Kumaoni language


Kumaoni is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by over 2 million people of the Kumaon region of the state of Uttarkhand in northern India. Along with neighbouring Garhwali, it belongs to the Central Pahari languages, a group normally classified within the Northern Indo-Aryan group.
Almost all people who can speak and understand Kumaoni can also speak and understand Hindi, one of the official languages of India. It is not endangered but UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger designates it as a language in the unsafe category, meaning it requires consistent conservation efforts.

Geographic distribution and dialects

There are several dialects spoken in the Kumaon region. There is not single accepted method of dividing up the dialects of Kumaoni. Broadly speaking, Kali Kumaoni is spoken in Almora and northern Nainital. North-eastern Kumaoni is spoken in Pithoragarh. South-eastern Kumaoni is spoken in South-eastern Nainital. Western Kumaoni is spoken west of Almora and Nainital.
More specifically:
Some Kumaoni speakers are also reportedly found in Western Nepal.

Grammar

Being part of the Indo-Aryan dialect continuum Kumauni shares its grammar with other Indo-Aryan languages, Hindi, Rajasthani languages, Kashmiri and Gujarati.
It shares much of its grammar with the other languages of the Central Pahari like Garhwali and Jaunsari.
The peculiarities of grammar in Kumaoni and other Central Pahari languages exist due to the influence of the now extinct language of the Khasas, the first inhabitants of the region.
In Kumauni the verb substantive is formed from the root ach, as in both Rajasthani and Kashmiri. In Rajasthani its present tense, being derived from the Sanskrit present rcchami, I go, does not change for gender. But in Pahari and Kashmiri it must be derived from the rare Sanskrit particle *rcchitas, gone, for in these languages it is a participial tense and does change according to the gender of the subject. Thus, in the singular we have: - Here we have a relic of the old Khasa language, which, as has been said, seems to have been related to Kashmiri. Other relics of Khasa, again agreeing with north-western India, are the tendency to shorten long vowels, the practice of epenthesis, or the modification of a vowel by the one which follows in the next syllable, and the frequent occurrence of disaspiration. Thus, Khas siknu, Kumauni sikhno, but Hindi sikhna, to learn; Kumauni yeso, plural yasa, of this kind.

Verb conjugation

of the verb Lekh to write, in all three tenses in Kumaoni.

Present tense

KumaoniTransliterationEnglish
मैं लेखनूmain lekhnuI write
तू लेख छेtu lekh chheyou write
उ लिखनोU likhnohe writes

KumaoniTransliterationEnglish
हम लेखनुhum lekhnuwe write
तुम लेख छोtum lekh chhoyou write
ऊँ लेखन छनun lekhan chhanthey write

Past tense

KumaoniTransliterationEnglish
मेल लिखौmaile lekhoI wrote
त्वील लिखौtveel lekhoyou wrote
वील लिखौveel lekhohe wrote

KumaoniTransliterationEnglish
हमुल लेखौhumul lekhowe wrote
तुमुल लेखौtumule lekhoyou wrote
उनुले लेखौunule lekhothey wrote

Future tense

KumaoniTransliterationEnglish
मैं लिखूंलोmain lekhuloI will write
तू लेखलेtum lekhleyou will write
उ लेखलu lekhalhe will write

KumaoniTransliterationEnglish
हम लेखुंलाhum lekhulawe will write
तुम लेखलाtum lekhlayou will write
ऊँ लेखलun lekhalthey will write

Example short phrases

Words/phrasesTransliterationMeaning
जै देवJai DevHello Formal.
पैलागPailaagHi/Hello
कस हेरे छे?Kas hare chhe?How are you? Informal
कस हेरो छा?Kas haro chaHow are you? Formal
भल हेरोBhal heroI am fine
काँ जाण छा?kaa jaan chha?Where are you going
होएHoye.Yes.
नाNā.No.
कतु?Kadu?How much?/How many?
काँ?Kaa?Where?
कसिक?Kasik?How?
कैक?Kaik?Whose?
को?Ko?Who?
किलाKila?Why?
के?Ke?What?
के हेगो?Ke hego.What happened?
तुमऱ नौ के छ?Tumar nau ke che?What is your name?
जट्ठ घर अजयाJattha ghyav ajayaaYOU come home early
आपूं कां बटे आछा?Aapoun kan bate aachcha?From where do you come?
को जाल बजार?Ko jal BaazarWho will go to market?

Official Status

There have been demands to include Kumaoni along with Garhwali in the 8th schedule of the Constitution of India so that it could be made one of the Scheduled Language of India.
In 2010, a private member's bill was introduced for discussion in the Lok Sabha whose aim was to include Garhwali and Kumaoni in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
However In a step to promote and protect indigenous languages On December 2019 Government of the state introduced Official Kumaoni Books for Classes 1-5 students of kumaon division Schools.

Kumaoni literature

Kumaoni language has had many noteworthy writers, prominent among them are

Films

Kumaoni theatre which developed through its 'Ramleela' plays, later evolved into a modern theatre form with the efforts of theatre stalwarts like Mohan Upreti, Naima Khan Upreti and Dinesh Pandey, and groups like 'Parvatiya Kala Kendra' and 'Parvatiya Lok Kala Manch'. "Ankhar" of Lucknow did a very good work in the field of kumaoni theater. Ankhar played a number of kumauni plays like "mee yo gayun, mee yo satkyun" writer Nand Kumar Upreti, "Punturi" by Charu Chandra Pandey, "Motor Road" by Govind Ballabh Pant, "Labh Ribhadi" writer Nand Kumar Upreti, "Kagare Aag" and "Tumhare Liye" by Himanshu Joshi, Kumauni translation Naveeen Joshi and कुमाउनी नाटक-जैल थै, वील पै.

Folk music

Folk song genres include ceremonial mandals, martial panwaras and melancholy khuded, thadya and jhoda.
Musical instruments used in Kumaon music include the dhol, damoun, turri, ransingha, dholki, daur, thali, bhankora and masakbhaja. Tabla and harmonium are also used, but to a lesser extent.
Some prominent singers are:
In the early 1990s songs on the turning life style mainly on the one who are heading towards town being made in which meri kumau ki gaadi, hit meri punjaban billo uttarakhand pahara, bwaari tamaaku pija etc. criticize the changing attitude in kumaoni society, the songs of mohan manral straight away criticize of the changing mindset of metropolitan kumaoni society running away from their roots.
However, in an attempt to revive the love for these songs, especially among the youth, unplugged or reprise covers of folk songs like, "Haaye Teri Rumaala", "Chhaana Bilauri", "Hit Dagadi Kamla", "Gughuti na Baasa" by several young artists like Suraj Verma, Gaurav Pandey, Priyanka Meher, etc have been produced.

Radio