|
|
|}
=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|- align="center"
![[High vowel|High]]
|{{IPAlink|i}}
|
|{{IPAlink|u}}
|- align="center"
! rowspan="2" |[[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|{{IPAlink|e}}
|{{IPA link|ə}}
|{{IPAlink|o}}
|-
|
|
|{{IPA link|ɔ}}
|- align="center"
![[Low vowel|Low]]
|{{IPA link|æ}}
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|ɑ}}
|}
* Nasalization is also phonemic.
* /i, e/ in medial and initial form are heard as [ɪ, ɛ].{{Sfn|Srivastava|Perumalsamy|2021}}


==Notes==
==Notes==
{{Reflist}} Recently, in 2021, A Sketch Grammar of Surjapuri mother tongue spoken in Bihar state was published in Linguistic Survey of India: Bihar volume, authored by Srivastava S.P. and Perumalsamy, P and brought out by Language Division of Office of the Registrar General, India. The web publication is available in the following link: http://lsi.gov.in/MTSI_app/DraftReport/Bihar/12.%20SURJAPURI.pdf
{{Reflist}}


==References==
==References==
{{refbegin}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite thesis |type=Ph.D. |first=Gitanjali |last=Bez |title=Grammatical Categories in Madhav Kandali's Ramayana |publisher=Gauhati University |year=2012|hdl=10603/116370 }}
* {{cite thesis |type=Ph.D. |first=Gitanjali |last=Bez |title=Grammatical Categories in Madhav Kandali's Ramayana |publisher=Gauhati University |year=2012|hdl=10603/116370 }}
* {{cite book |last=Kakati |first=Banikanta |author-link=Banikanta Kakati |year=1941 |title=Assamese: Its Formation and Development |url=https://archive.org/details/AssameseitsFormationAndDevelopment |publisher=Government of Assam |place=Gauhati, Assam}}
* {{citation |last1=Srivastava |first1=S P |last2=Perumalsamy |first2=P |title=Surjapuri |url=http://lsi.gov.in/MTSI_app/DraftReport/Bihar/12.%20SURJAPURI.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103171034/http://lsi.gov.in/MTSI_app/DraftReport/Bihar/12.%20SURJAPURI.pdf |archive-date=3 Nov 2021 |access-date=15 May 2023 |year=2021}}
* {{Cite thesis |last=Toulmin |first=Mathew W. S. |title=Reconstructing linguistic history in a dialect continuum: The Kamta, Rajbanshi, and Northern Deshi Bangla subgroup of Indo-Aryan |date=2006 |degree=Ph.D. |publisher=The Australian National University |url=https://digitalcollections.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/45743 |hdl=1885/45743 |hdl-access=free}}
{{refend}}
{{refend}}


==Further reading==
==External links==
* Srivastava, S.P. and Perumalsamy, P (2021). [http://lsi.gov.in/MTSI_app/DraftReport/Bihar/12.%20SURJAPURI.pdf ''Linguistic Description of Surjapuri Mother Tongue Spoken in Bihar''], New Delhi: Office of the Registrar General.
* {{cite journal |title=Word Formation in Surjapuri |url=http://www.languageinindia.com/march2011/surjapuriwordformationfinal.pdf |journal=Language in India}}
* {{cite journal |url=http://www.languageinindia.com/jan2011/surajpurifinal.pdf |title=Case and Case-like Postposition in Surjapuri |journal=Language in India}}


==External links==
* [https://storyweaver.org.in/search?utf8=✓&search%5Bquery%5D=surjapri&button= Free repository of illustrated children's stories in Surjapuri] translated by [http://www.azadindia.org/ Azad India Foundation] and sponsored by [[Pratham|Pratham Books]]
* {{cite journal|url=http://www.languageinindia.com/march2011/surjapuriwordformationfinal.pdf|title=Word Formation in Surjapuri}}
* {{cite journal|url=http://www.languageinindia.com/jan2011/surajpurifinal.pdf|title=Case and Case-like Postposition in Surjapuri}}
* {{Cite thesis |last=Toulmin |first=Mathew W. S. |title=Reconstructing linguistic history in a dialect continuum: The Kamta, Rajbanshi, and Northern Deshi Bangla subgroup of Indo-Aryan |date=2006 |degree=Ph.D. |publisher=The Australian National University |url=https://digitalcollections.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/45743 |hdl=1885/45743 |hdl-access=free}}


