Bhil languages

Bhil
Geographic
distribution
India
EthnicityBhil people
Linguistic classificationIndo-European
Subdivisions
  • Northern
  • Central
  • Bareli
Language codes
Glottologbhil1254
Bhili-speaking regions of India

The Bhil languages are a group of lects spoken by the Bhil that are classified as dialects of Indo-Aryan languages such as Gujarati and Rajasthani.[2][3] They are spoken by around 10.4 million Bhils in western and central India as of 2011[4] and constitute the primary languages of the southern Aravalli Range in Rajasthan and the western Satpura Range in Madhya Pradesh, northwestern Maharashtra, and southern Gujarat.

According to the 52nd report of the commissioner for linguistic minorities in India, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Bhili is the most commonly spoken language of the district of Dadra and Nagar Haveli constituting 40.42% of its total population. Bhili speakers are also significant in the states of Gujarat (4.75%), Madhya Pradesh (4.93%) and Rajasthan (4.60%).[5]

  1. ^ Ernst Kausen, 2006. Die Klassifikation der indogermanischen Sprachen (Microsoft Word, 133 KB)
  2. ^ George L. van Driem (25 May 2021). Ethnolinguistic Prehistory. BRILL. p. 220. ISBN 978-90-04-44837-7.
  3. ^ Prakash Chandra Mehta (2004). Ethnographic Atlas of Indian Tribes. Discovery Publishing House. p. 191. ISBN 978-81-7141-852-7.
  4. ^ "ABSTRACT OF SPEAKERS' STRENGTH OF LANGUAGES AND MOTHER TONGUES - 2011" (PDF). www.censusindia.gov.in. Indian Census 2011, Government of India. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  5. ^ "Report of the Commissioner for linguistic minorities: 52nd report (July 2014 to June 2015)" (PDF). Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2018.