Harshen Konkani

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with short description]]

Konkani
कोंकणी
The word "Konkani" written in Devanagari script
Furucci	Samfuri:IPA-all (in the language itself), Samfuri:IPA-all (anglicised)
Asali a	India
Yanki	Konkan (includes Goa and the coastal areas of Karnataka, Maharashtra and some parts of Kerala, Gujarat (Dang district) and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu)
Ƙabila	Konkani people
'Yan asalin magana	2.26 million (2011 census)
Dangin harshen	Ahendurufi Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Southern Zone Marathi–Konkani Konkani
kasafin harshe	Dialect groups: Canara Konkani, Goan Konkani, Maharashtrian Konkani, Kerala Konkani Individual dialects: Malvani, Mangalorean, Chitpavani, Antruz, Bardeskari, Saxtti, Daldi, Pednekari, Koli and Aagri
Baƙaƙen rubutu	Past: Brahmi Nāgarī Goykanadi Modi script Present: Devanagari (official) Roman Kannada Malayalam Perso-Arabic
Official status
Babban harshe a	India Goa
Regulated by	Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy and the Government of Goa
Lamban rijistar harshe
ISO 639-2	kok
ISO 639-3	kok – inclusive code Individual codes:Samfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelistSamfuri:Infobox language/codelist
Glottolog	goan1235  Goan Konkani konk1267  Konkan Marathi
Distribution of native Konkani speakers in India

Konkani (Devanagari: कोंकणी, Kannada: ಕೊಂಕಣಿ, Malayalam: കൊംകണീ, Perso-Larabci: کونکنی, Romi: Konknni, IAST: Armany: IAST, Template:) yankin Konkan, tare da yammacin gabar tekun Indiya. Yana ɗaya daga cikin shirye-shiryen harsuna 22 da aka ambata a cikin Kundin Tsarin Mulki na Indiya, kuma harshen hukuma na jihar Goa ta Indiya. Hakanan ana magana a cikin Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat da Damaon, Diu & Silvassa.

Konkani memba ne na rukunin yaren Kudancin Indo-Aryan. Yana riƙe abubuwa na tsarin Vedic kuma yana nuna kamanceceniya da harsunan Indo-Aryan na Yamma da Gabas. Rubutun Konkani na farko yana da kwanan wata 1187 AD.

Akwai yarukan Konkani da yawa da ake magana da su tare da bayan yankin Konkan, daga Damaon a arewa zuwa Karwar a kudu; Mafi yawansu ba a iya fahimtar juna da juna kawai saboda rashin tuntuɓar harshe da mu'amala tare da ma'auni da manyan nau'ikan Konkani. Har ila yau, bakin haure suna magana da shi a wajen yankin Konkan; a cikin Nagpore, Surat, Cochin, Mangalore, Ahmedabad, Karachi, New Delhi da sauransu. Yaruka kamar Malvani, Chitpavani, Bombay Gabashin Indiya, Koli da Aagri a Maharashtra na bakin teku; Har ila yau, ana fuskantar barazana ta hanyar karkatar da harshe cikin yawancin harsunan jahohi da yankuna da ba na Konkani ba na Indiya.

Rabe-rabe

Konkani na reshen harshen Indo-Aryan ne. Yana daga cikin rukunin Marathi-Konkani na harsunan Indo-Aryan na kudanci. Yana da sassauƙa, kuma ƙasa da nisa daga Sanskrit idan aka kwatanta da sauran harsunan Indo-Aryan na zamani. Masana harsuna sun bayyana Konkani a matsayin hadewar Prakrits iri-iri. Ana iya danganta hakan da haduwar bakin haure da gabar tekun Konkan ta shaida tsawon shekaru.

