Gujarati language

Gujarati language is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is primarily spoken in the Gujarat state of India, and it is the 26th most spoken native language in the world. Gujarati is part of the greater Indo-European language family.

History

The history of Gujarati language can be traced back to the 12th century. It evolved from a dialect of the Gurjara Apabhramsa. It reached a distinctive form by the 16th century. During the British colonial period, the language was influenced by the Western culture, leading to the incorporation of many English words.

Dialects

There are several dialects of Gujarati, including Saurashtra, Charotari, Patan, Ahmedabad, Vadodari, Surati, Kharwa, Kathiawadi, and Bhavnagari.

Writing system

Gujarati is written from left to right. It has its own writing system, Gujarati script, which is abugida. It is used widely in the state of Gujarat as well as in the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Phonology

Gujarati has a typical Indo-Aryan phoneme set, with a distinction of voice, aspiration, and length of vowels and consonants. It has a total of 34 consonants, 8 vowels, and 2 diphthongs.

Grammar

Gujarati grammar is based on the Sanskrit. It has three genders and two numbers. It has a rich system of case marking, nominal derivation and compounding.

Literature

Gujarati literature's history may be traced to 1000 AD. Since then literature has flourished till date. Well known laureates of Gujarati literature are Hemchandracharya, Narsinh Mehta, Mirabai, Akho, Premanand Bhatt, Shamal Bhatt, Dayaram, Dalpatram, Narmad, Govardhanram Tripathi, Gandhiji, K. M. Munshi, Umashankar Joshi, Suresh Joshi, Pannalal Patel and Rajendra Keshavlal Shah.

See also

• Indian languages
• Languages of India
• List of languages by number of native speakers in India