All Topics  
Konkani language

 

 

 

 

 

Konkani language


 
 


Konkani is an Indo-Aryan languageIndo-Aryan languages

The Indo-Aryan languages form a subgroup of the Indo-Iranian languages, thus belonging to the Indo-European family of langu...
 belonging to the Indo-EuropeanIndo-European languages

, [[Bengali language | Bengali]...
 family of languages spoken in the KonkanKonkan

The Konkan, also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is the name given to a stretch of rugged and beautiful section of...
 coast of India. It has approximately 7.6 million speakers of its two individual languages, Konkani and Goan Konkani.

Konkani is the official language in the state of GoaGoa

Goa is India's second smallest state in terms of area after Delhi and the fourth smallest in terms of population after Sikk...
 and is also one of the Official languages of India. Konkani does not have a unique script. Scripts of the other regional languages where its speakers inhabit are used. Devanagari has been mandated as the official script.

Phonology

The Konkani language has 16 basic vowels (excluding equal number of long vowels), 36 consonants, 5 semi-vowels, 3 sibilants, 1 aspirate and lots of diphthongDiphthong

In phonetics, a diphthong is a vowel combination in a single syllable involving a quick but smooth movement from one vowel ...
s. Like the other Indo-Aryan languagesIndo-Aryan languages

The Indo-Aryan languages form a subgroup of the Indo-Iranian languages, thus belonging to the Indo-European family of langu...
, it has both long and short vowels and syllables with long vowels may appear to be stressed. Different types of nasal vowels is a special feature of the Konkani language.

Vowels



One of the most distinguishing features of Konkani phonology is the use of , the Close-mid central vowel, instead of the schwaSchwa

In linguistics, specifically phonetics and phonology, schwa can mean:...
 as used in Hindi and Marathi.

Whereas most Indian languages use only one of the three front vowels, represented by the Devanagari grapheme ?(IPA:), Konkani uses three: , and .

The Near-open front unrounded vowel (æ)Facts About Near-open front unrounded vowel

The near-open front unrounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages....
, as used in Konkani is different from its standard IPA definition. It is positioned between and and slightly longer than . The standard pronunciation of æ is only used for loan-words.

Consonants

Consonants
 LabialDentalAlveolarRetroflexAlveopalatalVelarGlottal
Voiceless
stops
  
Voiced
stops
  
Voiceless
fricatives
    
Nasals  
Liquids    

The Consonants in Konkani are similar to Marathi.

Grammar

Konkani is a language rich in morphology and syntax. It cannot be described as a stress languageStress-timed language

In every language, speech emission is based on a sequence of elementary sound units; some of them play a specific part: through th...
 nor as a tone languageTonal language

A feature of linguistic analysis common to many languages around the world is tonality....
.

Word Formation

Most of the words in Konkani have been inherited from SanskritSanskrit

The Sanskrit language is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one o...
 to be precise from SauraseniSauraseni

A Dramatic Prakrit, Sauraseni was the chief language of northern medieval India, evolving into the Hindi language complex an...
 and MaharashtriMaharashtri

Maharashtri is a language of medieval India, descended from Sanskrit, and spoken in what is now Maharashtra and other parts ...
volution of Konkani words from Sanskrit and Prakrit
SanskritPrakritKonkaniEnglish
AhamAhaauHanvI
KutrahKahimKhayWhere
TatrahTahimThayThere
SugrishmakahSuggimahoShigmoOnset of Summer
GrishmahGgimahoGimSummer
ManushyahManisuManisMen
ShunahSunnahoSunoDog
GhotakahGhoddaoGhodoHorse
DevakulahDeaaulaDevulTemple
GramahGaammaGaonVillage
PravrushahPaaussaPavasRain
PugiphalaahPupphalaoPophalaBettlenuts
AaamAaaiHayyes
AmrahAammaoAamoMango
YuddhahJujjhaJhujWar
HastahHatthHaatHand


Konkani verbs and their roots

  • All the verbs and their evolution strictly follow the rules of ApabrhamshApabhramsha

    Apabhramsha is a term used by Sanskrit grammarians since Patanjali to refer to dialects of North India that deviate from the...
     (corruption of language ) and PrakritPrakrit

