Memoni language

The Memon or Memoni language is the language of Memons historically associated with Kathiawar, in West India, a Memon subgroup. Many Memons have settled in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan since the independence in 1947.

History

The true origin of the language is still debated among the historians of the regions. However, it is common to believe that Memoni language actually originated as a dialect of Sindhi language. Within the language itself, there are currently many different dialects, some having more influence of one language, and others having that of others. The language has not been organized greatly, hence, neither having its alphabetical system of reading and writing, nor having its literature and dictionary. This is one of the reasons the disorientation among the speakers themselves for deciding which words are better for what, as there is a wide variety of vocabulary available.

The Memon community is generally divided into three major subgroups: Kathiawadi Memons, Sindhi Memons (who speak the Sindhi language) and Kutchi Memons (who speak Kutchi) The first category (Memons originating in Kathiawar) are simply called Memons, and they speak the Memon language, the subject of this article. These people are mostly Muslims (and mostly Sunni Hanafi), who migrated from Sindh to Kathiawar several centuries ago. Sindhi and Kutchi languages are spoken by both Muslims and non-Muslims, in contrast to the Memon language, which is exclusively spoken by Memons of Kathiawadi origin, who are almost entirely Muslim.