Indo-Aryan languages

"Indic languages" redirects here. Not to be confused with Languages of India.

Indo-Aryan
Indic
Geographic distribution	Indian subcontinent
Linguistic classification	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan
Proto-language	Proto-Indo-Aryan
ISO 639-2 / 5	inc
Linguasphere	59= (phylozone)
Glottolog	indo1321
1978 map showing geographical distribution of the major Indo-Aryan languages. (Urdu is included under Hindi. Romani, Domari, and Lomavren are outside the scope of the map.) Dotted/striped areas indicate where multilingualism is common.   Central   Dardic   Eastern   Northern   Northwestern   Southern   Western

The Indo-Aryan or Indic languages are a major language family of the Indian subcontinent. They constitute a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family. In the early 21st century, Indo-Aryan languages were spoken by more than 800 million people, primarily in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Moreover, there are large immigrant and/or expatriate Indo-Aryan speaking communities in northwestern Europe, Western Asia, North America and Australia. There are about 219 known Indo-Aryan languages.

The largest in terms of speakers are Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu, about 329 million), Bengali (242 million), Punjabi (about 100 million), and other languages, with a 2005 estimate placing the total number of native speakers at nearly 900 million.

History

Proto-Indo-Aryan

Main article: Proto-Indo-Aryan language

Proto-Indo-Aryan, or sometimes Proto-Indic, is the reconstructed proto-language of the Indo-Aryan languages. It is intended to reconstruct the language of the pre-Vedic Indo-Aryans. Proto-Indo-Aryan is meant to be the predecessor of Old Indo-Aryan (1500–300 BCE) which is directly attested as Vedic and Mitanni-Aryan. Despite the great archaicity of Vedic, however, the other Indo-Aryan languages preserve a small number of archaic features lost in Vedic.

Indian subcontinent

See also: Linguistic history of India

• Proto-Indo-Aryan (reconstructed)
• Old Indo-Aryan (ca. 1500–300 BCE)
  • early Old Indo-Aryan: Vedic Sanskrit (1500 to 500 BCE)
  • late Old Indo-Aryan: Epic Sanskrit, Classical Sanskrit (500 to 300 BCE)
• Middle Indo-Aryan or Prakrits, Old Odia (ca. 1400 BCE or 300 BCE to 1500 CE) [see]
• Early Modern Indo-Aryan (Late Medieval India)
  • early Dakhini and emergence of the Khariboli dialect

Old Indo-Aryan

The earliest evidence of the group is from Mitanni Indo-Aryan. The only evidence of it is a few proper names and specialized loanwords.

Rigvedic Indo-Aryan has been used in the ancient preserved religious hymns of the Rigveda, the earliest Vedic literature.

From the Rigvedic language, "Sanskrit" (literally "put together", meaning perfected or elaborated) developed as the prestige language of culture, science and religion, as well as the court, theatre, etc. Sanskrit is, by convention, referred to by modern scholars as 'Classical Sanskrit' in contradistinction to the so-called 'Rigvedic Sanskrit', which is largely intelligible to Sanskrit speakers.

Middle Indo-Aryan (Prakrits)

Mitanni inscriptions show some middle indo aryan characteristics along with old indic, for example sapta in old indo aryan becomes satta ('pt' is transformed into middle indo aryan 'tt'). According to S.S. Misra this language can be similar to Buddhist hybrid sanskrit which might be infact not a mixed language but an early middle indo aryan occurring much before prakrit..

Outside the learned sphere of Sanskrit, vernacular dialects (Prakrits) continued to evolve. The oldest attested Prakrits are the Buddhist and Jain canonical languages Pali and Ardhamagadhi Prakrit, respectively. By medieval times, the Prakrits had diversified into various Middle Indo-Aryan languages. Apabhraṃśa is the conventional cover term for transitional dialects connecting late Middle Indo-Aryan with early Modern Indo-Aryan, spanning roughly the 6th to 13th centuries. Some of these dialects showed considerable literary production; the Śravakacāra of Devasena (dated to the 930s) is now considered to be the first Hindi book.

The next major milestone occurred with the Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent in the 13th–16th centuries. Under the flourishing Turco-Mongol Mughal Empire, Persian became very influential as the language of prestige of the Islamic courts due to adoptation of the foreign language by the Mughal emperors. However, Persian was soon displaced by Hindustani. This Indo-Aryan language is a combination with Persian, Arabic, and Turkic elements in its vocabulary, with the grammar of the local dialects.

The two largest languages that formed from Apabhraṃśa were Bengali and Hindustani; others include Sindhi, Gujarati, Odia, Marathi, and Punjabi.

New Indo-Aryan

Dialect continuum

The Indo-Aryan languages of North India and Pakistan form a dialect continuum. What is called "Hindi" in India is frequently Standard Hindi, the Sanskritized version of the colloquial Hindustani spoken in the Delhi area since the Mughals. However, the term Hindi is also used for most of the central Indic dialects from Bihar to Rajasthan. The spoken New Indo-Aryan dialects from Assam in the east to the borders of Afghanistan in the west form a linguistic continuum across the plains of North India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Medieval Hindustani

Main articles: Hindustani language and History of Hindustani

In the Central Zone Hindi-speaking areas, for a long time the prestige dialect was Braj Bhasha, but this was replaced in the 19th century by the Khariboli-based Hindustani. Hindustani was strongly influenced by Sanskrit and Persian, with these influences leading to the emergence of Modern Standard Hindi and Modern Standard Urdu as registers of the Hindustani language. This state of affairs continued until the division of the British Indian Empire in 1947, when Hindi became the official language in India and Urdu became official in Pakistan. Despite the different script the fundamental grammar remains identical, the difference is more sociolinguistic than purely linguistic. Today it is widely understood/spoken as a second or third language throughout South Asia and one of the most widely known languages in the world in terms of number of speakers.

Mitanni-Aryan

Main article: Mitanni-Aryan

Some theonyms, proper names and other terminology of the Mitanni exhibit an Indo-Aryan superstrate, suggest that a Indo-Aryan elite imposed itself over the Hurrians in the course of the Indo-Aryan expansion. In a treaty between the Hittites and the Mitanni, the deities Mitra, Varuna, Indra, and the Ashvins (Nasatya) are invoked. Kikkuli's horse training text includes technical terms such as aika (eka, one), tera (tri, three), panza (pancha, five), satta (sapta, seven), na (nava, nine), vartana (vartana, turn, round in the horse race). The numeral aika "one" is of particular importance because it places the superstrate in the vicinity of Indo-Aryan proper as opposed to Indo-Iranian or early Iranian (which has "aiva") in general

Another text has babru (babhru, brown), parita (palita, grey), and pinkara (pingala, red). Their chief festival was the celebration of the solstice (vishuva) which was common in most cultures in the ancient world. The Mitanni warriors were called marya, the term for warrior in Sanskrit as well; note mišta-nnu (= miẓḍha, ≈ Sanskrit mīḍha) "payment (for catching a fugitive)" (M. Mayrhofer, Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen, Heidelberg, 1986–2000; Vol. II:358).

Sanskritic interpretations of Mitanni royal names render Artashumara (artaššumara) as Ṛtasmara "who thinks of Ṛta" (Mayrhofer II 780), Biridashva (biridašṷa, biriiašṷa) as Prītāśva "Whose Horse is Dear" (Mayrhofer II 182), Priyamazda (priiamazda) as Priyamedha "whose wisdom is dear" (Mayrhofer II 189, II378), Citrarata as Citraratha "Whose Chariot is Shining" (Mayrhofer I 553), Indaruda/Endaruta as Indrota "helped by Indra" (Mayrhofer I 134), Shativaza (šattiṷaza) as Sātivāja "Winning the Race Price" (Mayrhofer II 540, 696), Šubandhu as Subandhu "Having Good Relatives" (a name in Palestine, Mayrhofer II 209, 735), Tushratta (tṷišeratta, tušratta, etc.) as *tṷaiašaratha, Vedic Tvastar "Whose Chariot is Vehement" (Mayrhofer, Etym. Wb., I 686, I 736).

Romani, Lomavren, and Domari languages

Domari

Main article: Domari language

Domari is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by older Dom people scattered across the MENA. The language is reported to be spoken as far north as Azerbaijan and as far south as central Sudan, in Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Syria and Lebanon. Based on the systematicity of sound changes, we know with a fair degree of certainty that the names Domari and Romani derive from the Indo-Aryan word ḍom.

