Bhili language

Bhili
भीली
The word "Bhili" written in Devanagari script
Native to India
Region Bhil Pradesh (Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra)
Ethnicity Bhil
Native speakers
 3,206,533 (2011 census)
Devanagari, Gujarati
Language codes
ISO 639-3 Variously:
bhb – Bhili (Bhagoria, Bhilboli, Patelia)
gas – Adiwasi Garasia
gra – Rajput Garasia (Dungri)
Glottolog bhil1251  Bhili
rajp1235  Rajput Garasia
adiw1235  Adiwasi Garasia

Bhili (Bhili: भीली), IPA: [bʱiːliː], is a Indegineous Language spoken in west-central India, in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. Other names for the language include Bhagoria and Bhilboli; several varieties are called Garasia. Bhili is a member of the Bhil languages, which are related to Gujarati and Rajasthani. The language is written using the Devanagari script.

Bhili has no official status in India.

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Dental/
Alveolar 		Retroflex Palatal Velar Glottal
Stop voiceless p t ʈ k
aspirated pʰ tʰ ʈʰ kʰ
voiced b d ɖ ɡ
breathy bʱ dʱ ɖʱ ɡʱ
Affricate voiceless tʃ
voiced dʒ
Fricative s (ʃ) h
Nasal m n ɳ (ŋ)
Lateral l ɭ
Trill r
Approximant w j
  • /w/ may also be heard as [ʋ] in free variation.
  • /ʃ/ occurs in loanwords from Persian and Hindi.
  • [ŋ] is heard as an allophone of /n/ preceding /k/.

Vowels

Front Central Back
High i u
Mid-high e ə o
Mid-low ɛ ɔ
Low (æ) a
  • Vowels /i, u/ can also be heard as [ɪ, ʊ].
  • [æ] is borrowed from Hindi.
  • /ə/ may also be heard as [ɤ] in final position.

Further reading

  • Bodhankar, Anantrao. Bhillori (Bhilli) – English Dictionary. Pune: Tribal Research & Training Institute, 2002.
  • Jungblut, L. A Short Bhili Grammar of Jhabua State and Adjoining Territories. S.l: s.n, 1937.
  • Thompson, Charles S. Rudiments of the Bhili Language. Ahmedabad [India]: United Printing Press, 1895.

See also