    Prakrit refers to the broad family of the Indic languages and dialects spoken in ancient India....
     (ie SauraseniSauraseni

    A Dramatic Prakrit, Sauraseni was the chief language of northern medieval India, evolving into the Hindi language complex an...
     and MaharashtriMaharashtri

    Maharashtri is a language of medieval India, descended from Sanskrit, and spoken in what is now Maharashtra and other parts ...
     )


Sanskrit Verb root /DhatuKonkani Verb /KriyapadLiteral Meaning in English
khad / ????khavap /????to eat
pib / ????pivap/ ????to drink
bhaksh / ????bhakhap,bhakap,bhakkap / ??? ???to eat
ach / ???vachap / ???to go
uch / ???ulovap ( apabrahmsha or prakrit influence ) / ?????to speak
tishth / ?????tishthap / ??????to wait /stand
chal / ??chalap / ???to walk
dhav / ????dhavap / ????to run
randh / ????randhap / ?????to cook
math / ??mathap / ???to churn
pat / ???padap / ????to fall


Metaphors

Konkani language is very euphimistic and if full of metaphors.

Konkani wordEuphimism/MetaphorLiteral Meaning
AshruDukkh ( Dukkh - sorrow )Tears
MhataroJanato ( Janato - one who knows more )Old person
ShakahariShivrak ( comes from the Sanskrit word "shravaka" meaning Jain )Vegetarian ( Shravaks or Jains are vegeterian , and Konkani people are not )

Geographical distribution


The Konkani language is spoken widely in the Western Coastal region of India known as KonkanKonkan

The Konkan, also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is the name given to a stretch of rugged and beautiful section of...
. This consists of the KonkanKonkan

The Konkan, also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is the name given to a stretch of rugged and beautiful section of...
 division of MaharashtraMaharashtra

Maharashtra is India's third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after Uttar Pradesh....
, GoaGoa Overview

Goa is India's second smallest state in terms of area after Delhi and the fourth smallest in terms of population after Sikk...
, South CanaraDakshina Kannada

...
, North CanaraUttara Kannada

...
 and some pockets in KeralaKerala

Kerala is a state on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India....
. Each region has a different dialectDialect

A dialect is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area....
, pronunciationPronunciation

Pronunciation refers to:* the way a word or a language is usually spoken;...
 style, vocabulary, tone and sometimes, significant differences in grammar. Konkani language is also spoken in minorities in other parts of KarnatakaKarnataka

Karnataka is one of the four southern states of India....
. A very few Konkani speakers are also found in North IndiaNorth India

North India is a geographic and linguistic-cultural region of India....
.

The Census Department of India, 1991 figures put the number of Konkani speakers in India as 1,760,607 making up 0.21% of India's population. Out of these, 602,606 were in GoaGoa

Goa is India's second smallest state in terms of area after Delhi and the fourth smallest in terms of population after Sikk...
, 706,397 in KarnatakaKarnataka

Karnataka is one of the four southern states of India....
, 312,618 in MaharashtraMaharashtra Summary

Maharashtra is India's third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after Uttar Pradesh....
 and 64,008 in KeralaKerala

Kerala is a state on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India....
. It ranks 15th in the list of Scheduled Languages as per strength. According to the 2001 estimates of the The Census Department of India, there are 2,489,015 Konkani speakers in India. A very large number of Konkanis stay outside India, either as expatriates or citizens of other countries. Determining their numbers is difficult.

EthnologueEthnologue

Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service ...
 puts the number of Konkani speakers at 3.6 million(year 2000).

History


Origins

The Konkan region is the narrow strip of land between the Sahyadri Mountain range and the Arabian Sea on the western coast of India. The Konkani language developed in the region, primarily in GomantakGomantak

Gomantak'??????,Goa is also referred to as Gomantak by Goan Hindus,which literally means the abode of the cows....
 (now GoaGoa

Goa is India's second smallest state in terms of area after Delhi and the fourth smallest in terms of population after Sikk...
).

