Surjapuri language explained

Surjapuri
Also Known As:Sura, Deshi Bhasa
Nativename:Varandi Bhasa
Imagecaption:'Surjapuri' in Bengali & Devanagari scripts
States:India, Nepal, Bangladesh
Region:Bihar, West Bengal
Speakers:2,256,228
Date:2011 census
Ref:[1]
Script:Devanagari, Bengali–Assamese, Kaithi (historical)
Familycolor:Indo-European
Fam2:Indo-Iranian
Fam3:Indo-Aryan
Fam4:Eastern
Fam5:OdiaBengali–Assamese
Fam6:Bengali–Assamese
Fam7:Kamrupa
Fam8:Kamta
Fam9:Western Kamta
Iso3:sjp
Glotto:surj1235
Glottorefname:Surjapuri

Surjapuri is an Indo-Aryan language of the Bengali-Assamese branch, spoken in Eastern India including North Bengal, West Bengal, and some eastern parts of Purnia division of Bihar, as well as Jhapa District in Nepal, Goalpara Division of Assam in India and Rangpur Division in Bangladesh. Among speakers in some regions, it is known as 'Deshi Bhasa'. It possesses similarities with Kamatapuri, Assamese, Bengali, and Maithili.

Geographical distribution

Surjapuri region or Varandrakhand is mainly spoken of Surjapuri Bengali in the parts of Purnia division (Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnia, and Araria districts) of Bihar.[2] It is also spoken in West Bengal (Uttar Dinajpur and 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), Bangladesh (Thakurgaon District) as well as in parts of eastern Nepal of Jhapa District and Morang District.

Related languages

Surjapuri is associated with the Kamtapuri language (and its dialects Goalpariya, Rajbanshi and Koch Rajbangshi) spoken in North Bengal and Western Assam,[3] as well as with Assamese, Bengali, and Maithili.

Pronouns

SingularPlural
nominative obliquenominative oblique
1st personmũimo-hāmrāhāmsā-, hāmcā-
2nd persontũito-tumrā, tomrātumsā-, tomsā-
3rd personproximalyāhāyyahā-emrā, erāismā-, isā-
distalwahā̃ywahā-amrā, worāusmā-, 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.

Phonology

Consonants

LabialDental/
Alveolar
RetroflexPost-alv./
Palatal
VelarGlottal
Nasalpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Stop/
Affricate
pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Fricativepronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Tappronounced as /ink/
Lateralpronounced as /ink/
Approximantpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/

Vowels

FrontCentralBack
Highpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Midpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /ink/
pronounced as /link/
Lowpronounced as /link/pronounced as /ink/

References

External links

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: Small States Syndrome in India . 16 February 2017 . 146. 9788170226918 . Kumāra . Braja Bihārī . 1998 .
  3. Book: Hernández-Campoy . Juan Manuel . Conde-Silvestre . Juan Camilo . The Handbook of Historical Sociolinguistics . 15 February 2012 . John Wiley & Sons . 9781118257265 . 5 March 2018.