Jaunsari language explained

Jaunsari
States:India
Region:Uttarakhand
Ethnicity:Jaunsari
Speakers:136,779
Date:2011
Ref:[1]
Familycolor:Indo-European
Fam2:Indo-Iranian
Fam3:Indo-Aryan
Fam4:Northern
Fam5:Western Pahari
Script:Sirmauri script(Historical)[2]
Devanagari
Iso3:jns
Glotto:jaun1243
Glottorefname:Jaunsari

Jaunsari is a Western Pahari language of northern India spoken by the Jaunsari people in the Kalsi, Chakrata and Tyuni sub-districts of Dehradun district in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand state.

The dialects of Jaunsari share about 60% of their basic vocabulary with each of the neighbouring varieties of Bangani, Jaunpuri, Nagpuriya and Sirmauri.[3]

Script

Jaunsari was historically written in Jaunsari Script . The Devanagari script is being used these days in certain works.[4]

Status

The language has no official status. According to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the language is of definitely endangered category, i.e. many Jaunsari children are not learning Jaunsari as their mother tongue any longer.[5] The Ethnologue reports otherwise.

In 2016, State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) announced that Garhwali, Kumaoni, Jaunsari and Rang languages would be introduced on pilot basis for students in standard one to 10th in government schools Under the ‘Know Your Uttarakhand’ project.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. www.censusindia.gov.in. 2018-07-07.
  2. Book: Grierson, George Abraham . George Abraham Grierson. Linguistic Survey Of India, Volume 9.4 . 383–84 .
  3. Web site: Matthews. John. 2008. Jaunsari: a sociolinguistic survey. SIL Electronic Survey Reports. 12–13. The results are based on comparisons of a 210-item wordlist. The average figures are between 58% and 61%, but there is significant variation between the various Jaunsari dialects.
  4. Web site: ScriptSource - Jaunsari written with Devanagari script. 2021-08-29. scriptsource.org.
  5. Web site: endangered language. TheGuardian.com. 15 April 2011.
  6. News: Schoolkids to learn Garhwali, Kumaoni languages - Times of India. The Times of India. 2018-07-25.