There are two theories regarding the origins of Konkani:

The precursors to the Konkani are the Brahmins who resided along the banks of the river SaraswatiSaraswati Overview

Saraswati is the first of the three great goddesses of Hinduism, the other two being Lakshmi and Durga....
 ie Saraswati Mandal which flowed in Northwestern India about 5000 years ago. As a consequence of seismic activity in the Himalayas, the river ran underground around 1900 B.C.E. forcing a migration of the inhabitants. After a long journey, a group of these people settled in the Gomantak region. They brought their own dialect of Shauraseni PrakritPrakrit

Prakrit refers to the broad family of the Indic languages and dialects spoken in ancient India....
, which over time evolved into modern Konkani.

Another theory is that Konkani is a SanskritSanskrit

The Sanskrit language is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one o...
ised version of a language spoken by the KoknaList of Scheduled Tribes in India

This is a full list of Scheduled Tribes in India, as recognised in India's Constitution....
 tribe. The Kokna tribals (also referred to as Kokni or Kukni or Kukna) are now found in North Maharashtra and South Gujarat, but may have been the primary settlers in the Konkan region. The migrating Aryans who came to the Konkan picked up the language and added various PrakritPrakrit

Prakrit refers to the broad family of the Indic languages and dialects spoken in ancient India....
/SanskritSanskrit

The Sanskrit language is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one o...
 words.

Research done by Dr Kulkarni( University of NagpurUniversity of Nagpur

The University of Nagpur was established on August 4, 1923 in the city of Nagpur in the Maharashtra state of central India....
) has shown that Konkani has many words of MaharashtriMaharashtri

Maharashtri is a language of medieval India, descended from Sanskrit, and spoken in what is now Maharashtra and other parts ...
 origin ( not to be confused with Marathi languageMarathi language

Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Maharashtrian people of western India....
 which is also a descendant of MaharashtriMaharashtri

Maharashtri is a language of medieval India, descended from Sanskrit, and spoken in what is now Maharashtra and other parts ...
)

Early years

Konkani as a language flourished in Goa. It is believed that the Brahmi script may have been used initially for writing in Konkani but it fell into disuse. It is also believed that Brahmi gave way to the Devanagari script. However, no evidence has been found to support these claims. In the 1300s, the development of MarathiMarathi language

Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Maharashtrian people of western India....
 and the availability of religious and literary works in Marathi, led to its use extensively for religious purposes among the Hindus of Goa. Konkani existed only as a spoken language until the arrival of the Portuguese.

Other communities

Other Konkani communities came into being with their own dialects of Konkani. The Konkani MuslimKonkani Muslims

Konkani Muslims are Muslims living in Konkan region of India.They speak Konkani ,Urdu and Marathi languages....
 communities of RatnagiriFacts About Ratnagiri

Ratnagiri is a city in India, located in the southwestern part of Maharashtra State on the Arabian Sea coast, in the Ratnagi...
 and BhatkalBhatkal Overview

Bhatkal is a town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India....
 came about due to a mixture of intermarriage of Arab seafarers and locals as well as conversions of Hindus to Islam. Another migrant community that picked up Konkani was the Siddis who were sailor-warriors from Ethiopia.

Migration and fragmentation

The arrival of the PortuguesePortugal

Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic is located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, and is the w...
 lead to major changes in Konkani. The conversion of Konkanis to ChristianityFacts About Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on Jesus of Nazareth, and on his life and teachings as presented in the New...
 and the religious policies of the Portuguese caused a large number of Konkanis to flee to neighbouring territories. The isolation of Hindu and Christian Konkanis added to the fragmentation of Konkani into multiple dialects.

The language spread to CanaraKanara

The Kanara or Canara region comprises three districts of Karnataka - North Kanara whose administrative headquarters is...
 (coastal Karnataka), Kokan-pattaKonkan

The Konkan, also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is the name given to a stretch of rugged and beautiful section of...
 (coastal Konkan division of Maharashtra) and Kerala during the last 500 years due to migration of Konkanis. Although a few Konkanis may have been present in the neighbouring areas and there may have been migrations due to economic reasons in the past, the main cause of migration was the Portuguese control over Goa.

It was spread to these areas by HinduHindu

A Hindu , as per modern definition, is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, the religious, phi...
 Konkani and Christian Konkani speakers in three waves of migration. The first migration occurred during the early years of Portuguese rule and the Inquisition of 1560s. The second wave of migration was during the 1571 C.E. war with the Sultan of BijapurBijapur

* Bijapur, Karnataka*Bijapur Sultanate...
. The third wave of migration happened during the wars of 1683-1740 C.E. with the MarathasMaratha Empire

The Maratha Empirealso known as the Maratha Confederacy, was a Hindu state of India which existed from 1674 to 1818....
. While the first wave was of Hindus, the second and third waves were mainly those of Christians.

