Gujarati language

Gujarati /ɡʊdʒəˈrɑːti/ (ગુજરાતી Gujarātī [ɡudʒəˈɾɑːt̪i]) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian state of Gujarat. It is part of the greater Indo-European language family. Gujarati is descended from Old Gujarati (circa 1100 – 1500 AD). In India, it is the chief language in the state of Gujarat, as well as an official language in the union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Gujarati is the language of the Gujjars, who had ruled Rajputana and Punjab.

According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), 4.5% of the Indian population (1.21 billion according to the 2011 census) speaks Gujarati, which amounts to 54.6 million speakers in India. There are about 65.5 million speakers of Gujarati worldwide, making it the 26th most spoken native language in the world. Along with Romani and Sindhi, it is among the most western of Indo-Aryan languages. Gujarati was the first language of Mahatma Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

History

Gujarati (also sometimes spelled Gujerati, Gujarathi, Guzratee, Guujaratee, Gujrathi, and Gujerathi) is a modern IA (Indo-Aryan) language evolved from Sanskrit. The traditional practice is to differentiate the IA languages on the basis of three historical stages:

Gujari language

Gujari, also known as Gojri (گوجری) is a variety of Indo-Aryan spoken by the Gujjars of India and also found in Pakistan.

Since Kashmiri, Dogri, Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi are spoken in a region that has witnessed significant ethnic and identity conflict, all have been exposed to the dialect-versus-language question. Each of these languages possesses a central standard on which its literature is based, and from which there are multiple dialectal variations. At various times, Gujri, Dogri and Himachali have been claimed to be dialects of Punjabi Language. Similarly, some Western Pahari languages (such as Rambani) have been claimed to be dialects of Kashmiri.

The language was known as Gujjar bhakha, "Gojari" or Gurjar Apabhramsha lately. It was used as literary language as early as 12th century. The poet Bhoja referred to Gaurjar Apabhramsha (Gurjar Apabhramsha) in 1014 AD.

The language is mainly spoken in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and many other parts of India. The language is also spoken by Gujjars of Pakistan. Many Gujari words originate from Rajasthan. The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has recognized Gujari by including it into sixth scheduled of the constitution.