Lomavren

Main article: Lomavren language

Lomavren is a nearly extinct mixed language, spoken by the Lom people, that arose from language contact between a language related to Romani and Domari and the Armenian language.

Romani

Main article: Romani language

The Romani language is usually included in the Western Indo-Aryan languages. Romani — spoken mainly in various parts of Europe — is conservative in maintaining almost intact the Middle Indo-Aryan present-tense person concord markers, and in maintaining consonantal endings for nominal case – both features that have been eroded in most other modern languages of Central India. It shares an innovative pattern of past-tense person concord with the languages of the Northwest, such as Kashmiri and Shina. This is believed to be further proof that Romani originated in the Central region, then migrated to the Northwest.

There are no known historical documents about the early phases of the Romani language.

Linguistic evaluation carried out in the nineteenth century by Pott (1845) and Miklosich (1882–1888) showed that the Romani language is to be classed as a New Indo-Aryan language (NIA), not Middle Indo-Aryan (MIA), establishing that the ancestors of the Romani could not have left India significantly earlier than AD 1000.

The principal argument favouring a migration during or after the transition period to NIA is the loss of the old system of nominal case, and its reduction to just a two-way case system, nominative vs. oblique. A secondary argument concerns the system of gender differentiation. Romani has only two genders (masculine and feminine). Middle Indo-Aryan languages (named MIA) generally had three genders (masculine, feminine and neuter), and some modern Indo-Aryan languages retain this old system even today.

It is argued that loss of the neuter gender did not occur until the transition to NIA. Most of the neuter nouns became masculine while a few feminine, like the neuter अग्नि (agni) in the Prakrit became the feminine आग (āg) in Hindi and jag in Romani. The parallels in grammatical gender evolution between Romani and other NIA languages have been cited as evidence that the forerunner of Romani remained on the Indian subcontinent until a later period, perhaps even as late as the tenth century.

Classification

There can be no definitive enumeration of Indic languages because their dialects merge into one another. The major ones are illustrated here; for the details, see the dedicated articles.

The classification follows Masica (1991) and Kausen (2006).

Percentage of Indo-Aryan speakers by native language:

  Hindustani (including Hindi and Urdu) (25.4%)

  Bengali (20.7%)

  Punjabi (9.4%)

  Marathi (5.6%)

  Gujarati (3.8%)

  Bhojpuri (3.1%)

  Maithili (2.6%)

  Odia (2.5%)

  Sindhi (1.9%)

  Others (25%)

Dardic

Main article: Dardic languages

Kashmiri - 8 million speakers

Shina

• Shina - 1.2 million speakers
• Brokskat - 10,000 speakers
• Domaaki - 340 speakers
• Kundal Shahi - 700 speakers
• Kalkoti - 6,000 speakers
• Ushoji - 2,000 speakers
• Palula - 10,000 speakers
• Savi - 3,000 speakers

Pashayi - 400,000 speakers

Kunar

• Dameli - 5,000 speakers
• Gawar-Bati - 9,500 speakers
• Nangalami - 5,000 speakers
• Shumashti - 1,000 speakers

Chitral

• Kalasha - 5,000 speakers
• Khowar - 400,000 speakers

Kohistani

• Maiya - 200,000 speakers
• Bateri - 29,000
• Chilisso - 1,000 speakers
• Gowro - 200 speakers
• Kalami - 100,000 speakers
• Tirahi - 100 speakers
• Torwali - 80,000 speakers
• Wotapuri-Katarqalai †

Northern Zone

Main article: Northern Indo-Aryan languages

Central Pahari

• Garhwali - 2.9 million speakers
• Kumaoni - 2.4 million speakers

Eastern Pahari

• Nepali - 17 million speakers
• Jumli - 85,000

Northwestern Zone

Dogri - 4 million speakers

Himachali

• Kangri - 1.1 million speakers
• Mandeali - 1.7 million
• Jaunsari - 100,000 speakers
• Kullu - 110,000
• Pahari Kinnauri - 6,300 speakers
• Mahasu Himachali - 1 million speakers
• Hinduri - 30,000 speakers
• Sirmauri - 400,000 speakers

Punjabi

• Punjabi - 122 million speakers
• Doabi
• Lahnda
  • Saraiki - 20 million speakers
  • Hindko - 3.7 million speakers
  • Jakati †
  • Pothwari - 2.5 million speakers
• Majhi
• Malwai
• Puadhi

Sindhi

• Sindhi - 25 million speakers
• Jadgali - 25,000 speakers
• Kutchi - 873,000 speakers
• Luwati - 5,000 speakers
• Memoni

Western Zone

Ethnologue lists the following languages under the Western Zone that are not already covered in other subgroups:

Rajasthani

• Rajasthani proper - 25.8 million speakers
• Bagri - 2.1 million speakers

Marwari - 22 million speakers

• Mewati - 3 million speakers
• Dhundari - 9.6 million speakers
• Harauti - 4.7 million speakers
• Mewari - 5.1 million speakers
• Shekhawati - 3 million speakers
• Bagri - 2.1 million speakers
• Dhatki - 150,000 speakers

Malvi - 5.6 million speakers

Gujarati

• Gujarati - 49 million speakers
• Tcherman

- extinct

• Jandavra - 5,000 speakers
• Saurashtra - 190,000 speakers
• Aer - 100 speakers
• Vaghri - 10,000 speakers
• Vasavi - 1.2 million speakers
• Koli - 1.4 million speakers
  • Parkari Koli - 250,000 speakers
  • Kachi Koli - 500,000 speakers
  • Wardiyara Koli - 542,000 speakers

Bhil

• Northern Bhil
  • Bauria - 27,000 speakers
  • Bhilori - 200,000 speakers
  • Magari
• Central Bhil
  • Bhili proper - 3.5 million speakers
  • Bhilali - 1.1 million speakers
  • Chodri - 210,000 speakers
  • Dhodia - 170,000 speakers
  • Dhanki - 140,000 speakers
  • Dubli - 250,000 speakers
• Bareli
  • Palya Bareli - 10,000 speakers
  • Pauri Bareli - 640,000 speakers
  • Rathwi Bareli - 100,000 speakers
  • Pardhi - 49,000 speakers
• Kalto - 15,000 speakers

Khandeshi - 1.9 million speakers

Domari - 4 million speakers

Romani - 1.5 million speakers

• Northern Romani
  • Sinte Romani - 200,000 speakers
  • Carpathian Romani - 160,000 speakers
  • Finnish Kalo - 12,000 speakers
  • Baltic Romani - 35,000 speakers
• Balkan Romani - 560,000 speakers
• Vlax Romani - 540,000 speakers

Central Zone (Madhya or Hindi)

Indic, Central Zone

Main article: Hindi languages

Parya - 4,000 speakers

Western Hindi

• Hindustani (including Standard Hindi and Standard Urdu) - 329 million speakers
• Braj - 21 million speakers
• Haryanvi - 8 million speakers
• Bundeli - 3.1 million speakers
• Kannauji - 9.5 million speakers

Eastern Hindi

• Awadhi - 3.5 million speakers
  • Fiji Hindi - 460,000 speakers
• Bagheli - 8.4 million speakers
• Chhattisgarhi - 24 million speakers

Parya historically belonged to the Central Zone but lost intelligibility with other languages of the group due to geographic distance and numerous grammatical and lexical innovations.

Eastern Zone

These languages derive from Magadhan Apabhraṃśa Prakrit.

Bihari

• Bhojpuri - 40 million speakers
  • Caribbean Hindustani - 166,000 speakers
• Magahi/मगही - 14 million speakers
• Maithili/मैथिली/মৈথিলি - 33.9 million speakers
• Angika/अंगिका/অঙ্গিকা - 743,000 speakers
• Khortha - 8.04 million speakers
• Nagpuri - 5.1 million speakers
• Kurmali - 556,089 speakers

Tharu - 1.9 million speakers

Odia (ଓଡ଼ିଆ) - 33 million speakers

Halbic

• Halbi - 600,000 speakers
• Bhatri - 220,000 speakers
• Kamar - 40,000 speakers
• Mirgan - 60,000 speakers
• Nahari - 20,000 speakers

Bengali–Assamese (বাংলা-অসমীয়া)

• Assamese (অসমীয়া) - 15 million speakers
• Bengali (বাংলা) - 268 million speakers
  • Bangali dialect - 97 million speakers
  • Rarhi dialect - 30 million speakers
  • Varendri dialect - 24 million speakers
  • Sundarbani dialect - 20 million speakers
  • Rajbanshi dialect - 15 million speakers
  • Jharkandi dialect - 12 million speakers
• Bishnupriya Manipuri (বিষ্ণুপ্রিয়া মনিপুরী) - 120,000 speakers
• Chakma (𑄌𑄋𑄴𑄟𑄳𑄦) - 330,000 speakers
• Sylheti (ꠍꠤꠟꠐꠤ/ছিলটি) - 13 million speakers
  • Jalalabadi dialect - 9 million speakers
  • Lauri dialect - 2 million speakers
  • Jaintian dialect - 0.5 million speakers
  • Barak dialect - 1 million speakers
• Chittagonian (চাঁটগাঁইয়া) - 16 million speakers
• Rohingya/Ruáingga - 1.8 million speakers
• KRNB (কোচ ৰাজবংশী/রংপুরী/কমতা)

Southern Zone languages

This group of languages developed from Maharashtri Prakrit. It is not clear if Dakhini (Deccani, Southern Urdu) is part of Hindustani along with Standard Urdu, or a separate Persian-influenced development from Marathi.

