Gorum, or Parengi, is a nearly-extinct minor
Munda language
The Munda languages are a group of closely related languages spoken by about nine million people in India and Bangladesh. Historically, they have been called the Kolarian languages. They constitute a branch of the Austroasiatic language family ...
of India.
Names
The name ''Gorum'' most likely comes from an animal/people prefix ''go''- and root -''rum'' meaning 'people', and is possibly related to the ethnonym
Remo
Remo Inc. is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based in Valencia, California, and founded by Remo Belli in 1957. Products manufactured include drum kits, drumheads, drums, and hardware.
History
Drummer and founder Re ...
(Anderson 2008:381).
''Parengi'', or ''Parenga'', is of obscure origin.
Status
Gorum is 60% endangered, it is very likely that it might soon be extinct majority of the people under 30 years cannot understand the language. In addition those who know it are likely to deny knowing it. This language seems to have been first researched in 1933, that being the earliest scholarly reference.
Origins
While Gorum is a member of the
Munda family, it has taken some things from
Dravidian, a language spoken nearby. For example, they tend to doubly inflect on certain types of
AVC
AVC may refer to:
Organizations
* Asian Volleyball Confederation, the continental governing body for the sport of volleyball in Asia
* Advanced Video Communications, owner of Stickam
* ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo!, a defunct left-wing group in Ecuador
...
structures. Another derivation from the Munda language is the use of some
Glottals being "
creaky voiced"
[Anderson, Gregory D.S. & Felix Rau. 2008. “Gorum.” In: Gregory D.S. Anderson]
Distribution
Gorum speakers are located in the following areas of eastern India (Anderson 2008:381).
*
Koraput district
Koraput is a district of India in southern Odisha, with headquarters at Koraput. The district is located in the Eastern Ghats and is known for its hilly terrain, rich and diverse types of mineral deposits and its tribal culture and traditions. Th ...
,
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
: the former Nandapur and Pottangi taluks
*