NAGPUR

Language has played a crucial role in shaping India’s social and political landscape, with pivotal moments such as the States Reorganization Act of 1956, which redrew the country’s states along linguistic lines. Nagpur, historically part of the Central Provinces and Berar, became part of Maharashtra in 1960 following the formation of the state. As a result, Marathi is the most widely spoken language in the district. The Marathi spoken in Nagpur reflects local influences, often showing subtle differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, and tone compared to other regions of the state.

The district is also home to multiple speech communities (a group of people who use and understand the same language or dialect), each maintaining their own linguistic traditions. Alongside Marathi, languages such as Hindi, Urdu, and Varhadi are also widely spoken. Lesser-known varieties like Dakkhani and Halbi further contribute to the district’s rich and layered linguistic landscape.

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, several languages were spoken as mother tongues in Nagpur district. According to the 2011 Census, Nagpur district had a total population of approximately 46,53,570. Of this population, 70.11% reported Marathi as their first language. Hindi was spoken by 17.89%, followed by Urdu (4.20%), Chhattisgarhi (1.39%), Gondi (1.07%), Sindhi (0.95%), Gujarati (0.69%), Telugu (0.60%), Punjabi (0.53%), Bengali (0.41%), Marwari (0.32%), and Halbi (0.29%).

Nagpuri Marathi is a language variety of Marathi spoken predominantly in the north-eastern region of Maharashtra, particularly in and around Nagpur, and adjacent areas where Marathi and Hindi bilingualism is common. Notably, Nagpuri Marathi often uses words and sentence styles from both Marathi and Hindi. This makes it different from the Marathi spoken in places like Pune or Mumbai.

It’s important not to confuse this language variety with the Nagpuri language (also called Sadri), which is spoken in Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha by the Sadaan community. That is a completely separate language.

The vocabulary of Nagpuri Marathi reflects the linguistic influences of the surrounding regions. Words and expressions from Bundeli (a dialect/language associated with western Hindi), Chhattisgarhi, as well as elements of Gondi and Sindhi, have been assimilated into everyday speech, giving this variety its distinctive character.

For common items like a glass for drinking water, people in Pune might say phulpātra, but in Nagpur, people usually say pyālā. Other words like ṭilu, gilās, lotā, and muggā are also used.

For capsicum, people in Pune say dhobli mirchi, but in Nagpur, most people say simla mirchi — this is taken from Hindi.

Nagpuri Marathi has some unique sayings. For instance, when something doesn’t go as planned, people say ‘bhǝsǝk jānā’ (meaning it got spoiled or failed). If a situation becomes serious or chaotic, they say ‘ghāpā zālā’.

Example: Hostelchyā poṭṭyānni kāl dāru piun kāy bumm chendās kela. Polis ālyāvr ghāpā zālā. (The hostel boys had liquor and created a lot of chaos. The situation turned serious after the police arrived.)

Interestingly, ghāpā also refers to a trap or snare for animals.

Some everyday phrases also come from Hindi slang:

• ekdum chakachak = very well, all good
• girega = instead of meaning “will fall,” it can also mean “will be found”
  Example: bahar ek mandir girega = A temple will be found outside

Nagpuri Marathi also differs phonetically from other varieties. One notable shift involves the ‘i’ sound changing to ‘e’ or ‘ya’. For example, the word ‘dila’ (gave) may be pronounced as della or dyalla.

Moreover, words beginning with ‘e’ are often pronounced with a ‘y’ prefix, such as yek for ek (one). There is also swapping of ‘l’ and ‘n’ sounds in future tense forms. Both Mi mārin tulā and Mi māril tulā (I will beat you) may be heard, depending on the speaker.

A reduction or omission of the ‘v’ sound is another feature, especially before ‘i’ and ‘e’:

When looking at pronouns in Nagpuri Marathi (words like I, you, he, they), some interesting variations appear compared to other forms of Marathi. For example, in most varieties of Marathi, the word mi is used for I, and tu is used for you (singular). These are fairly common forms that do not have any endings added to them. However, in Nagpuri Marathi, speakers sometimes add endings to these pronouns, similar to the way Hindi speakers do. Here’s a basic comparison of how pronouns are used:

What this changes grammatically, in contrast to other forms of Marathi, is how the subject is used in a sentence. In a sentence, the subject is the person or thing usually doing the action. In Marathi, when someone says I (mi) or you (tu), no extra endings are added to these pronouns, even in the past tense. But in Hindi, pronouns do change in certain tenses. For example, I becomes mene when talking about a completed action.