{{Eastern Indo-Aryan languages}}
{{Eastern Indo-Aryan languages}}
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[[Category:Indo-Aryan languages]]
[[Category:Indo-Aryan languages]]
[[Category:Languages written in Devanagari]]




{{IndoAryan-lang-stub}}
{{IndoAryan-lang-stub}}

Latest revision as of 23:50, 6 May 2026


Surjapuri
Deshi Bhasa
গৌড়ীয় ভাষা
'Surjapuri' in Bengali & Devanagari scripts
Pronunciationsjp
sjp
sjp
Native toIndia, Nepal, Bangladesh
RegionBihar, (Kosi-Seemanchal) and West Bengal (Islampur)
EthnicitySurjapuri
Native speakers
2,256,228 (2011 census)[1]
Devanagari, Bengali–Assamese, Kaithi (historical)
Language codes
ISO 639-3sjp
Glottologsurj1235
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Surjapuri is an Indo-Aryan language of the Bengali-Assamese branch, spoken in Eastern India including some eastern parts of Purnia division (Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, and Araria districts) of Bihar, parts of Uttar Dinajpur district in West Bengal and Goalpara Division of Assam in India, as well as parts of Thakurgaon district in Bangladesh and Jhapa district in Nepal. Among speakers in some regions, it is known as 'Deshi Bhasa'.[citation needed] It possesses similarities with Kamatapuri, Assamese, Bengali, and Maithili.

Geographical distribution[edit | edit source]

Surjapuri is mainly spoken in some parts of Purnia division (Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, and Araria districts) of Bihar.[3] It is also spoken in West Bengal (some parts of Islampur subdivision of Uttar Dinajpur district and Jalpaiguri division in northern Bengal region), Bangladesh (Thakurgaon District) as well as in parts of eastern Nepal of Jhapa District and Morang District.

Related languages[edit | edit source]

Surjapuri is associated with the Kamtapuri language (and its dialects Goalpariya, Rajbanshi and Koch Rajbangshi) spoken in North Bengal and Western Assam,[4] as well as with Assamese, Bengali, and Maithili.

Pronouns[edit | edit source]

Source:[5][6][7]

Singular Plural
nominative oblique nominative oblique
1st person mũi mo- hāmrā hāmsā-, hāmcā-
2nd person tũi to- tumrā, tomrā tumsā-, tomsā-
3rd person proximal yāhāy yahā- emrā, erā ismā-, isā-
distal wahā̃y wahā- amrā, worā usmā-, usā-

Surjapuri has the oblique plural suffixes: sā (hamsā-, tomsā-) and smā (ismā-, usmā-). They are also seen in Early Assamese as: sā (āmāsā-, tomāsā-) and sambā (esambā-, tesambā-) and their occurrences are similar.[8]

Phonology[edit | edit source]

Consonants[edit | edit source]

Labial Dental/
Alveolar 		Retroflex Post-alv./
Palatal 		Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ŋ
Stop/
Affricate 		voiceless p t ʈ tʃ k
aspirated pʰ tʰ ʈʰ tʃʰ kʰ
voiced b d ɖ dʒ ɡ
breathy bʱ dʱ ɖʱ dʒʱ ɡʱ
Fricative s h
Tap ɾ
Lateral l
Approximant w j

Vowels[edit | edit source]

Front Central Back
High i u
Mid e ə o
ɔ
Low æ ɑ
  • Nasalization is also phonemic.
  • /i, e/ in medial and initial form are heard as [ɪ, ɛ].[9]

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Toulmin 2006, p. 305.
  3. ↑ Kumāra, Braja Bihārī (1998). Small States Syndrome in India. p. 146. ISBN 9788170226918. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  4. ↑ Hernández-Campoy, Juan Manuel; Conde-Silvestre, Juan Camilo, eds. (15 February 2012). The Handbook of Historical Sociolinguistics. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118257265. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  5. ↑ (Toulmin 2006, p. 184)
  6. ↑ (Bez 2012)
  7. ↑ Kakati 1941
  8. ↑ (Bez 2012)
  9. ↑ Srivastava & Perumalsamy 2021.

References[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]


Template:Eastern Indo-Aryan languages


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