These migrant communities grew in relative isolation and each developed its own dialect. Since these communities had to interact with others in local languages on a daily basis, Konkani dialects show strong local influences in terms of script, vocabulary and also style.

Konkani in Portuguese era

Early in the era of Portuguese colonizationPortuguese India

Portuguese India was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India....
, Christian missionaries realized the importance of propagating in local tongues and translated Christian Literature into Konkani and sometimes Marathi, the most notable among them being Fr Thomas Stephens.

However, in 1684 C.E., the Portuguese administration banned the use of local languages in their Indian territories. They mandated the use of Portuguese not just for official purposes but everyday conversations including speaking at homes or bazaars. This was because local languages served as a medium for Hindu religious instruction. They also wanted to severe the links the new converts had with their culture.

Coupled with the imposition of Portuguese as an official language, it lead to a steady decline of Konkani, which unlike most Indian languages had absolutely no state patronage.

The Hindus of Goa had been using Marathi as a language of religious ceremonies from a long time. Also the interaction between Marathis and Konkanis in the past, that had resulted in Konkanis being bilingual with Marathi, now cemented the status of Marathi as the liturgical and literary language of Hindus in Goa, including Konkanis. Similarly, upper class Christians used Konkani only to communicate with the lower classes and poor, using Portuguese in social gatherings. The use of Portuguese led to the influence of Portuguese in Konkani, especially in the dialects spoken by the Christians.

Meanwhile, the migrant communities outside Goa kept Konkani alive, and the language became more fragmented. The Devanagari script came into use in Maharashtra, while Kannada Script was used by migrants to Karnataka.

Konkani revival


Konkani was in a sorry state, due to the use of Portuguese as the official and social language among the Christians; the predominance of Marathi over Konkani among Hindus and the Konkani Christian-Hindu divide. Seeing this Vaman Raghunath Varde Valaulikar set about on a mission to unite all Konkanis, Hindus as well as Christians, regardless of caste or religion. He saw this movement not just as a nationalistic movement against Portuguese rule, but also against the pre-eminence of Marathi over Konkani. Almost single handedly he crusaded, writing a number of works in Konkani. He is regarded as the pioneer of modern Konkani literature and affectionately remembered as Shenoi GoembabShenoi Goembab

Waman Raghunath Shennoi Varde Valaulikar23 June 1877 - 9 April 1946) known popularly as Shenoi Goembabwas a noted Konk...
. His death anniversary, 9th April, is celebrated as World Konkani Day (Viswa Konknni Dis)

Post-independence period

Following India's Independence and its subsequent reconquest of Goa in 1961, Goa was absorbed into the Indian Union as a Union Territory, directly under central administration.

However, with the reorganization of states along linguistic lines, and growing calls from Maharashtra, as well as Marathis in Goa for the merger of Goa into Maharashtra, an intense debate was started in Goa. The main issues discussed were the status of Konkani as an independent language and Goa's future as a part of Maharashtra or as an independent state. A plebiscite retained Goa as an independent state in 1967.. However, English, Hindi and Marathi continued to be the preferred languages for official communication, while Konkani was sidelined.

Recognition as an independent language

With the continued insistence of some Marathis that Konkani was a dialect of Marathi and not an independent language, the matter was finally placed before the Sahitya AkademiSahitya Akademi

The Sahitya Akademi is an Indian organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India....
. Suniti Kumar ChatterjiSuniti Kumar Chatterji

Suniti Kumar Chatterji was a Bengali Indian linguist, educationist, litterateur....
, the president of the Akademi appointed a Committee of linguistic experts to settle the dispute. On February 26 1975, the Committee after due deliberation, came to the conclusion that Konkani was indeed an independent and literary language.

Official language status

All this did not change anything in Goa. Finally fed up with the delay, Konkani lovers launched an agitation demanding official status to Konkani in 1986. The agitation turned violent in various places, resulting in the death of six agitators. Finally, on 4 February 1987, the Goa Legislative Assembly passed the Official Language Bill making Konkani the Official Language of Goa.