Marathi-Konkani

• Marathi (मराठी) - 73 million speakers
• Phudagi - 1,000 speakers
• Kadodi
• Konkani (कोंकणी) - 2.26 million speakers
• Katkari - 12,000 speakers
• Kukna - 110,000 speakers
• Varli - 600,000 speakers
• Maharashtrian Konkani - 2.4 million speakers

Insular Indic

• Sinhalese (සිංහල) - 17 million
• Maldivian (ދިވެހި) - 340,000 speakers

• Mahl - 10,000 speakers

The Insular Indic languages share several characteristics that set them apart significantly from the continental languages.

Unclassified

The following languages are related to each other, but otherwise unclassified within Indo-Aryan:

Kuswaric

• Danwar - 46,000 speakers
• Bote-Darai - 20,000 speakers

Chinali–Lahul Lohar

• Chinali - 750 speakers
• Lahul Lohar - 750 speakers

The following other poorly attested languages are listed as unclassified within the Indo-Aryan family by Ethnologue 17:

• Kanjari (Punjabi?), Od (Marathi?), Vaagri Booli, Andh, Kumhali (perhaps in Central).

Also Degaru, Mina, Bhalay and Gowlan are all names for the Gowli caste, rather than a language.

Kholosi

The Kholosi language is a more recently discovered Indo-Aryan language spoken in two villages in southern Iran and remains currently unclassified.

Phonology

Consonants

Stop positions

The normative system of New Indo-Aryan stops consists of five points of articulation: labial, dental, "retroflex", palatal, and velar, which is the same as that of Sanskrit. The "retroflex" position may involve retroflexion, or curling the tongue to make the contact with the underside of the tip, or merely retraction. The point of contact may be alveolar or postalveolar, and the distinctive quality may arise more from the shaping than from the position of the tongue. Palatals stops have affricated release and are traditionally included as involving a distinctive tongue position (blade in contact with hard palate). Widely transcribed as [tʃ], Masica (1991:94) claims [cʃ] to be a more accurate rendering.

Moving away from the normative system, some languages and dialects have alveolar affricates [ts] instead of palatal, though some among them retain [tʃ] in certain positions: before front vowels (esp. /i/), before /j/, or when geminated. Alveolar as an additional point of articulation occurs in Marathi and Konkani where dialect mixture and others factors upset the aforementioned complementation to produce minimal environments, in some West Pahari dialects through internal developments (*t̪ɾ, t̪ > /tʃ/), and in Kashmiri. The addition of a retroflex affricate to this in some Dardic languages maxes out the number of stop positions at seven (barring borrowed /q/), while a reduction to the inventory involves *ts > /s/, which has happened in Assamese, Chittagonian, Sinhala (though there have been other sources of a secondary /ts/), and Southern Mewari.

Further reductions in the number of stop articulations are in Assamese and Romany, which have lost the characteristic dental/retroflex contrast, and in Chittagonian, which may lose its labial and velar articulations through spirantization in many positions (> [f, x]).

Stop series	Language(s)
/p/, /t̪/, /ʈ/, /tʃ/, /k/	Hindi, Punjabi, Dogri, Sindhi, Gujarati, Bihari, Maithili, Sinhala, Odia, Standard Bengali, dialects of Rajasthani (except Lamani, NW. Marwari, S. Mewari)
/p/, /t̪/, /ʈ/, /ts/, /k/	Nepali, dialects of Rajasthani (Lamani and NW. Marwari), Northern Lahnda's Kagani, Kumauni, many West Pahari dialects (not Chamba Mandeali, Jaunsari, or Sirmauri)
/p/, /t̪/, /ʈ/, /ts/, /tʃ/, /k/	Marathi, Konkani, certain W. Pahari dialects (Bhadrawahi, Bhalesi, Padari, Simla, Satlej, maybe Kulu), Kashmiri
/p/, /t̪/, /ʈ/, /ts/, /tʃ/, /tʂ/, /k/	Shina, Bashkarik, Gawarbati, Phalura, Kalasha, Khowar, Shumashti, Kanyawali, Pashai
/p/, /t̪/, /ʈ/, /k/	Rajasthani's S. Mewari
/p/, /t̪/, /t/, /ts/, /tɕ/, /k/	E. and N. dialects of Bengali (Dhaka, Mymensing, Rajshahi)
/p/, /t/, /k/	Assamese
/p/, /t/, /tʃ/, /k/	Romani
/t̪/, /ʈ/, /k/ (with /i/ and /u/)	Sylheti
/t̪/, /t/	Chittagonian

Nasals

Sanskrit was noted as having five nasal-stop articulations corresponding to its oral stops, and among modern languages and dialects Dogri, Kacchi, Kalasha, Rudhari, Shina, Saurasthtri, and Sindhi have been analyzed as having this full complement of phonemic nasals /m/ /n/ /ɳ/ /ɲ/ /ŋ/, with the last two generally as the result of the loss of the stop from a homorganic nasal + stop cluster ([ɲj] > [ɲ] and [ŋɡ] > [ŋ]), though there are other sources as well.

Charts

The following are consonant systems of major and representative New Indo-Aryan languages, as presented in Masica (1991:106–107), though here they are in IPA. Parentheses indicate those consonants found only in loanwords: square brackets indicate those with "very low functional load". The arrangement is roughly geographical.