Sunaye da Etymology

Yana yiwuwa kawai tsohon Konkani ya kira Prakrit ta masu magana da shi. Ba a samun ambaton sunan Konkani a cikin adabi kafin karni na 13. Maganar farko ta sunan Konkani tana cikin "Abhanga 263" na karni na 13 na mawaƙin Marathi Hindu, Namadeva (1270-1350). An san Konkani da sunaye iri-iri: Canarim, Concanim, Gomantaki, Bramana, da Goani. Masu iya magana da Marathi da aka koyan suna kiran sa Gomantaki.

Konkani an fi kiransa da Língua Canarim ta Fotigal da Língua Brahmana ta masu mishan Katolika. Daga baya Fotigal ya fara kiran Konkani da Língua Concanim. Sunan Canarim ko Língua Canarim, wanda shine yadda ƙarni na 16 Bature Jesuit Thomas Stephens ke nuni da shi a cikin taken sanannen aikinsa Arte da lingoa Canarim ya kasance mai ban sha'awa koyaushe. Zai yiwu kalmar ta samo asali ne daga kalmar Farisa ta bakin teku, kinara; idan haka ne, yana nufin "harshen bakin teku". Matsalar ita ce wannan kalma ta zo tare da Kanarese ko Kannada. Duk marubutan Turai, duk da haka, sun gane nau'ikan harshe guda biyu a cikin Goa: plebeian, wanda ake kira Canarim, da kuma na yau da kullun (wanda masu ilimi ke amfani da shi), wanda ake kira Língua Canarim Brâmana ko kuma kawai Brâmana de Goa. Na biyun shi ne zabin da Turawa suka fi so, da ma na sauran jiga-jigai, don rubuce-rubuce, wa'azi, da manufofin addini..

Akwai ra’ayoyi mabambanta dangane da asalin kalmar Konkan don haka Konkani:

• V. P. Chavan ya bayyana cewa asalin asalin sunan Konkan don haka Konkani ya samo asali ne daga kalmar Kannada konku ma'ana 'ƙasa marar daidaituwa'. Asalin Kannada yana nuna cewa Konkana zai iya haɗawa da yankin Kannada kuma 'ƙasa marar daidaituwa' yana nuna yanayin tuddai na yankin. Konku a Kannada kuma yana nufin abin da ba shi da 'madaidaici' kuma 'karkace'.
• Kalmar Konkan ta fito ne daga ƙabilar Kukkana (Kokna), waɗanda su ne ainihin mazauna ƙasar da Konkani ta samo asali.
• A cewar wasu nassosin Puranas, Parashurama ya harba kibiyansa a cikin teku kuma ya umarci Bahar Allah ya koma har inda kibiyarsa ta sauka. Sabon yanki da aka kwato ta haka ya zama sananne da Konkan ma'ana yanki ko kusurwar ƙasa, kōṇa (kusurwa) + kaṇa (yanki). An ambaci wannan almara a cikin Sahyadrikhanda na Skanda Purana.

Tarihi

Shawarwari substrate tasiri

Samfuri:Expert needed Ƙarshen harshen Konkani ya ta'allaka ne a cikin maganganun ƙabilun Austroasiatic da ake kira Kurukh, Oraon, da Kukni, waɗanda wakilansu na zamani harsuna ne kamar Kurukh da yarukansa da suka haɗa da Kurux, Kunrukh, Kunna, da Malto. A cewar Ƙungiyar Ƙwararrun Ƙwararrun Ƙwararrun Ƙwararrun Ƙwararrun Indiya, waɗannan kabilun Australoid suna magana da harsunan Austro-Asiatic ko Munda waɗanda suka taɓa zama Konkan, sun yi hijira zuwa Arewacin Indiya (Chota Nagpur Plateau, Mirzapur) kuma ba a samun su a Konkan kuma. Olivinho Gomes a cikin makalarsa "Littafin Konkani na Tsakiyar Tsakiya" shima ya ambaci sunan Mundari. Goan Indologist Anant Shenvi Dhume ya gano yawancin kalmomin Austro-Asiatic Munda a cikin Konkani, kamar mund, mundkar, dhumak, goem-bab. Wannan substratum ya shahara sosai a Konkani.