Konkani was included in the Eight Schedule of the Constitution of India, as per the Seventy-First Amendment on 31 August 1992, adding it to the list of National Languages.

Scripts

Konkani is written in a number of scripts. Brahmi was originally used but fell into disuse. DevanagariDevanagari

Devanagari is an abugida writing system used to write, either along with other scripts, or exclusively, several North India...
 is the official script for Konkani in Goa. Roman script is also popular in Goa. The Kannada scriptKannada script

The Kannada script is an abugida of the Brahmic family, primarily to write the Kannada language, one of the Dravidian langua...
 is used amongst the Konkani population of KarnatakaKarnataka

Karnataka is one of the four southern states of India....
. Malayalam scriptMalayalam script

The Malayalam script is an abugida of the Brahmic family, used to write the Malayalam language....
 is used by the Konkani community, centered around the cities of Cochin and KozhikodeKozhikode

Kozhikode in Malayalam ?????????? , also known as Calicut, is the third largest city in the southern state of Keral...
 in KeralaKerala

Kerala is a state on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India....
 state. Konkani Muslims in coastal Maharashtra and Bhatkal taluka of Karnataka use Arabic script to write Konkani.

Konkani Alphabets
IPA SymbolModified Devanagari AlphabetStandard Devanagari AlphabetRoman ScriptKannada AlphabetMalayalam AlphabetArabic Alphabet
??o?/???
??a???
??i???
??i???
??u???
??u???
??e???
??e???
æno symbol?? or ???
??ai/oi???
??o???
??o???
??au/ou ??
????om/on?????
??k?????
??kh??????
??g?????
??gh??????
???ng????
????ch???????
??ch?????
??chh??????
????z???
??j?????
????zh?????
??jh??????
??nh????
??tt?????
??tth??????
??dd?????
??ddh??????
??nn?????
??t?????
??th??????
??d?????
??dh??????
??n?????
??p?????
???f????
??b?????
??bh??????
??m?????
??i/e/ie?????
??r?????
??l?????
??x?????
??x?????
??s?????
??h?????
??ll?????
??v?????

Dialects

Konkani, despite having a small population shows a very high number of dialectDialect

A dialect is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area....
s. The dialect tree structure of Konkani can easily be classified according to the region, religion, caste and local tongue influence.

Different researchers have classified the dialects differently.

N. G. Kalekar's classification

Based on the historical events and cultural ties of the speakers, N. G. KalekarNarayan Govind Kalelkar Overview

Narayan Govind Kalelkar was an Indian linguist from Maharashtra....
 has broadly classified the dialects into three main groups:
  • Northern Konkani :Dialects spoken in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra with strong cultural ties to Marathi.
  • Central Konkani : Dialects in Goa, where Konkani came in close contact with Portuguese language and culture.
  • Southern Konkani: Dialects spoken in the Canara region of Karnataka which came in close contact with Tulu and Kannada.

Ethnologue (ISO) classification

ISO 639-3ISO 639-3

ISO 639-3 is in process of development as an international standard for language codes....
 classifies Konkani generic macrolanguageKonkani (macrolanguage)

Konkani macrolanguage is an ISO 639 identifier covering two distinct languages with the same name....
(ISO 639-3:kokKok

Kok can mean:* the language Konkani...
) into:
  • Goan Konkani (ISO 639-3: gom )
  • Konkani (individual language) (ISO 639-3: knn)

Of these , Konkani(individual language) is commonly identified as a dialect of MarathiMarathi language

Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Maharashtrian people of western India....
(see Marathi language#KonkaniMarathi language

Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Maharashtrian people of western India....
).

The various dialects of Konkani language as reported by EthnologueEthnologue

Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service ...
 are:
  • Standard Konkani (Goan),
  • Bardeskari (Gomantaki),
  • Sarasvat Brahmin,
  • Kudali (Malvani),
  • Daldi (Nawaits),
  • Chitpavani (Konkanasths),
  • Mangalore.