In these cases, Nagpuri Marathi uses both systems. It can use mi, like in Marathi, or minə, myā, miyā, which are similar to Hindi’s mene. This is another example of how Nagpuri Marathi follows Hindi patterns, especially in sentences about past actions. Here’s how this works in sentences:

In the first example, the Nagpuri Marathi sentence uses the word “gheun ghetlǝ”, which includes both the main verb (to take) and a helper verb, similar to the Hindi kharid li. In the second one, tunǝ in Nagpuri Marathi acts like tune in Hindi, and again the sentence structure is closer to Hindi than to other types of Marathi.

Another small difference involves question words. In many Marathi-speaking areas, people ask why? using the word ka. In Nagpuri Marathi, however, kaun or kahun is used, which matches Hindi usage more closely. It’s a small shift, but it shows again how this variety of Marathi is shaped by contact with Hindi.

Nagpuri Marathi also tends to choose different verbs compared to other varieties of Marathi, especially when talking about resting, getting angry, or being cold- a pattern that reflects its unique conjunction of verbs. Here are some examples:

In these cases, Nagpuri Marathi uses the same verbs as Hindi, like ārām karṇe or ghussā karṇe, even though Marathi has its own words for these actions. This is another example of how closely this variety follows Hindi, especially in everyday speech.

The use of adverbs in Nagpuri Marathi is quite intriguing. In Pune Marathi, an adverb is created by adding “-ne” to a noun. Hindi does something similar but uses “-se” instead. Nagpuri Marathi, however, has its own unique twist: it often takes a noun from Hindi and adds the Marathi instrumental suffix “-ne” to make an adverb.

A progressive construction shows that an action is happening right now or was happening at a specific time, like saying something is in progress. In many varieties of Marathi, this is done by adding ‘-t’ to the verb stem and then using the appropriate form of the verb ‘asǝɳe’ (to be). Interestingly, Pune Marathi doesn't use the verb ‘rāhǝɳe’ (to live) for this purpose. In contrast, Hindi uses the verb ‘rāhɳe’ (to be) as a helping verb to indicate the progressive aspect.

In many variations of Marathi, the dative case (used for indirect objects) variations typically ends with -la or -s. However, Nagpuri Marathi allows for three possible endings: -le, -s, or -la. All of the following are grammatically acceptable:

Mi bhavala pani dile
Mi bhavas pani dile
Mi bhavale pani dile

All meaning: I gave water to my brother.

One of the most striking features of Nagpuri Marathi is its verb forms and sentence structure where speakers combine Marathi words with Hindi sentence patterns. In linguistics, this kind of mixing between two languages in a sentence or conversation is called code-mixing. In the case of Nagpuri Marathi, speakers often use Marathi vocabulary, but structure their sentences like Hindi. This code-mixing is not random — it follows regular patterns based on how both languages work. For example:

• Pune Marathi: tu pustak ghe (You take the book)
• Hindi: tum kitab le lo
• Nagpuri Marathi: tu pustak gheun ghena

This pattern of using a main verb + verb operator mirrors Hindi grammar. Nagpuri speakers may say:

• te pustak deun dena (Give that book)
• tyala te mhanun dena (Say it to him)

Such constructions will likely be considered ungrammatical in other forms of Marathi, which does not allow verb repetition in compound verbs, but they are completely natural in Hindi — and, by extension, in Nagpuri Marathi.

One thing that stands out about Nagpuri Marathi is how its speakers use tenses. In most areas where Marathi is spoken, people usually talk in present tense or past tense. But in Nagpuri Marathi, people often speak in the present continuous or past continuous tense. For example, instead of saying “I ate,” someone might say “I was eating” even if they mean the same thing. This is similar to how people speak in Hindi.

Varhadi is a language variety that is mainly spoken in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, in districts such as Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, Washim, and Yavatmal. This region is sometimes called ‘Varhad Pradesh’, as noted by Deepdhwaja Kosode (2017). The Vidarbha region has a long history, and is even mentioned in ancient texts like the Mahabharata as a legendary kingdom.

Varhadi is well known for a number of phonetic (sound) changes, differences in vocabulary, and grammatical features that make it distinct from other language varieties.

