Narayan Govind Kalelkar
Encyclopedia
Narayan Govind Kalelkar (Devanagari
: नारायण गोविंद कालेलकर) (December 11, 1909 - 1989) was a linguist from Maharashtra
, India
.
He was born in the village of Bambuli in Ratnagiri District
. He received his early college education in Baroda and Mumbai
with specialization in French language, and a D.Lit. Degree from a university in Paris
.
He taught French
and Literature at Baroda Vidyapeeth, and Indo-Aryan
/Indo-European languages
at Deccan College
in Pune
.
Kalelkar authored several books on linguistics in Marathi
, they being the first of their kind in Marathi. His Dhwanivichar (ध्वनिविचार) (1955) and Bhasha Ani Samskruti (भाषा आणि संस्कृति) (1960) received Maharashtra
state's literary prizes; and his Bhasha: Itihas Ani Bhoogol (भाषा: इतिहास आणि भूगोल) (1964) received a Sahitya Akademi
award in 1967.
was instrumental in Sahitya Akademi's decision in 1975 to recognize Konkani as an independent Indian language (rather than being a dialect of Marathi).
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: नारायण गोविंद कालेलकर) (December 11, 1909 - 1989) was a linguist from Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
He was born in the village of Bambuli in Ratnagiri District
Ratnagiri District
Ratnagiri district is one of the 35 districts of Maharashtra state in western India. Ratnagiri is the district headquarters of the district. The district is 11.33% urban. The district is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, Sindhudurg district to the south, Raigad district to the north and...
. He received his early college education in Baroda and Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
with specialization in French language, and a D.Lit. Degree from a university in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
He taught French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Literature at Baroda Vidyapeeth, and Indo-Aryan
Indo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages constitutes a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family...
/Indo-European languages
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
at Deccan College
Deccan College
Deccan College may refer to:* Deccan College Post-Graduate & Research Institute * Deccan College of Engineering and Technology * Deccan College of Medical Sciences, a medical college in Hyderabad, India....
in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
.
Kalelkar authored several books on linguistics in Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, they being the first of their kind in Marathi. His Dhwanivichar (ध्वनिविचार) (1955) and Bhasha Ani Samskruti (भाषा आणि संस्कृति) (1960) received Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
state's literary prizes; and his Bhasha: Itihas Ani Bhoogol (भाषा: इतिहास आणि भूगोल) (1964) received a Sahitya Akademi
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi ', India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India...
award in 1967.
Contribution to Konkani language
Kalekar's study of KonkaniKonkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
was instrumental in Sahitya Akademi's decision in 1975 to recognize Konkani as an independent Indian language (rather than being a dialect of Marathi).