Tasirin nahawu na harsunan Dravidian akan tsari da tsarin ma'anar harsunan Indo-Aryan yana da wuyar fahimta. Wasu masana ilimin harshe suna bayyana wannan rashin fahimta ta hanyar jayayya cewa Indo-Aryan ta Tsakiya da Sabon Indo-Aryan an gina su akan wani yanki na Dravidian. Wasu misalan kalmomin Konkani na asalin Dravidian sune: naall (kwakwa), mahaukaci (mai wanki), choru (shinkafa da aka dafa) da mulo (radish). Masana harsuna kuma sun ba da shawarar cewa yankin Marathi da Konkani yana da alaƙa da Dravidian Kannada..

Tarihi da ci gaban farko

Hijira na masu magana da harshen Indo-Aryan sun faru a tsawon tarihin gabar tekun yammacin Indiya. Kusan 2400 BC tashin farko na masu magana da yare na Indo-Aryan na iya faruwa, tare da kalaman na biyu ya bayyana kusan 1000-700 BC. Mutane da yawa sun yi magana da tsoffin harsunan Indo-Aryan, waɗanda ƙila suna da alaƙa da Vedic Sanskrit; wasu har yanzu suna magana da yarukan Dravidian da Desi. Don haka an haifi tsohon Konkani Prakrit a matsayin haɗuwar yarukan Indo-Aryan yayin karɓar kalmomi da yawa daga maganganun Dravidian. Wasu masana harsuna suna ɗaukan Shauraseni shine magabata yayin da wasu ke kiransa Paisaci. Ana iya tabbatar da tasirin Paisachi akan Konkani a cikin binciken Dokta Taraporewala, wanda a cikin littafinsa Elements of Science of Languages (Jami'ar Calcutta) ya tabbatar da cewa Konkani ya nuna abubuwa da yawa na Dardic da ke samuwa a Kashmiri a yau. Don haka, babban nau'in tsohon Konkani yana kiran Paishachi ta wasu masana harshe. Wannan magabata na Konkani (ko Paishachi Apabhramsha) ya adana tsohon nau'i na haɓakar sauti da nahawu, yana nuna nau'ikan nau'ikan kalmomi da ake samu a cikin Sanskrit da adadi mai yawa na nahawu waɗanda ba a samun su a Marathi. (Misalan wannan ana samun su a cikin ayyuka da yawa kamar Dnyaneshwari, da Leela Charitra.) Konkani haka ya ci gaba tare da hadaddun Sanskrit gabaɗaya da tsarin nahawu, wanda a ƙarshe ya zama asusun ƙamus na kansa. An yi imanin tashin na biyu na Indo-Aryans yana tare da Dravidians daga tudun Deccan. Hakanan ana ɗaukar Paishachi a matsayin yaren Aryan da Dravidians ke magana.

Konkan Mauryas da Bhojas ne suka yi mulkin Goa da Konkan; a sakamakon haka, ƙaura da yawa sun faru daga arewa, gabas da yammacin Indiya. Baƙi sun yi magana da harsuna daban-daban na yare, wanda ya haifar da cakuda fasalin Gabas da Yammacin Prakrit. Daga baya Magadhi Prakrit ya yi tasiri sosai. Harshen Pali (harshen liturgical na mabiya addinin Buddha) ya kuma taka muhimmiyar rawa wajen haɓaka nahawu na Konkani Apabhramsha da ƙamus. An raba manyan sabbin sabbin harsuna a Konkani tare da harsunan Indo-Aryan na Gabas kamar Bengali da Oriya, waɗanda suka samo asali daga Magadhi.

Maharashtri Prakrit shine kakan Marathi da Konkani, shine harshen hukuma na Daular Satavahana wanda ya mallaki Goa da Konkan a farkon ƙarni na Zamani. Karkashin ikon daular Satavahana, Maharashtri ya zama Prakrit mafi yaduwa a lokacinsa. Da yake karatun tarihin Maharashtri da wuri, masana harsuna da yawa sun kira Konkani "'yar Maharashtri ta fari". Wannan tsohon harshen da ya kasance na zamani da tsohon Marathi an same shi ya bambanta da takwaransa.