Related languages/dialects

Other languages/dialects which are included by ISO 639-3 in the Konkani family of the Language tree but may be not be regarded as dialects of Konkani(they may be regarded as sister languages):
  • Katkari (kfu)
  • Kukna (kex)
  • Phudagi (phd)
  • Samvedi (smv)
  • Varli (vav)

Problems/Issues

The Konkani language has been in danger of dying out primarily due to
  1. The fragmentation of Konkani into various, sometimes mutually unintelligible dialects.
  2. The PortuguesePortugal

    Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic is located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, and is the w...
     influence in Goa, especially on Catholics.
  3. Strong degree of bilingualism of Konkani Hindus in Goa and coastal Maharashtra with Marathi
  4. Progressive inroads made by Urdu into the Muslim communities.
  5. Mutual animosity among various religious and caste groups; including a secondary status of Konkani culture to religion.
  6. Migration of Konkanis to various parts of India and around the world.
  7. Lack of opportunities to study Konkani in schools and colleges. Even till recently there were few Konkani schools in Goa. Populations outside the native Konkani areas have absolutely no access to Konkani education, even informally.
  8. Preference among Konkani parents to speak to their children in "Potaachi Bhas" (language of the stomach) over "Maaim Bhas"(mother tongue) Konkani; primarily in English to help their children gain a grip over English in schools.


Efforts have been made to stop this downward trend of usage of Konkani, starting with Shenoi Goembab'sShenoi Goembab

Waman Raghunath Shennoi Varde Valaulikar23 June 1877 - 9 April 1946) known popularly as Shenoi Goembabwas a noted Konk...
 efforts to revive Konkani. There has been a renewed interest in Konkani Literature. The recognition granted by Sahitya AkademiSahitya Akademi

The Sahitya Akademi is an Indian organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India....
 to Konkani and the institution of an annual award for Konkani literature has helped.

Some organizations such as the Konkan Daiz Yatra, organized by Konkani Bhasha Mandal, Mumbai since 1939 and the newer Vishwa Konkani Parishad have laid great stress on uniting all factions of Konkanis.

Multilingualism

According to the Census Department of India, Konkani speakers show a very high degree of multilingualismMultilingualism

The term multilingualism can refer to phenomena regarding an individual speaker who uses two or more languages; a community ...
. In the 1991 census, as compared to the national average of 19.44% for bilingualism and 7.26% for trilingualism; Konkani speakers scored 74.20% and 44.68% respectively. This makes Konkanis the most multilingual community of India.

This has been due to the fact that in most areas where Konkanis have settled, they seldom form a majority of the population and have to interact with others in the local tongue. Another reason for bilingualism has been the lack of schools teaching Konkani as a primary or secondary language.

While bilingualism is not by itself a bad thing, it has been misinterpreted as a sign that Konkani is not a developed language. The bilingualism of Konkanis with Marathi in Goa and Maharashtra has been a source of great discontent because it has led to the belief that Konkani is a dialect of Marathi and hence had a bearing on the future of Goa.

Konkani - Marathi dispute

It has been claimed by some quarters that Konkani is a dialect of Marathi and not an independent language. This has been attributed to several historical reasons (outlined in the HistoryKonkani language

Konkani is a language of India, and belongs to the Indo-European family of languages....
 section), the close similarities between Marathi and Konkani, the geographical proximity between GoaGoa

Goa is India's second smallest state in terms of area after Delhi and the fourth smallest in terms of population after Sikk...
 and MaharashtraMaharashtra

Maharashtra is India's third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after Uttar Pradesh....
, the strong Marathi influence on Konkani dialects spoken in Maharashtra (such as Malwani), a supposed lack of literature in Konkani and a great degree of bilingualism of Konkani Hindus with respect to Marathi.

José Pereira, in his 1971 work "Konkani - A Language: A History of the Konkani Marathi Controversy", pointed to an essay on Indian languages written by John Leyden in 1807 wherein Konkani is called a "dialect of Maharashtra" as an origin of the language controversy.

Another linguist to whom the error is attributed is GriersonGeorge Abraham Grierson

Sir George Abraham Grierson was a famous British civil servant who spent much of his life in British India....
. Grierson's work on the languages of India: The Linguistic Survey of India was regarded as an important reference by other linguists. In his book, Grierson had distinguished between the Konkani spoken in costal Maharashtra (then, part of Bombay Presidency) and the Konkani spoken in Goa as being two different languages. He regarded the Konkani spoken in costal Maharashtra as a dialect of Marathi and not as a dialect of Goan Konkani itself. But, in his opinion, Goan Konkani was also to be considered a dialect of Marathi because the relegious literature used by the Hindus in Goa was not in Konkani itself, but in Marathi. Grierson's opinion about Goan Konkani was not based on its linguistics but on the diglossic situation in Goa.