One of the most noticeable features of Varhadi is that the sound “ल” (la) is often replaced with “ड” (da). For example the word ‘बोल (bol)’ which means ‘to speak’ becomes बोड (bod) in Varhadi. This change is quite common and perhaps gives Varhadi speech  a smoother and simpler sound in everyday use.

Another interesting feature, noted in the Amravati District Gazetteer (1968), is that long vowels, especially at the ends of words, are often shortened in Varhadi speech. This sound change perhaps makes words comparatively simpler and quicker to say. For example:

These forms come from longer versions जवळ (javal) and उडविला (udavila), but the final vowels are shortened in daily speech. In many words, the vowel ‘a’ is used instead of ‘e’, especially in future tense verbs and some nouns. This can be seen in examples like:

There is also a pattern where ‘i’ and ‘e’ are replaced by ‘va’ in some words. This results in forms like:

In addition, the sound ‘v’ is often weak or missing when it comes before ‘i’ and ‘e’. Because of this, words like vistav, vis, and vel are often heard in shortened forms:

These examples show how Varhadi simplifies pronunciation in everyday speech, making it distinct from other varieties. Such sound changes are a key part of what gives Varhadi its unique character.

Aside from pronunciation, Varhadi also has vocabulary that is both familiar and region-specific. Speakers of Varhadi use some words that are common across Marathi and Hindi, and some that are specific to the region. For example, आलू (ālu) for potato is used in both Varhadi and Hindi, while सिगल (sigal), meaning cup or container, is more region-specific.

Family terms in Varhadi reflect close relationships and often have local variants. Some of these, such as porgi and porga, are also used in other parts of Maharashtra, but forms like katti and katta show regional variation.

The terms for body parts in Varhadi, in many ways, reflect its unique phonetic features. For example, टेकुर (head) and केपज (forehead) highlight the differences from standard pronunciations of similar words in other regions.

Colour terms in Varhadi also differ slightly from forms that one can usually find in Hindi or Marathi, often showing simplified or altered sounds.

Proverbs are an important part of oral tradition. They carry life lessons, humor, and cultural values, passed down through generations. These sayings often reflect practical wisdom and comment on everyday situations that are spoken in Varhadi.

Dakkhani, also known as Deccani (meaning of the Deccan region), is a distinct variety of speech found in parts of Maharashtra, Telangana, and Karnataka. According to Languages of Maharashtra (2017), Dakkhani became widely used and culturally important during the rule of Adil Shah Ibrahim II in Bijapur. He was known as a patron of the arts, and under his reign, Dakkhani grew in importance, especially in royal courts and cultural settings across the Deccan.

This variety has been shaped by influences from Urdu, Persian, and Arabic, along with input from local languages spoken in the Deccan region.  In present times, Dakkhani is not commonly heard in everyday settings. As noted by Laxman Chavan (2017), it is mostly spoken within specific communities and is often used during religious or cultural occasions rather than in public or casual conversations. Chavan also mentions that Nagpur is one of the districts where Dakkhani-speaking communities can still be found today.

The vocabulary of Dakkhani includes words that are used in daily speech, especially during community interactions. Some words have clear links to Urdu or Arabic, while others show local pronunciation patterns. Below are a few examples:

Halbi is a language variety spoken by the Halba community, who originally lived across Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. Over time, it is said that this group migrated westward, first to Kanker in Bastar, and later into Maharashtra. Today, when it comes to Maharashtra, Halbi speakers can be found in districts such as Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Bhandara, Gondia, Nagpur, Yavatmal, and Amravati.

In Languages of Maharashtra (2017), Vinayak Tukaram notes that the Halbas were known for their military service and often received land from Gond rulers. Traditionally, they worked in agriculture and maintained a rich oral tradition. Tukaram also describes Halbi as a mix of Chhattisgarhi, Odia, and Marathi. This has resulted in regional varieties of Halbi, sometimes referred to as Bastariya Halbi, Chhattisgadiya Halbi, and Marathi Halbi, depending on local influence.

Halbi is spoken in areas where Marathi is the majority language. Many Halbi speakers also know Marathi, so they often use Marathi words in everyday speech. These borrowed words are typically used for common actions and are pronounced similarly to Marathi.

Halbi also has many unique words that are not borrowed from Marathi or other nearby languages. These are used regularly and reflect Halbi’s distinct identity.