Tasirin Sauraseni akan Konkani bai yi fice kamar na Maharashtri ba. Kalmomin Konkani kaɗan ne aka samu don bin tsarin Sauraseni. Siffofin Konkani sun fi kama da Pali fiye da madaidaitan siffofin Sauraseni. Babban tasirin Sauraseni akan Konkani shine sautin ao da aka samo a ƙarshen yawancin sunaye a cikin Sauraseni, wanda ya zama o ko u a cikin Konkani. Misalai sun haɗa da: dando, suno, raakhano, dukh, rukhu, manisu (daga Prakrit), dandao, sunnao, rakkhakao, dukkhao, vukkhao, vrukkhao, da manniso. Wani misali zai iya zama sautin ण a farkon kalmomi; Har yanzu ana kiyaye shi cikin kalmomin Konkani da yawa na asalin Shauraseni, kamar णव (9). Archaic Konkani wanda aka haife shi daga Shauraseni yaren Prakrit a farkon matakin juyin halitta (kuma daga baya Maharashtri Prakrit), ana yawan magana har zuwa 875 AD, kuma a lokacinsa na ƙarshe ya haɓaka zuwa Apabhramsha, wanda za'a iya kiransa magabata na tsohon Konkani.

Kodayake yawancin rubutun dutse da faranti na jan karfe da aka samu a Goa (da sauran sassan Konkan) daga karni na 2 BC zuwa karni na 10 AD suna cikin Sanskrit mai tasiri na Prakrit (wanda aka rubuta a farkon Brahmi da archaic Dravidian Brahmi), yawancin wurare, tallafi, sharuɗɗan da suka shafi aikin gona, da sunayen wasu mutane suna cikin Konkani. Wannan yana nuna cewa ana magana da Konkani a cikin Goa da Konkan.

Ko da yake yana cikin ƙungiyar Indo-Aryan, Konkani ya rinjayi yaren dangin Dravidian. Wani reshe na Kadambas, wanda ya mulki Goa na dogon lokaci, ya samo asali ne a Karnataka. Ba a taɓa amfani da Konkani don dalilai na hukuma ba. Wani dalilin da Kannada ya rinjayi Konkani shine kusancin ainihin yankuna masu magana da Konkani zuwa Karnataka. Tsofaffin takardun Konkani sun nuna tasirin Kannada akan nahawu da kuma ƙamus. Kamar harsunan kudancin Dravidian, Konkani yana da glides na prothetic y- da w-. Tasirin Kannada ya fi bayyana a Konkani syntax. Alamar tambaya a cikin eh/a'a tambayoyi kuma alamar mara kyau ita ce jumla ta ƙarshe. Share Copula a Konkani yana kama da Kannada sosai. Ba a yawan amfani da kalmomin fi'ili a cikin harsunan Indo-Aryan; duk da haka, Konkani da ake magana a cikin yankunan Dravidian ya aro nau'ikan fi'ili da yawa.

Kols, Kharwas, Yadavas, da Lothal ƙaura duk sun zauna a Goa a lokacin kafin tarihi da kuma daga baya. Chavada, ƙabilar mayaka (yanzu ana kiranta Chaddi ko Chaddo), sun yi ƙaura zuwa Goa daga Saurashtra, a cikin ƙarni na 7 da 8 AD, bayan Larabawa sun halaka mulkinsu a shekara ta 740.. Royal matrimonial relationships between the two states, as well as trade relationships, had a major impact on Goan society. Many of these groups spoke different Nagar Apabhramsha dialects, which could be seen as precursors of modern Gujarati.

