Angika (also known as ''Anga'', ''Angikar'' or ''Chhika-Chhiki'') is an
Eastern Indo-Aryan language
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
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spoken in some parts of the Indian states of
Bihar and
Jharkhand, as well as in parts of Nepal.
It is closely related to languages such as
Maithili,
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
,
Bhojpuri
Bhojpuri (;[Bhojpuri entry, Oxford Dictionaries](_blank)
, Oxford U ...
and
Magahi
The Magahi language (), also known as Magadhi (), is a language spoken in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal states of eastern India, and in the Terai of Nepal. Magadhi Prakrit was the ancestor of Magahi, from which the latter's name derives. ...
.
Territory
Angika is mainly spoken in south-eastern
Bihar, including
Munger,
Bhagalpur and
Banka districts; and the
Santhal Pargana division of
Jharkhand. Its speakers number around 15 million people.
Apart from Bihar and Jharkhand states of India, it is also spoken in the
Morang district of Nepalese Terai as a minority language. 1.9% people of Morang returned Angika as their mother tongue during the
2011 Nepal census
Nepal conducted a widespread national census in 2011 by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics. Working with the 58 municipalities and the 3915 Village Development Committees at a district level, they recorded data from all the municipalities an ...
.
Relationship to Maithili
Angika was classified as a dialect of
Maithili by
George A. Grierson
Sir George Abraham Grierson (7 January 1851 – 9 March 1941) was an Irish administrator and linguist in British India. He worked in the Indian Civil Service but an interest in philology and linguistics led him to pursue studies in the languag ...
in the ''
Linguistic Survey of India'' (1903). However, the Angika speakers now assert its status as an independent language. When the proponents of the Maithili language in Bihar demanded use of Maithili-
medium primary education in the early 20th century, the people of the Angika-speaking region did not support them, and instead favoured
Hindi-medium education. In the 1960s and the 1970s, when the Maithili speakers demanded a separate
Mithila state, the Angika and
Bajjika
Bajjika is an Indo-Aryan language variety spoken in parts of eastern India and Nepal. It is closely related to Maithili (of which it is often considered a dialect).
Territory and speakers
Bajjika is spoken in the north-western part of Bihar, ...
speakers made counter-demands for recognition of their languages.
Maithili proponents believe that the
Government of Bihar and the pro-Hindi Bihar Rashtrabhasha Parishad promoted Angika and
Bajjika
Bajjika is an Indo-Aryan language variety spoken in parts of eastern India and Nepal. It is closely related to Maithili (of which it is often considered a dialect).
Territory and speakers
Bajjika is spoken in the north-western part of Bihar, ...
as distinct languages to weaken the Maithili language movement; many of them still consider Angika to be a dialect of Maithili. People from mainly
Maithil Brahmin
Maithil Brahmins are a Hindu Brahmin community from the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinent that comprises Tirhut, Darbhanga, Kosi, Purnia, Munger, Bhagalpur; Bokaro in Jharkhand and Santhal Pargana divisions of India and some adjoining ...
s and
Karan Kayasthas castes have supported the Maithili movement, while people from various other castes in the Mithila region have projected Angika and Bajjika as their mother tongues, attempting to break away from the Maithili-based regional identity.
Official status
Angika is not listed in the
8th schedule of the constitution of India.
Angika has the status of "second state language" in the Indian state of
Jharkhand since 2018. It shares this status with 15 other languages, including Maithili.
See also
*
Angika literature
*
Anga Lipi
Anga Lipi (𑂃𑂁𑂏) was a historical writing system. The Anga Lipi finds its mention in the Buddhist text "Lalitvistar" which says Anga lipi was the one of the script among the 64 scripts known to Lord Budhha.
Etymology and history
The An ...
*
Anga
References
Bibliography
*
* pp
1395
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Languages written in Devanagari
Languages of India
Languages of Nepal
Eastern Indo-Aryan languages
Bihari languages
Languages of Bihar
Languages of Jharkhand