Romani p t (ts) tʃ k pʲ tʲ kʲ b d (dz) dʒ ɡ bʲ dʲ ɡʲ pʰ tʰ tʃʰ kʰ m n nʲ (f) s ʃ x (fʲ) sʲ v (z) ʒ ɦ vʲ zʲ ɾ l lʲ j	Shina p t̪ ʈ ts tʃ tʂ k b d̪ ɖ dʒ ɖʐ ɡ pʰ t̪ʰ ʈʰ tsʰ tʃʰ tʂʰ kʰ m n ɳ ɲ ŋ (f) s ʂ ɕ z ʐ ʑ ɦ ɾ l ɽ w j	Kashmiri p t̪ ʈ ts tʃ k pʲ t̪ʲ ʈʲ tsʲ kʲ b d̪ ɖ dʒ ɡ bʲ d̪ʲ ɖʲ ɡʲ pʰ t̪ʰ ʈʰ tsʰ tʃʰ kʰ pʲʰ t̪ʲʰ ʈʲʰ tsʲʰ kʲʰ m n ɲ mʲ nʲ s ʃ sʲ z ɦ zʲ ɦʲ ɾ l ɾʲ lʲ w j wʲ
Saraiki p t̪ ʈ tʃ k b d̪ ɖ dʒ ɡ pʰ t̪ʰ ʈʰ tʃʰ kʰ bʱ d̪ʱ ɖʱ dʒʱ ɡʱ ɓ ɗ ʄ ɠ m n ɳ ɲ ŋ mʱ nʱ ɳʱ s (ʃ) (x) (z) (ɣ) ɦ ɾ l ɽ ɾʱ lʱ ɽʱ w j wʱ	Punjabi p t̪ ʈ tʃ k b d̪ ɖ dʒ ɡ pʰ t̪ʰ ʈʰ tʃʰ kʰ m n ɳ [ɲ ŋ (f) s ʃ (z) ɦ ɾ l ɽ ɭ [w] [j]	Nepali p t̪ ʈ ts k b d̪ ɖ dz ɡ pʰ t̪ʰ ʈʰ tsʰ kʰ bʱ d̪ʱ ɖʱ dzʱ ɡʱ m n ŋ mʱ nʱ s ʃ ɦ ɾ l ɾʱ lʱ [w] [j]	Assamese p t k b d ɡ pʰ tʰ kʰ bʱ dʱ ɡʱ m n ŋ s x z ɦ ɹ l [w]	Sylheti t̪ ʈ (tʃ) k b d̪ ɖ (dʒ) ɡ m n ŋ f s (ʃ) x z ɦ ɾ l ɽ [w]
Sindhi p t̪ ʈ tʃ k b d̪ ɖ dʒ ɡ pʰ t̪ʰ ʈʰ tʃʰ kʰ bʱ d̪ʱ ɖʱ dʒʱ ɡʱ ɓ ɗ ʄ ɠ m n ɳ ɲ ŋ mʱ nʱ ɳʱ s (ʃ) (x) (z) (ɣ) ɦ ɾ l ɽ ɾʱ lʱ ɽʱ w j wʱ	Marwari p t̪ ʈ tʃ k b d̪ ɖ dʒ ɡ pʰ t̪ʰ ʈʰ tʃʰ kʰ bʱ d̪ʱ ɖʱ dʒʱ ɡʱ ɓ ɗ̪ ɗ ɠ m n ɳ mʱ nʱ s ɦ ɾ l ɽ ɭ w j wʱ	Hindustani p t̪ ʈ tʃ k b d̪ ɖ dʒ ɡ pʰ t̪ʰ ʈʰ tʃʰ kʰ bʱ d̪ʱ ɖʱ dʒʱ ɡʱ m n (f) s (ʃ) (z) ɦ ɾ l ɽ ɽʱ ([w]) ([j])	Assamese p t k b d g pʰ tʰ kʰ bʱ dʱ ɡʱ m n ŋ s x z ɦ ɹ l [w]
Bengali p t̪ ʈ tʃ k b d̪ ɖ dʒ ɡ pʰ t̪ʰ ʈʰ tʃʰ kʰ bʱ d̪ʱ ɖʱ dʒʱ ɡʱ m n ʃ ɦ ɾ l ɽ [w] [j]	Gujarati p t̪ ʈ tʃ k b d̪ ɖ dʒ ɡ pʰ t̪ʰ ʈʰ tʃʰ kʰ bʱ d̪ʱ ɖʱ dʒʱ ɡʱ m n ɳ mʱ nʱ ɳʱ s ʃ ɦ ɾ l ɭ ɾʱ lʱ w j	Marathi p t̪ ʈ ts tʃ k b d̪ ɖ dz dʒ ɡ pʰ t̪ʰ ʈʰ tʃʰ kʰ bʱ d̪ʱ ɖʱ dzʱ dʒʱ ɡʱ m n ɳ mʱ nʱ s ʃ ɦ ɾ l ɭ ɾʱ lʱ w j wʱ	Odia p t̪ ʈ tʃ k b d̪ ɖ dʒ ɡ pʰ t̪ʰ ʈʰ tʃʰ kʰ bʱ d̪ʱ ɖʱ dʒʱ ɡʱ m n ɳ s ɦ ɾ l [ɽ] ɭ [ɽʱ] [w] [j]	Sinhala p t̪ ʈ tʃ k b d̪ ɖ dʒ ɡ ᵐb ⁿ̪d̪ ᶯɖ ᵑɡ m n ɲ ŋ s ɦ ɾ l w j

Language and dialect

In the context of South Asia, the choice between the appellations "language" and "dialect" is a difficult one, and any distinction made using these terms is obscured by their ambiguity. In one general colloquial sense, a language is a "developed" dialect: one that is standardised, has a written tradition and enjoys social prestige. As there are degrees of development, the boundary between a language and a dialect thus defined is not clear-cut, and there is a large middle ground where assignment is contestable. There is a second meaning of these terms, in which the distinction is drawn on the basis of linguistic similarity. Though seemingly a "proper" linguistics sense of the terms, it is still problematic: methods that have been proposed for quantifying difference (for example, based on mutual intelligibility) have not been seriously applied in practice; and any relationship established in this framework is relative.

Language comparison chart

(Note: Hindi and Urdu is in the same column as well as Chittagonian and Rohingya)