• Konkani da Gujarati suna da kalmomi da yawa a hade, ba a samu a Marathi ba.
• Konkani O (saɓanin Marathi A, wanda asalin Prakrit ne), yayi kama da na Gujarati.
• Ƙarshen shari'ar a Konkani, lo, li, da le, da Gujarati no, ni, da ne suna da tushen Prakrit iri ɗaya.
• A cikin harsunan biyu alamun yanzu ba su da jinsi, sabanin Marathi.

Da wuri

Wani rubutu a gindin babban Jain monolith Bahubali (Kalmar gomateshvara a fili ta fito ne daga Konkani Template:IAST wanda ke nufin "kyakkyawa" ko "kyakkyawa" da īśvara "ubangiji".) a Shravanabelagola na 981 CE yana karantawa, a cikin bambancin Nāgarī. :

"śrīcāvuṇḍarājē̃ kara viyālē̃, śrīgaṅgārājē̃ sutālē̃ kara viyālē̃" (Chavundaray ya yi, Gangaraya ya gama da kewaye).

Harshen wadannan layukan shine Konkani a cewar S.B. Kulkarni (tsohon shugaban Sashen Marathi, Jami'ar Nagpur) da Jose Pereira (tsohon farfesa, Jami'ar Fordham, Amurka).

Wani rubutu a cikin Nāgarī, na Shilahara Sarkin Aparaditya II na shekara ta 1187 AD a Parel ya ƙunshi kalmomin Konkani, amma ba a tabbatar da hakan ba.

Yawancin rubuce-rubucen dutse da farantin tagulla da aka samu a Goa da Konkan an rubuta su cikin Konkani. Nahawu da tushe na irin waɗannan matani yana cikin Konkani, yayin da ƙananan kalmomi ke cikin Marathi. Faranti na Copper da aka samu a Ponda tun daga farkon karni na 13, kuma daga Quepem a farkon karni na 14, an rubuta su cikin Goykanadi. Ɗaya daga cikin irin wannan rubutun dutse ko shilalekh (wanda aka rubuta Nāgarī) yana samuwa a haikalin Nageshi a Goa (wanda ya kasance a shekara ta 1463 AD). Ya ambaci cewa (a lokacin) mai mulkin Goa, Devaraja Gominam, ya ba da kyauta ga haikalin Nagueshi Maharudra lokacin da Nanjanna Gosavi ya kasance shugaban addini ko Pratihasta na jihar. Ya ambaci kalmomi kamar, kullgga, kulaagra, naralel, tambavem, da tilel.

Konkani Inscription with 'Maee Shenvi' of 1413 AD, Nagueshi, Goa.

Wani yanki na yabon Ubangiji Narayana da aka danganta ga karni na 12 AD in ji:

"jaṇẽ rasataḷavāntũ matsyarūpē̃ vēda āṇiyēlē̃. manuśivāka vāṇiyēlē̃. to saṁsārasāgara tāraṇu. mōhō to rākho nārāyāṇu". (The one who brought the Vedas up from the ocean in the form of a fish, from the bottoms of the water and offered it to Manu, he is the one Saviour of the world, that is Narayana my God.).

A hymn from the later 16th century goes

vaikuṇṭhācē̃ jhāḍa tu gē phaḷa amṛtācē̃, jīvita rākhilē̃ tuvē̃ manasakuḷācē̃.

Early Konkani was marked by the use of pronouns like dzo, jī, and jẽ. These are replaced in contemporary Konkani by koṇa. The conjunctions yedō and tedō ("when" and "then") which were used in early Konkani are no longer in use. The use of -viyalẽ has been replaced by -aylẽ. The pronoun moho, which is similar to the Brajbhasha word mōhē has been replaced by mākā.

Medieval

This era was marked by several invasions of Goa and subsequent exodus of some Konkani families to Canara (today's coastal Karnataka), and Cochin.

