Khortha (also
romanized
In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...
as Kortha or Khotta) or alternatively classified as Eastern Magahi
is a
language variety
In sociolinguistics, a variety, also known as a lect or an isolect, is a specific form of a language or language cluster. This may include languages, dialects, registers, styles, or other forms of language, as well as a standard variety.Meech ...
(which is considered a dialect of the
Magahi language
Magahi (), also known as Magadhi (), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal states of eastern India, and in the Terai region of Nepal. Magadhi Prakrit was the ancestor of Magahi, from which the latter's name de ...
) spoken primarily in the Indian state of
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...
, mainly in 16 districts of three
divisions
Division may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
* Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 t ...
:
North Chotanagpur,
Palamu division
Palamu division is one of the five divisions of Jharkhand state in eastern India. This division comprises three districts: Garhwa, Latehar and Palamu. Medininagar
Medininagar, formerly Daltonganj, is a city and municipal corporation in P ...
and
Santhal Pargana.
Khortha is spoken by the
Sadaans as native language and used by the tribal as a link language.
It is the most spoken language variety of Jharkhand.
Geographical distribution
Khortha is spoken in North Chota Nagpur division and Santal Pargana division of Jharkhand. The 13 districts are
Hazaribagh
Hazaribagh is a city and a municipal corporation in Hazaribagh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is also the administrative headquarters of Hazaribagh district and divisional headquarters of North Chotanagpur division. It is known ...
,
Koderma
Kodarma (also spelled as Koderma) is a city and a notified area in the Koderma subdivision of the Koderma district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is also the administrative headquarter of Koderma district.
Demographics
As per the ...
,
Giridih
Giridih is headquarters of the Giridih district of Jharkhand state, India. The city of Giridih is known for its industrial and health sectors, as well as its scenery. Giridih houses the Giridih Coalfield which is one of the oldest coalfields to ...
,
Bokaro,
Dhanbad
Dhanbad is the second-most populated city in the Indian state of Jharkhand after Jamshedpur and a major financial hub of Jharkhand. In terms of economy, Dhanbad has the largest economy in the state of Jharkhand and it is often referred to as th ...
,
Chatra,
Ramgarh,
Deoghar
Deoghar (pronounced ''Devghar'') is a city and a municipal corporation in Deoghar district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is also the administrative headquarters of Deoghar district. It is a holy place of Hinduism. The city is primarily ...
,
Dumka
Dumka, the headquarters of the Dumka district and Santhal Pargana region, is a city in the state of Jharkhand, India. It was made the headquarters of the Santhal Pargana region, which was carved out of the Bhagalpur and Birbhum district afte ...
,
Jamtara
Jamtara is a city and a notified area in the Jamtara Sadar subdivision of the Jamtara district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the headquarters of the eponymous district, subdivision and community development block.
It is also nickna ...
,
Sahebganj
Sahebganj, originally named Kajrotia (also known as Sahibganj) is a scenic town and a port city in the Sahibganj subdivision of the Sahebganj district of Jharkhand state, India. It serves as headquarters for Sahibganj District, Sahibganj subdiv ...
,
Pakur and
Godda
Godda is a town with a municipal council in the Godda subdivision of the Godda district in Jharkhand, India. It is also the administrative headquarters of the Godda district.
Geography
Location
Godda is located at . It has an average elev ...
.
In Bihar, districts where Khortha is spoken include Aurangabad, Gaya and Nawada.
[Shekhar Dash, Niladri. "Language Attitude of Khortha Speakers in Giridih: A Survey Report". Linguistic Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.]
Classification
George Grierson classified Khortha as a dialect of the
Magahi language
Magahi (), also known as Magadhi (), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal states of eastern India, and in the Terai region of Nepal. Magadhi Prakrit was the ancestor of Magahi, from which the latter's name de ...
in his linguistic survey.
and in reality Khortha and magahi are almost same with 99% similarities. The Khortha of Hazaribah is same as Magahi of Gaya, Khortha of Deoghar is same as Magahi of Jamui and Khortha of Giridih is same as magahi of Nawada. So, we can say that it's just the government of Bihar and Jharkhand who identifies both as distinct language. even after this much effort of creating differences between Khortha and Magahi, the locals peopels follows same culture and they knows that both are same.
Literature
In 1950, Sriniwas Panuri translated Kali Das's Meghadutam in Khortha. In 1956, he composed two works ''Balkiran'' and ''Divyajyoti''. Bhubaneswar Dutta Sharma, Sriniwas Panuri, Viswanath Dasaundhi and Viswanath Nagar were among first people who started literature in Khortha. Some prominent writers in Khortha language are A.K Jha, Shivnath Pramanik, B.N Ohdar.
For the first time, efforts were made to reach Khortha language and literature to the People of Jharkhand through the Internet by the founder of the Sarkari Library, Mr Mananjay Mahato. Khortha literature became available on the Internet for the first time due to the efforts of Mr. Mananjay Mahato.
Sample phrases
See also
*
Khortha cinema
Khortha cinema refers to films produced in the Khortha language in the Indian state of Jharkhand.
History
Khortha cinema was predated in the 1990s by a growing interest in Khortha music. Widespread interest emerged around 1997 to 1998, when the ...
*
2021–2022 Language Movement in Jharkhand
2021–2022 Language Movement in Jharkhand is a language movement organized on 2021 in Jharkhand, which is still going on in 2022. The people's demand was expressed to protect the local language and to prevent the aggression of other languages on t ...
References
Bihari languages
Languages of Jharkhand
Languages written in Devanagari
Languages listed as Hindi dialects in latest census
{{IndoAryan-lang-stub