English	Sanskrit	Gujarati	Rajasthani	Marathi	Hindustani	Punjabi	Sindhi	Bengali	Dhivehi	Sylheti	Chittagonian, Rohingya	Kashmiri	Konkani	Bhojpuri	Odia	Sambalpuri Odia	Assamese	Maithili	Sinhala	Nepali	Pali	Romani	Saraiki	Garhwali	Pahari
beautiful	sundara	sundar	futaro	sundara	sundar	sohnā	suhɳā	šundor,sudarshon	reethi	shundor	cúndor, hásin	sondar	chand, sundar	suhnar, sundar, khapsoorat	sundara	sundar	dhuniya, xundôr	sundar	sonduru, sundara, lassana	sundar	sundaro	shukar	sohnra	bigrelu	sohna
blood	rakta, loha, lohita, shoNita	lohi, khoon, rakt	ragat	rakta	khūn, rakta, lahū	lahū, ratt	ratu	rokto, lohit, lohu	ley	roxto, lou	lou, hún, kún	ratth	rakt, ragat	khūn, lahū	rakta, lahu, rudhira	Rakat, Ruder	tez	shonit	le, rudiraya, ruhiru	ragat	ratta	rat	laho, rat	loee	hoon
bread	rotika, polika	paũ, roṭlā	falko	poḷi, bhākarī	chapātī, roṭī	parautha, roṭi	pʰulko, maanī	(pau-)ro̊ŧi	roshi	ruti, luf	fiçá, luthi	tçhot	rot, poḷo, poḷi, chapati, pav	roṭī	pauruṭi, ruti	Ruti, Paanruti	pauruti, ruti	roṭi, sohāri	paan, roti	roṭī, paũroṭi,		manřo	roti, ma(n)ri, dhodha	Palakā	ruti
bring	anayati	lā-v	lajyo	ān-	lā-	lyā	ɖe	an-	geney	an-	ainn-	ann	haad	lāv-	Aanantu, Aana, Aane	Aanan, Aana, Aan	an-	ān	ghenna	lyaunu		an-	ghin aa, Lai aa	l'hāṇu	an-
brother	bhrātṛ, bandhu, sahodara	bhāi	beero, bhayo, veer	bhāu, bandhu	bhāī	prā, pāh	bʱau	bhai, bhaiya	beybe	bai, baiya	bái	boéy	bhav, bhau	bhāī, bhaīyā	bhai, bhaina	Bhe, Dada	bhai (bhaiti, bhayek), dada, kaka/kokai	bhé, bhaīyā	sahodarayā, bæyā	bhāi (younger) dāi, dāju, dādā, dājai (elder		phral	bhrā, vīr, lala	bhullā (younger) bhaaji , dada (elder)	praa (brother), paapa (elder)
come	āgachchhati	āv-	av-	yē	ā-	ā, āo, ājā	ach	aš-	aadhey	a-	ai-, laa-	vall	yo, ye	āv-	āsantu, ās-, ā-	āsun, Aa	ah-	abhin,āu	enna, ena	āunu	āgachcha	āv-	āo	āunu , aenu	aa, ach
cry	roditi, rauti, krandati	raḍ-	rodno, roosno	raḍ-	rō-	rō-	rōaɳ	kãd, kand-, rodan kor-, kann	ruin	xand-, xañ-	hañd-	wódun	rad-	ro-	kanda, Krandana	kaandna	kand-	kan-	aňdanawa, haňdanawa	runu	rodanam	rov-	rovanra	Tyon̄cyānu	ro-
dark	andhaḥkāra	andhārũ	gairo	andhāra, kāḷokha	andhera	hanerā	ôndʱah	ondhokar, ãdhar	andhiri	andair	añdár, miyonda	anyí-got	andhakar, andhar, kalok	anhār, anhera	andhāra, Andhakara	andhār	andhar, ôndhôkar	anhār	aňduru, andhakara, kaluwara	andhyaro, andhakāra	andhakaaro	kalo	andhara	cukāpaṭṭa	nehra
daughter	duhitṛ, putrī	chhokḍi	sagi, sago, chori	lek, mulagī, poragī	beṭi	dʱī	dʱī	meye, beṭi	manje	furi, zi	maia, zíi, futúni	koor	dhuv	dhiyā, beṭi, chhori, bitiya	jhiya	jhi, Tukil	ziyôri, zi (ziyek)	dhiā	duva, dū, diyaniya	chhori	nauni	chhai	Dhee	nauni
day	divasa, dina	divas	dina, din	divas, din	din	din, dihara	ɖīhn	din, diboš, diwoš	dhuvas	din	din	dóh	dis, din, divas	din	dina, Dibasa	Din	din	din	dinaya, dawasa	din		dives	denh, jehara	dus
do	kṛ-, karoti	kar-	kar-	kar-	kar-	kar-	kar-	kor-	kurun	xor-	hor-	kar	kor	kar-	kara-	kar-	kôr-	kôr	karanna	garnu		ker-	karo	karnu- , kornu- , kernu-	kar-
door	dvāra, kapāṭa	darvāzo, kerel	kivand	dār, darvāzā	darvāzā, kavad	būha, dar, darvāza	darvāzo	dorja, duar	dhoru	dorza, doroza	Duar, doroza	darwaaz, dār, daer ("window")	daar, kavad, bagilu	darvājā, kevadi	daraja, Dwara, kabata	Kapat, Dwar	duwar, dôrza	kebār	dora, dwāraya	dhoka		(v)udar	buha, dar	dār, darvāzā	darvāzā
die	mṛ-, glah-	mar-	mar-	mar-	mar-, mar jā-	mar-, mar ja-	mar-	mor-, more ja-	maru	mor-, mori za-	fóut	marun	mar	mu, mar ja	mar-	mar-	môr-, môri za-	môr	maranaya, märena	marnu		mer-	marna	gudaknu	mar-, fohth
egg	aṇḍa, ḍimba	iṇḍũ	ando	aṇḍa	anḍā	aṇḍe	aṇɖo, bedo	đim	bis	dim, enda, boida	andha, dhim	thool	ande, motto	anḍā	anḍā, ḍimba	anḍā, ḍim, Gaar	kôni	anḍā	bittharaya, biju	aṇḍā		(y)anřo, (v)anřo	anda, aana	andar	anda
salt	kṣāra, sala, lavaṇa	mithu	loon	mīṭh, lavaṇa, loṇ	namak	lūn/nūn namak	lūn	lobon, nun	lonu	lobon, nun, nimox	nun	noon	mith, loni	noon/namak	labana, Luna	Noon	nimôkh, nun, lôbôn	nūn	lunu	nun	khar/lavan	lon	loon/noon	loonn	loon
earth	pṛthvi, mahi, bhuvana, dharitrī	pruthvi	dharti, basudhara	pruthvi, dharaṇi	prithvī, dhartī, zamīn	dhartī	dhartī	prithibi, duniya, dhora	dhuniye, bin	dunwai, dunya, zomin	duniyai	daertī (voiced-aspirated /dh/ > /d/)	dhartari, zamin, bhui, pruthvi	jamīn, pirthvi	pruthibi, Dhara, Dhartiri, Dharani	Pruthi, Dharni	prithiwi		pruthuvi, polova, bhoomi, bima	prithivi		phuv	zameen, dharti	pirathi
eye	netra, lochna, akshi, chakshu	āñkh	aankharli	ḍoḷā, netra	āñkh	akh	akh	chokh, āñkhi, noyon	loa	souk	suk	aéchh	dolo	āñkh	ākhi, netra, nayana	ayenk	sôku	ainkh	äsa, akshi, neth, nuwan	ānkhā		yakh	akh	āñkh	akhi
father	pitṛ, janaka, tāta	bāp	baap, kaako	pitā, vaḍil, bāba	bāp	piyō, pite, pita, abba	piu, baba	baba, abba, bap	bappa	abba, abbu, baba, baf	abbá	mol, bab	bapuy, anna, aan	bāp, bābuji, pitāji	bāpa, bābā	bāpā, Bua	dêuta, bap (bapek)	bābū	piyā, thātthā	buwā, bāu, pitā		dad, babo	abbā, piyoo	Bubā	abba, abbu
fear	bhaya, bhīti, traasa	bik, ḍar	bhau	bhītī, bhaya, dhāsti, ghabarāṭ	ḍar, ghabrāhat	ḍar, bhau	ɖapu	bhoy, đor	biru	dor	dor	dar	bhay	ḍar	ḍara, Bhaya	ḍar, Bhee	bhoy	bhay	baya, biya, bhīthiya	dar		dar, trash	darr	tatalāṭa , dor , der	dar
finger	añguli, añguliyaka	āñgḷi	aangli	bōṭ	anguli, ungli	ungal, ungli	āngur	angul, onguli	ingili	angul	ouñl	ungij	bot, aangal	anguri	ānguthi	āngthi	aŋuli	āngur	äňgili	aunlā		angusht	ungil	angulee	angli
fire	agni, bhujyu	agni, jvaḷa	baste	āag, agni, jāḷa, vistava	āg	agg	bāh	agoon	alifaan	agun	ooin	agénn, nār	ujo (from Sanskrit udyota), aag, agni	āgh	agni, nia	Joye, nia	zui	āig	agni, gini, gindara	āgo	manta	yag	bhaa	dipakāru , dimakāru	agh
fish	matsya	māchhli	maachhali	māsā, māsaḷi	machhlī	machhī	machhī	māch	mas	mās	mas	gāda	nuste, masoli, jalkay	machhri	māchha	māch	mass	māch	masun, mathsya, mālu	māchā		machho	machhey	māchu , maachhee	machee
food	bhojana, khadati, anna, posha(Na), āhāra, etc.	anna, khorāk, poshaṇ	khaano, lyojibhaya	jēvana, bhojan, anna, āhār	khānā, bhojan	khānā	khādho, ann, māni	khabar, khani	kaana	xani	hána, háñna	khyann	jevan, anna, khana	khana, bhojan	khādya, bhojana, āhāra	āhāra, Khed, Bhojan	ahar, khaiddyô, khuwa bostu	khenāi	āhāra, kæma, bojun, bhojana	khānā, anna, āhār		xabe(n)	roti-tukkur, khanra	naaj , jimman , jafhat , khadbad	khana
go	gachchhati, yāti	jā-	jā-	jā-	jā-	jā-	vaɲ	ja-	dhey	za-	za-	gatçh	vach (from Vedic Ach)	jā	jāntu, Ja-	jāun, Ja-	zu-, za-	jāhin	yanna, yana	janu, jā		ja-	vanj	janu, jā	ja-
god	deva, īśvara, parmeśvara, devata, bhagavān, prabhu	parmeshvar, dev, bhagvān	isar, bavji, dai	deva, parmeshwara, ishwara	bhagvān, parmeshvar, ishvar, khudā	pagvān, rab, ishwar, parmesar	bhagvān, parmeshvar, ishvar, khudā, sāin, mālik	bhogoban, ishhor, rob, khoda	raskalaange	bogowan, rob, xuda,	ixor, ila, rob	dai, divta, bagvān, parmeeshar	dev, sarvesvar	bhagvān, mālik, iswar, daiva, daiya	bhagabāna, ṭhākura, diyan	Maphru, bhagbān, Devta,	dewôta, bhôgôwan	bhagvān	devi, dēvathāvā	bhagawān, deutā, ishwor		Del, Devel	rab, mālik	dyāpta , dyabta
good	shobhna, uttama	sārũ	chokho	chāngle, chhān, uttama	achhā	changa	suʈʰo	bhalo	rangalhu	bala	bála	rut (moral "good"), jān (physical "good")	bare, chand, layak	badhiya, changa, achha	bhāla	Bane, bhāl	bhal	neek, neeman	hoňdhai, hoňda	raamro, asal		lachho, mishto	changa	khoob , bhalu , asad	changa
grass	tṛṇa, kusha	ghāsthāro	chaaro	gavata, taṇ	ghās	ghāh	ghãhu	ghaš	vina	gash, gah	kérr	dramunn	taṇ (from Prakrit tiṇa, Sanskrit tṛṇa)	ghās	ghāsa	Jhaar, ghāns	ghãh	ghās, duib	thana, thruna	ghaas, dubo		char	ghā	ghasyood	ghaah
hand	hasta	hāth	haat	hāt	hāth	hath	hatʰu	haat	aiyy	aat	árt	atth	haat	hāth	hāta	hāt, Bahu	hat	hāth	atha, hasthaya	hāt		vast	hat	hāth	aath
head	śira, mastaka, kapāla, mūrdhā	māthũ	sir, maatha	ḍoke, munḍake, mātha, shīr, mastaka, tāḷke,	sir, shīsh	sir, sīs	matʰo	matha, shir	boa	matha	matá	kalla	maate (from Prakrit matthao, Sanskrit Mastaka)	sīr, šīs, kapār	munḍa	Mud	mur, matha	māth, mūri	oluwa, sirasa, hisa	tauko, seer		shero, shoro	ser	Kapāḷa , mund	sir
heart	hrdaya	hruday	hivado, kaljo	hrudaya, kāḷij	dil, hriday, antar	dil, riday	dil	dil, hridoy, ontor	hiyy	dil, ontor	dil	ryeda	Hadde, Hardey (From Sanskrit Hrdaya), Hrdaya	dil, hivara, jiyara	hrudaya	hurud	hridoy, hiya		hada, hardaya, hadawatha	hridaya, mutu		(y)ilo, (v)ilo	Dil	jikudu , dil , jitamo	dil
horse	ashva, ghotaka, hayi, turanga	ghoḍũ	ghodo	ghoḍa	ghoṛa	koṛa	ghoɽʱo	ghoɍa	as	ghuɍa	gúñra, gúra	gur	ghodo	ghoṛa	ghoda	ghoda	ghůra	ghodā	ashvaya, thuranga	ghodā		khoro, grast	ghora	guntt	khora
house	gṛha, alaya	ghar	ghar, taaparo	ghar	kār	ghôr	ɡʱar, jaɡʱah	ghor	ge'	ghor	gor	ghar	ghar	ghar	ghara, Gruha	ghar	ghôr	ghôr, gedhara, gruha	gruhaya, geya, gedara, niwasa	ghar, griha		kher	ghar	gher , ghor , koodi ,	kar