S. M. Katre's 1966 work, The Formation of Konkani, which utilized the instruments of modern historical and comparative linguistics across six typical Konkani dialects, showed the formation of Konkani to be distinct from that of Marathi. Shenoi GoembabShenoi Goembab

Waman Raghunath Shennoi Varde Valaulikar23 June 1877 - 9 April 1946) known popularly as Shenoi Goembabwas a noted Konk...
, who played a pivotal role in the Konkani revival movement, rallied against the pre-eminence of Marathi over Konkani amongst Hindus and Portuguese amongst Christians.

Goa's accession to India in 1961 came at a time when Indian states were being reorganized along linguistic lines. There were demands to merge Goa with Maharashtra state. This was because Goa had a sizeable population of Marathi speakers and Konkani was also considered to be a dialect of Marathi by many. Konkani Goans were opposed to the move. The status of Konkani as an independent language or as a dialect of Marathi had a great political bearing on Goa's merger, which was settled by a plebiscite in 1967.

The Sahitya Akademi (a prominent literary organization in India) recognized it as an independent language in 1975, and subsequently Konkani (in DevanagariDevanagari

Devanagari is an abugida writing system used to write, either along with other scripts, or exclusively, several North India...
 script) was made the official language of Goa in 1987.

Script and dialect issues

The problems posed by multiple scripts and varying dialects have come as an impediment in the efforts to unite Konkanis. The decision to use Devanagari as official script and Antruz dialect has met with opposition both within Goa and outside it. The critics contend that Antruz dialect is unintelligible to most Goans, let alone other Konkanis, and that Devanagari is used very little as compared to Roman script in Goa or Kannada script in coastal Karnataka. Prominent among the critics are Konkani Catholics in Goa, who have been at the forefront of the Konkani agitation in 1986-87 and have for long used the Roman script including producing literature in Roman script. They are demanding that Roman script be given equal status to Devanagari.

In Karnataka, which has the largest number of Konkanis, leading organizations and activists have similarly demanded that Kannada script be made the medium of instruction for Konkani in local schools instead of Devanagari.

At present no single script or dialect can claim to be understandable or acceptable to all sections. No serious efforts have been made to achieve a consensus on this issue. The lack of a standard dialect which is acceptable to all means that at many times Konkanis interact with other Konkanis in other languages.

Organizations


There are various organizations working for Konkani but primarily, these were restricted to individual communities. The All India Konkani Parishad founded on 23 January 1978 served the purpose of providing a common ground for all groups. A new organization known as Vishwa Konkani Parishad, which aims to be an all-inclusive and pluralistic umbrella organization for Konkanis around the world, was founded on 11 September 2005. The Vishwa Konkani Sammelan (First World Konkani Convention), which was held at MangaloreMangalore

Mangalore ,, is the chief port city of the state of Karnataka, India....
 in 1995, had attracted more than 5000 delegates apart from lakhs of visitors.
"Konkani Associations", are held in various states throughout the United States, such as Michigan, Texas, Washington, and California. There is also one in Ontario, Canada. Konkans of all ages meet and socialize here. Konkan heritage and language is emphasized upon. Once every two years, a Konkani Sammelan, with Konkans from all over the world, is held in different areas. The 2006 convention was held in Toronto, Ontario, and the 2008 convention was held in Santa Clara, California. The 2010 convention will be held in Chicago.

The Konkan Daiz Yatra, which was started in 1939 in MumbaiMumbai

Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay, is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, and the most populous city of India, wi...
, is the oldest Konkani organization. The Konkani Bhasha Mandal was born in Mumbai on April 5, 1942 during the Third All India Conference. On 28 December 1984, Goa Konkani Akademi (GKA) was founded by the Government of Goa to promote Konkani language, literature and culture. The Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr (TSKK)Facts About Thomas Stephens Konkkni Kendr

Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr is a Jesuit-run research-institute working on issues related to the Konknni language, literatu...
 is a popular research institute based in the GoaFacts About Goa

Goa is India's second smallest state in terms of area after Delhi and the fourth smallest in terms of population after Sikk...
n capital PanajiPanaji

Panaji or Panjim is the capital of the Indian state of Goa....
, which works on issues related to the Konkani language, literature, culture and education. The Dalgado Konkani Academy is a popular Konkani organization based in Panaji.

