Bhili language

Bhili
Bhili
भीली, ભીલી
Native to	India
Region	Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra
Ethnicity	Bhil people
Native speakers	3,206,533 (2011 census)
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Western Indo-Aryan Bhil Central Bhili; ; ; ; ; ;
Writing system	Devanagari, Gujarati
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Variously:; bhb – Bhili (Bhagoria, Bhilboli, Patelia); gas – Adiwasi Garasia; gra – Rajput Garasia (Dungri)
Glottolog	bhil1251 Bhili; rajp1235 Rajput Garasia; adiw1235 Adiwasi Garasia

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Bhili (Bhili: भीली), IPA: [bʱiːliː], is a Western Indo-Aryan language spoken in west-central India, in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.^[3] Other names for the language include Bhagoria and Bhilboli; several varieties are called Garasia. Bhili is a member of the Bhil languages, which are related to Gujarati and Rajasthani. The language is written using the Devanagari script.

Partial specimen of the Bhili language

The term Bhili is of Dravidian-origin Vil which means bow, referring to the Bow people.

Phonology[edit]

Consonants[edit]

		Labial	Dental/ Alveolar	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Stop	voiceless	p	t	ʈ		k
	aspirated	pʰ	tʰ	ʈʰ		kʰ
	voiced	b	d	ɖ		ɡ
	breathy	bʱ	dʱ	ɖʱ		ɡʱ
Affricate	voiceless				tʃ
Affricate	voiced				dʒ
Fricative			s		(ʃ)		h
Nasal		m	n	ɳ		(ŋ)
Lateral			l	ɭ
Trill			r
Approximant		w			j

/w/ may also be heard as [ʋ] in free variation.
/ʃ/ occurs in loanwords from Persian and Hindi.^[4]
[ŋ] is heard as an allophone of /n/ preceding /k/.

Vowels[edit]

	Front	Central	Back
High	i		u
Mid-high	e	ə	o
Mid-low	ɛ	ə	ɔ
Low	(æ)	a

Vowels /i, u/ can also be heard as [ɪ, ʊ].
[æ] is borrowed from Hindi.
/ə/ may also be heard as [ɤ] in final position.^[5]

References[edit]

↑ "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 7 July 2018.
↑ "ScriptSource - Bhili". Retrieved 13 February 2017.
↑ Ishtiaq, M. (1999). Language Shifts Among the Scheduled Tribes in India, A Geographical Study. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. ISBN 9788120816176.
↑ Phillips, Maxwell P. (2012). Dialect Continuum in the Bhil Tribal Belt: Grammatical Aspects. University of London.
↑ Yogendra Dhirubhai, Vyas (1967). A linguistic study of Bhili dialects: A descriptive study of central and north Bhili. Gujarat University.

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[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 7 July 2018.

[2] "ScriptSource - Bhili". Retrieved 13 February 2017.

[3] Ishtiaq, M. (1999). Language Shifts Among the Scheduled Tribes in India, A Geographical Study. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. ISBN 9788120816176.

[4] Phillips, Maxwell P. (2012). Dialect Continuum in the Bhil Tribal Belt: Grammatical Aspects. University of London.

[5] Yogendra Dhirubhai, Vyas (1967). A linguistic study of Bhili dialects: A descriptive study of central and north Bhili. Gujarat University.

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Bhili language

Phonology[edit]

Consonants[edit]

Vowels[edit]

Further reading[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]