hunger	bubuksha, kshudhā	bhukh	bhukh	bhūk	bhūkh	pukh	bhūkhayal	bhukh, khida	banduhai	bhuk	búk	bo'tchh	bhuk	bhūkh	bhoka	bhok	bhuk	bhūkh	kusagini, badagini	bhok		bokh	bhuk	bhūka , bhukkhi , bhūkhu	pukh
language	bhāshā, vāNī	bhāshā	boli, zaban	bhāshā	bhāshā, zabān, baat	boli, zabān, pasha	ɓoli, bhasha, zabān	bhaša	bas	basha, zobān, maat	báca	booyl, zabān	bhasha, bhas	bhākhā, boli, jubaan	bhāsā	bhāsā	bhaxa	bhāshā	bhashawa, basa	bhāshā		chhib	boli, zaban	bhasa bhaak	zabaan
laugh (v.)	hāsa, smera	has-	has-	hās-	hãs-	hassa	kʰillu	haš, hãš	hunun	ash-	áñc-	assun	has-	has-	hãs-	hās-	hãh-	hôs	hina, sinaha, sina	hasnu		(h)as-	khill	hasnu	as-
life	jivana, jani	jivan, jindagi	bhav	jīvan, jīv	jīvan, zindagī	jindrī, jīvan, jind	zindagī	ɉibon, zindegi	dhiriulhun	zibon, zindegi	zibon, zindigi	zoo, zindagayn	jivit, jivan	jinigi	jibana, prāna	jiban	ziwôn	jiban	jeevithe, jivana	jeewan, jindagi		jivipe(n), jivdipe(n), juvdipe(n), jivoto	zindgey	ji'ōna , jivan
moon	chandramā, soma, māsa	chandra, chāndo	chaan, chando	chandra	chandramā, chandā, chānd	chann, chānd	chanɖ	cãd, condro, chand	handhu	sand	san, zun	tçandram	chandra, chandrim	channa, channarma, mah	chandra, Janha	Jan, JanhaMamu	zunbai, zun, sôndrô	jonhi, chan	chandra, saňdu, haňda	chandramā, juun		chhon, chhonut, masek	chandr	joon, jo
mother	janani, mātṛ	mā, bā	mai, ma	āi, māi	mā	mā, mata, mai, bebe	māo, amma	ma, amma, ammu	mamma	ma, amma, ammu	amma	maeyj	amma, mai	matāri, māi, amma	mā, bou	mā	ai, ma	mé	mawa, amma, matha, mæni	āmā, muwā, mumā, mātā		dai	amma, maa	maa , bvai, jiya, maidi, maayadi, janadaaree	amma, ammi
mouth	ās, mukha	moḍhũ, mukha	moondo	tonḍ, mukha, thobāḍ	mūñh	mūñh, mukh	mūñh, vāt	mukh	anga	muk	cuuñçi, gal	mūñh	tond, mukh	mūñh	mukha, Paati	Tund, Paati	mukh	mūh	mukha, kata	mukh, thutuno		mui		khabaad , khaab , gichcha , gichchi , gichchoo , thuntheer , thobadu	mu
name	nāma	nām	naam	nāv	nām	nā	nālo	nam	nan	naam	nam	naav	naav	nā, nām	nāma, nā	nā	nam	nām	nama, nāmaya	nām		nav, anav	nā	naun	na
night	raatri, rajani, nishā, naktam, etc.	rāt, rātri, nishā	raati, raat	rātra	rāt, rātri, nishā	rāt	rāt	rat, ratri, nishi	reygandu	rait, ratri, shob	rait, lailat	raath	raat, ratri	rāt	rāti, Ratri, Nishi	Rayet	rati	rāit	rāthriya, ræ	raati, raat, raatri		ŕat	raat	rāt , raat	raat
open	uttana, udhatita	khullũ	khulyuda	ughaḍ, khol	khulā	khulla, khol	khol	khulā	hulhuvaa	kulā	kúilla	khol	ughad, ukt-, udhaar	khullā	kholā	kholā	khula	khujal	harinna	khulla		putardo, phravdo	khulla	ughadnu, kholnu	khulla
peace	shānti	shānti, shāntatā	shaanti	shānti	shānti, aman	shānti, aman, sakūn	shānti, aman, sukoon	šanti	sul'ha	shanti	cánti	aman, shaenti	shanti, santatay	sānti-sakoon, aman	sānti	sānti	xanti	shānti	sāmaya, shāntiya	shaanti		lachhipe(n)	aman, sakoon	tapp , juppi , Nimāṇi
place	stapana, sthala, bhu, sthāna	jagyā, sthaļ	jageh	sthān, sthaḷ, jāga	sthān, jagah	thāñ, asthān	jaɠah, thāñ	ɉaega, sthan, zomin	than	zega, zaga, zomin	zaga	jaay	jaag, thal	jagah	jāgā	jāgā	thai	tthām	sthanaya, thäna	thaaun, jagga, sthal		than	jaga	thāṇ , jaga	jaga
queen	rāni, rājpatni	rāṇi, madhurāṇi	raani	rāni, rājmātā	rāni, malkā	rāni, malka	rāɳi	rani	ranin	rani	rani	māhraeny (also used for "newly-wed bride")	raani	rāni, begam	rāṇi	rāṇi	rani	rāni	räjina, dēvi, bisawa	rāni		rani, thagarni	ranri, malka	rāni , thakarvāṇi , thakaravāṇi
read	pathati, vachana	vānch-	baanch-	vāch-	paṛh-	paṛh-	paɽʱ-	poṛh-	kiun	for-	for-	parun	vajji/vaach	paṛh-	paḍh-	paḍdh-	pôrh-	pôdh	kiyawanna	padh-		gin-, ginav-	parhnra, parh	padhnu , banchnu	par-
rest	vishrāma	ārām	aaraam	vishrānti	ārām	arām	ārām	aram, bišrom	araamu	araam	aram, ziro	araam	aaraam	rām	ārām, bisrām	thāk, bisrām	aram, zirôni	arām	vishrāma, viwēka	ārām, bishrām		achhipe(n)	Araam	dhāmaun , ḍhyēmaun	raam
say	vadati, braviti, brūté,	bōl-	bōl-	bōl-, mhaṇ-, sāng-	bōl, ākh, keh	bôl-, keh	chao	bol-, koh-	buney	xo-	hoó-, bul-	bōl-	mhan, sang, ulay	bol-, kah-	kũhantu, Kuha, Kah-	Kahan, kaha, kah	kô	bāj	pawasanna, kiyanna	bhannu, bolnu		phen-, vaǩer-	bol, aakh	bōlnu	bol-
sister	svasṛ, bhagini	bêhn	bain, bayee, beeri	bhaginī, bahīṇ	behn	pēn	bēɳ	bon, apa, didi	dhahtha	boin, afa	bóin, bubu, buu	baeynn	bhaini	bahin, didi, didiya	bhauṇi, bhagini	bahen	bhônti, bhôni	bôhin	sahodariya	bahini, didi		phen	bheinr	(younger sister) bhuli , bhulli (elder sister) deedi	(elder sister) baaji, (sister) pēn
small	alpa, laghu, kanishtha, kshudra	nāhnũ	nāhnũ	lahān, laghu	chhoṭā	nikka, chhoṭā	nanɖo	cho̊ŧo	kuda	huru, suto, kuti	cóñço	lokutt, nyika, pyoonth	Saan	chhoṭ, nanhi	choṭa, sana	chot, alap, tike	xôru, suti (for short)	chhot	chuti, podi, kudā	saano, chhoto		tikno, xurdo	nikka, chauta	chhvattu , ucchi	nika
son	sunu, putra	chhokḍo	choora, betoo	mulgā, porgā	bēṭā	put, puttar	puʈ	chele, put, bēṭā	kalo	fua, fut, bēṭā	fut	nyechu, pothur	put	putt/chhora	pua, putra	Po, Pila	put (putek)	pūt	puthra, puthā, puthu	chhora, putra		chhavo	putr	naunu jayede	puthar
soul	ātmā, atasa	ātmā	aatma	ātmā	ātmā, rūh	ātmā, rūh	ātmā, rūh	ātmā, rūh	furaana	ruh, zaan	ruú, zan	āthmā	atma, jeev	rūh	ātmā	ātmā	atma	ātmā	ātmā	ātmā		ji, di	rooh	ātmā
sun	sūrya	sūraj, sūrya	suraj	sūrya	sūrya, sūraj	sūraj	siju	šurɉo	iru	surzo, shurzo	beil, cújjo	siri	surya	sūraj	sūrjya	sūrjya	beli	beri, sūrj	ira, hiru, sūrya	sūrya, ghām		kham	sijh	ghām
ten	dasha	das	das	dahā	das	das, daha	ɖaha	doš	dhihayeh	dosh	doc	duh	dha	das	dasa	das	dôh	dôs	dahaya, dasa	das		desh	dah	d̪əs	das
three	trī, trayah, trīNi (neut. nom. pl.)	traṇ	tiin	tīn	tīn	tin, traiy	ʈeh	tin	thineh	teen	tin	t're	teen	tīn	tini	tīn	tini	tīn	thuna	tin		trin	trai	tīn	tre
village	grāma	gāñḍu	gaaon, dhaani	gāv, khēda	gāoñ	pinḍ, gāñ	ɠoʈʰ	gram, gaon	avah	gau, geram	fara, gang,	gām	ganv	gāoñ-dehāt, jageer	gān, grāma	gān	gaû	gām	gama, gramaya	gaun		gav	dehat, jhoauk, vasti	gauṁ , gawn
want	ichhati, kankshati, amati, apekshati	joi-	chai-	pāhijē, havē	chāh-	chāh-	kʰap, chāh-	cha-	beynun	sa-, lag-	lag-	yatshun, kan'tchun	jaay-	chāh-	Chanunchi, Loduchi	Chounchen	bisar-, lag-, khuz-	chāhi	oone, awashyayi	chāhanā, ichhya		kam-, mang-	chah	chaandu , chainnun , chaindu , chaanu
water	pāniya, jala	pāṇi	paani	pāṇi	pāni, jal	pāni, jal	pāṇi	pani, ɉol	fen	fani	faní	poyn, zal (used for "urine" only)	udak, uda, pani, jal	pāni	pāṇi, jala	pāyeṇ	pani	pain	jalaya, wathura, pän	pāni, jal		pani	panri	pāṇi	pani
when	kada, ched	kyahre	kadine	kēvhā, kadhee	kab	kad, kadoñ	kaɖahn	kokhon, kobe	kon iraku	kumbala, xobe	hoñótté	karr	kedna, kenna	kab	kebe	Ketebele, kebe	ketiya	kakhan, kahiyé	kawadhāda, kedinada	kahile		kana, kada, keda	kadanr	kabbi , kabaar	kellai
wind	pavana, vāyu, vātā	havā, pavan	havaa	vāra	havā, pavan	havā, paun. vah	havā	bataš, haoa	vai	batash	bathác, bouyar	tshath, hava	vaar	hāvā	pabana	Dhuka, haba, paban	bôtãh	basāt	hulan, sulan, pavana, nala	hāwā, batās		balval, barval	hava, phook	bathaun , paun	va
wolf	vrka, shvaka	shiyāl	bheriyo	kōlha	bhēṛhiyā	pēṛhiyā	ɡidʱar	nekre, shiyal	hiyalhu	hiyal	cíal	vrukh	kolo	bhērhiyā	gadhiyā	Kulia	xiyal	siyār	vurkaya	bwānso		ruv	baghiyaar	bheriya
woman	nāri, vanitā, strī, mahilā, lalanā	mahilā, nāri	lugai, aurat	bāi, mahilā, stree	aurat, strī, mahilā, nāri	naar, mutiyar	māi	mohila, nari, stri	anhenaa	beti, mohila	maiñya	zanaan	baayal, stree	mehraru, aurat, janaani	stree, nāri	Mayeji	môhila, maiki manuh	maugi, stri	kānthāwa, gähäniya, sthriya, mahilāwa, lalanāwa, liya, laňda, vanīthāwa	mahilaa, naari, stree		juvli, řomni	aurat, treimat, zaal, zanaani	byaṭula , kajyāṇṇi	janaani
year	varsh, shārad	varash	saal, uun	varsh	sāl, baras, varsh	sāl, varah	sāl	bocchor, shal, boshor,	aharu	bosor, sāl	bosór	váreeh	varas	sāl, baris, barikh	barsa	baras, Bachar	bôsôr	barakh	varshaya, vasara	barsha		bersh	saal	mainn	saal
yes / no	hyah, kam / na, ma	hā / nā	hon/koni	hōy, hō, hā / nāhi, nā	hāñ / nā, nahīñ	hāñ, āho / nā, nahīñ	hā/ na	hæ, ho, oi / na	aan, labba, aadhe / noon, nooney	ii, oe / na	ói / na	aa / ná, ma	Vayi/naa	hāñ / nā	han /Na	Hoye/nei	hôy / nôhôy	hô/nai	ow / næ	ho / hoina, la / nai		va / na	ha / na	hō, hāan / nā	aha/ na
yesterday	hyah, gatadinam, gatakāle	(gai-)kāl(-e)	kaal	kāl	kal	kal	kalla	(goto-)kal(-ke)	iyye	(goto-)khail, (goto-)khal, khal(-ke), khail(-ku)	hail	kāla, rāth	kaal	kālh	(gata-)kāli	gala kāli	(zuwa-)kali	kāilh	īyē	hijo		ij, irati, erati	kal	n'yāra , byāḷi	kal
English	Sanskrit	Gujarati	Rajasthani	Marathi	Hindi-Urdu	Punjabi	Sindhi	Bengali	Dhivehi	Sylheti	Rohingya, Chittagonian	Kashmiri	Konkani	Bhojpuri	Odia	Sambalpuri Odia	Assamese	Maithili	Sinhala	Nepali	Pali	Romani	Saraiki (Southern Punjabi)	Garhwali (Garhwali)	Pahari(Pahari)