The Konkani Triveni Kala Sangam is one more famed Konkani organization in Mumbai, which is engaged in the vocation of patronizing Konkani language through theatre movement. The Konkani Bhas Ani Sanskriti Pratistan (Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation) is actively involved in the development and research of the Konkani language. The Government of KarnatakaGovernment of Karnataka Overview

The Government of Karnataka also known as the State Government of Karnataka, or locally as State Government, is ...
 established the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademy on 20 April 1994. The World Konkani Centre has been established by the Konkani Bhas Ani Sanskriti Pratistan (Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation) in Mangalore. The Konkani Ekvott is an umbrella organization of the various Konkani bodies in Goa.

Literature


  • The first known printed book in Konkani was written by an EnglishEnglish people

    group=English|image=|poptime= 110 - 120 million...
     Jesuit priest, Fr. Thomas Stephens in 1622, and entitled Dovtrina Cristam Em Lingoa Brahmana Canarim (Old Portuguese for: Christian Doctrine in the Canarese Brahman Language).
  • Konkani Mansagangotri - Prof. Olivinho Gomes
  • Vajralikhani - Shenoi Goembab
  • Konkani Bhashecho Itihas - Shenoi Goembab
  • Sollavea Xekddeantlem Konknni Mhabharot: Adi Porv - collection of 18 stories from the Mahabharat epic. It was written down in the 16th century by a Jesuit in the Roman script using diacritics. It is probably the oldest form of Konkani available today.

Miscellaneous facts

  • There is some disagreement about whether the name "Konkani" was always the accepted name for the language. The earliest reference to the Konkani language comes in a devotional poem by Sant NamdevNamdev

    Namdev, was a prominent Bhakti poet of Maharashtra and among the earliest of those who wrote in the Marathi language....
    (c.1270-c.1350 CE) where he has written a stanza in Konkani.
  • An international ad campaign by NikeNike, Inc.

    | company_name = NIKE, Inc.| company_logo = | company_type = Public corporation...
     for the 2007 Cricket World Cup2007 Cricket World Cup

    The 2007 Cricket World Cup will be hosted by the West Indies from March 11 to April 28 2007....
     featured a Konkani song Rav Patrao Rav as the background theme. It was based on the tune of an older song Bebdo, composed by Chris Perry and sung by Lorna. The new lyrics written by Agnello Dias (who worked in the ad agency that made the ad), recomposed by Ram Sampat and sung by Ella Castellino.
  • A Konkani cultural event Konkani Nirantari held in MangaloreFacts About Mangalore

    Mangalore ,, is the chief port city of the state of Karnataka, India....
     on 26th and 27th January 2008; has entered the Guinness Book of World RecordsGuinness World Records

    Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records is a reference book published annuall...
     for holding a 40-hour-long non-stop musical singing marathon by beating the BrazilianBrazilian people Summary

    Brazilians are all people born in Brazil....
     musical troupe who had previously held the record of singing non-stop for 36 hours.

See also

  • Konkani peopleKonkani people

    The Konkani people are an Indian ethnic group....
  • Konkani words from other languagesKonkani words from other languages

    Konkani, the language of Goa and of many diaspora on the western coast of India, has come into contact with many local languages a...
  • Languages of IndiaLanguages of India

    The languages of India primarily belong to two major linguistic families, Indo-European and Dravidian....
  • List of national languages of IndiaList of national languages of India

    India has a diverse list of spoken languages among different groups of people....
  • List of Indian languages by total speakersList of Indian languages by total speakers

    Indian languages spoken by more than ten million people are given below....
  • Linguistic issues in GoaLinguistic issues in Goa

    Problems/IssuesThe Konkani language has been in danger of dying out primarily due to...
  • Konkani (macrolanguage)Konkani (macrolanguage)

    Konkani macrolanguage is an ISO 639 identifier covering two distinct languages with the same name....


External links