Interrogative pronouns

English	Maithili	Odia	Dhivehi	Sanskrit	Assamese	Kamtapuri	Bengali	Gujarati	Marathi	Hindustani	Punjabi	Sindhi	Sylheti	Chittagonian, Rohingya	Kashmiri	Nepali	Sinhala	Romani	Garhwali
who	Ke	kie	kaaku	kah,kā	kün, kai	kae	ke	koṇ, koṇa	kōṇa	kaun	kaun, keṛa	ker	xe	hon		ko	kavuda	kon	ku
what	Ki, kathi	kana, kitho	keekey	kim	ki, kih	ki	ki	śũ	kāya	kya	ki	čhā	kita	ki		ke		so	ki
where	Kata	kouthi	konthaaku	kutra	kót, keni	kóṭe	kothay, koi	kya	kuṭhe	kahan	kithe	kithe	xoi, xano	hoçé	kithé	kaham	koheda	kaj	kakh , kakham , kanee
when	Kakhan, kahiyé	kebe	kon iraku	Kada	ketia, kahani	kónbela, kónsomoe	kokhon, kobe	kyāre	kadhī	kab	kadom	kadenh	kumbela, kunbala, xobe	hoñótté		kahile, kab	kavada	kana / keda	kadee
why	Kié	keno ki , kana lagi , kitho lagi	keevve	Kimarthaŋ	kio, kelei	kene, ke	keno	sa mate	kā, kaina	kyun	kiun	chho	xene, kitar lagi	kiá		kina	æyi	soske	kiley
how	Kena	kemiti	kihineh	Katham	kene, kene (-koi/ke, -kua), kidore	keŋka, keŋkori	kemon, kibhabe	kai rite	kasē	kaise	kive	kena	kila, xemne	keén		kasari		sar	kann , kanukvai , kanake
English	Maithili	Odia	Dhivehi	Sanskrit	Assamese	Kamtapuri	Bengali	Gujarati	Marathi	Hindustani	Punjabi	Sindhi	Sylheti	Chittagonian and Rohingya	Kashmiri	Nepali	Sinhala	Romani	Garhwali

Personal pronouns

English	Sanskrit	Maithili	Assamese	Bengali	Gujarati	Marathi	Hindustani	Dhivehi	Punjabi	Sindhi	Sylheti	Chittagonian, Rohingya	Kashmiri	Konkani	Kamtapuri	Bhojpuri	Odia	Nepali	Romani	Garhwali
i	ɔhɔŋ	hɔm	moi	āmi	huṁ, hu ,mein	mī	mein	aharun	maiṁ	maa	mui, ami	ãi, mui		aav	mui	haum	mu͂	ma	me	mī
we	vɔyɔŋ	hɔm sɔbh	āmi	āmrā	ame,apane	āmhī	hum	aharumen	asīṁ	asā	amra	añára		aami	hamra, hami		aame	hāmī	amen	aamen
you (inf)		tõ	toi	tui	tu	tū	tu	kaley, theena	Tusīṁ	tū	tui		tū	tui	tui		tu	taṁ	tu	tu
you (mid frm)	tvɔŋ	×	tumi	tumi	tame	tūmhī	tum		Tusīṁ	tū	tumi	tuñí		tū	tui		tume	timī	tumen	tum
you (frm)	Bhɔvan, Bhɔvɔti	ahāñ	apuni	āpni	āp,	āpaṅ	āp		Tusīṁ	tāhā	afne	oñne		tumi	tomra		aapaNa	tapāīṁ	tumen	taanu , āp
you (inf, pl)	×	tõ sôbh	tohõt	tora	tuae			kaleymen, thimeehun			Not used	Not used			tomra	tuáñra	Not used	Not used		tui
you (mid frm, pl)	Yūvāŋ	×	tümalük	tomra	tamaru		tumlog				tumitain, tumra			tumi	tomra		tumemaane	timīharū		tumi
you (frm, pl)		ahāñ sôbh	apünalük	apnara	tameloko		āplog				afnain, afnara			tumi	tomrala		aapaNamaane	tapāīṁharū		āpi , taanui
he (mid frm)	sɔh	o	xi	śe, ō	pelo		who	eyna	o	ho	he, ogu	ité		to	inae, unae		se	ū, unī, tinī	(v)ov, (y)ov	ū
she (mid frm)	sā	o	tai	śe, ō	peli		who	eyna	o	huā	tai, ogu	ití		ti	inae, unae		se	ū, unī, tinī	(v)oy, (y)oy	ū
he (frm)		o	teü, tekhet	tini, uni	pelae		ve				tain, ein	uite			inae, unae		se	waha		ū
she (frm)		o	teü, tekhet	tini, uni	palie						tain, ein				inae, unae		se	wahāṁ		ū
they (mid frm)	te,tā	o sɔbh	xihõt	tara	pelaloko		wohlog	emeehun		huā	tara	itará		taani	imra, umra		semaane	unīharū, tinīharū	(v)on, (y)on, ol	vo
they (frm)		o sôbh	teülük, tekhetxokol	tahara	pela lokoe				ve		tara	iín			imrala, umrala		semaane	wahāṁharū		vo
English	Sanskrit	Maithili	Assamese	Bengali	Gujarati	Marathi	Hindi	Dhivehi	Punjabi	Sindhi	Sylheti	Chittagonian, and Rohingya	Kashmiri	Konkani	Kamtapuri	Bhojpuri	Odia	Nepali	Romani	Garhwali

Numerals

Numerals	Sanskrit	Maithili	Marathi	Assamese	Bengali	Gujarati	Hindustani	Punjabi	Khortha	Sylheti	Rohingya	Romani
0	shunyɔ	sunna	Shunya	xuinyɔ	śunnɔ		śūny, sifar	sifar	ṭeip	śuinno	sifír	nula, khanchi
1	ek	ek	ek	ek	êk/æk		ek	ikk	aiṛī	ex	ek	(y)ek
2	dvi	du	dona	dui	dui		do	do	jauṛī, dauṛī, daunā	dui	dui	dui
3	tri	teen	teena	tini	tin		tīn	tinn, tre	taiṛī, ṭainā	tin	tin	trin
4	chɔtur	chāir	chara	sari	chār		cār	cār, chā	ɡhūran, cārā	sair	sair	shtar
5	pɔnchɔn	pāñch	paacha	pās	pā̃ch		pā̃c	punj	cāyal, mācā	fas	fãs	panj, panch
6	śɔś	chhɔ	Sahaa	sɔe, sɔ	chhɔy		che	che	caimpā, jheik	sóe	só	shov
7	sɔptɔn	sāt	Saatha	xat	sāt		sāt	satt	ɡoiyain, jheɡ	śat, hat	há̃t	efta
8	ɔśṭɔn	āth	Aatha	āth	āṭ		āṭh	aṭh	bā̃ṛī, auṭhauī	aṭ	ãśṭo	oxto
9	nɔvɔn	nɔ	Nawu	nɔ	nɔy		nau	nauṃ	sutauil, naubhī	noe	no	enya
10	dɔshɔn	dɔs	Dahaa	dɔh, dɔs	dɔsh		das	dass	sihaum	doś	doś	desh
Numerals	Sanskrit	Maithili	Marathi	Assamese	Bengali	Gujarati	Hindustani	Punjabi	Khortha	Sylheti	Rohingya	Romani

See also

• Indo-Aryans
• Iranic languages
• Indo-Aryan migration
• Proto-Vedic Continuity
• The family of Brahmic scripts
• Linguistic history of the Indian subcontinent
• Indo-Aryan loanwords in Tamil
• Languages of Bangladesh
• Languages of India
• Languages of Pakistan
• Languages of Nepal

Further reading

• John Beames, A comparative grammar of the modern Aryan languages of India: to wit, Hindi, Panjabi, Sindhi, Gujarati, Marathi, Oriya, and Bangali. Londinii: Trübner, 1872–1879. 3 vols.
• Cardona, George; Jain, Dhanesh, eds. (2003), The Indo-Aryan Languages, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-77294-5.
• Madhav Deshpande (1979). Sociolinguistic attitudes in India: An historical reconstruction. Ann Arbor: Karoma Publishers. ISBN 0-89720-007-1, ISBN 0-89720-008-X (pbk).
• Chakrabarti, Byomkes (1994). A comparative study of Santali and Bengali. Calcutta: K.P. Bagchi & Co. ISBN 81-7074-128-9
• Erdosy, George. (1995). The Indo-Aryans of ancient South Asia: Language, material culture and ethnicity. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 3-11-014447-6.
• Ernst Kausen, 2006. Die Klassifikation der indogermanischen Sprachen (Microsoft Word, 133 KB)
• Kobayashi, Masato.; & George Cardona (2004). Historical phonology of old Indo-Aryan consonants. Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. ISBN 4-87297-894-3.
• Masica, Colin (1991), The Indo-Aryan Languages, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-29944-2.
• Misra, Satya Swarup. (1980). Fresh light on Indo-European classification and chronology. Varanasi: Ashutosh Prakashan Sansthan.
• Misra, Satya Swarup. (1991–1993). The Old-Indo-Aryan, a historical & comparative grammar (Vols. 1–2). Varanasi: Ashutosh Prakashan Sansthan.
• Sen, Sukumar. (1995). Syntactic studies of Indo-Aryan languages. Tokyo: Institute for the Study of Languages and Foreign Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
• Vacek, Jaroslav. (1976). The sibilants in Old Indo-Aryan: A contribution to the history of a linguistic area. Prague: Charles University.

External links

• The Indo-Aryan languages, 10-25-2009
• The Indo-Aryan languages Colin P.Masica
• Survey of the syntax of the modern Indo-Aryan languages (Rajesh Bhatt), February 7, 2003.