• Exodus (between 1312–1327) when General Malik Kafur of the Delhi Sultans, Alauddin Khalji, and Muhammed bin Tughlaq destroyed Govepuri and the Kadambas
• Exodus subsequent to 1470 when the Bahamani kingdom captured Goa, and subsequent capture in 1492 by Sultan Yusuf Adil Shah of Bijapur
• Exodus of converted Muslims to Bijapur-held territory due to the Portuguese conquest of Goa in 1510
• Migration of Hindu converts to Canara in South India after the Christianisation of Goa, the subsequent Goa Inquisition, and the Sackings of Goa and Bombay-Bassein.

These events caused the Konkani language to develop into multiple dialects with multiple scripts. The exodus to coastal Karnataka and Kerala required Konkani speakers in these regions to learn the local languages. This caused penetration of local words into the dialects of Konkani spoken by these speakers. Examples include dār (door) giving way to the word bāgil. Also, the phoneme "a" in the Salcette dialect was replaced by the phoneme "o".

Other Konkani communities came into being with their own dialects of Konkani. The Konkani Muslim communities of Ratnagiri and Bhatkal came about due to a mixture of intermarriages of Arab seafarers and locals as well as conversions of Hindus to Islam. Another migrant community that picked up Konkani are the Siddis, who are descended from Bantu peoples from South East Africa that were brought to the Indian subcontinent as slaves.

Contemporary

Contemporary Konkani is written in Devanagari, Kannada, Malayalam, Persian, and Roman scripts. It is written by speakers in their native dialects. The Goan Antruz dialect in the Devanagari script has been promulgated as Standard Konkani.

Revival

See also: Konkani Language Agitation

Konkani language was in decline, due to the use of Portuguese as the official and social language among the Christians, the predominance of Marathi over Konkani among Hindus, and the Konkani Christian-Hindu divide. Seeing this, Vaman Raghunath Varde Valaulikar set about on a mission to unite all Konkanis, Hindus as well as Christians, regardless of caste or religion. He saw this movement not just as a nationalistic movement against Portuguese rule, but also against the pre-eminence of Marathi over Konkani. Almost single-handedly he crusaded, writing a number of works in Konkani. He is regarded as the pioneer of modern Konkani literature and affectionately remembered as Shenoi Goembab. His death anniversary, 9 April, is celebrated as World Konkani Day (Vishwa Konkani Dis).

Madhav Manjunath Shanbhag, an advocate by profession from Karwar, who with a few like-minded companions travelled throughout all the Konkani speaking areas, sought to unite the fragmented Konkani community under the banner of "one language, one script, one literature". He succeeded in organising the first All India Konkani Parishad in Karwar in 1939. Successive Adhiveshans of All India Konkani Parishad were held at various places in subsequent years. 27 annual Adhiveshans of All India Konkani Parishad have been held so far.

Pandu Putti Kolambkar an eminent social worker of Kodibag, Karwar was a close associate of Shri Waman Raghunath Shennoi Varde Valaulikar, strove hard for the upliftment of Konkani in Karwar (North Kanara) and Konkan Patti.

Post-independence period

Following India's independence and its subsequent annexation of Goa in 1961, Goa was absorbed into the Indian Union as a Union Territory, directly under central administration.

However, with the reorganisation of states along linguistic lines, and growing calls from Maharashtra, as well as Marathis in Goa for the merger of Goa into Maharashtra, an intense debate was started in Goa. The main issues discussed were the status of Konkani as an independent language and Goa's future as a part of Maharashtra or as an independent state. The Goa Opinion Poll, a plebiscite, retained Goa as an independent state in 1967. However, English, Hindi, and Marathi continued to be the preferred languages for official communication, while Konkani was sidelined.

Recognition as an independent language

With the continued insistence of some Marathis that Konkani was a dialect of Marathi and not an independent language, the matter was finally placed before the Sahitya Akademi. Suniti Kumar Chatterji, the president of the Akademi appointed a committee of linguistic experts to settle the dispute. On 26 February 1975, the committee came to the conclusion that Konkani was indeed an independent and literary language, classified as an Indo-European language, which in its present state was heavily influenced by the Portuguese language.

Official language status

All this did not change anything in Goa. Finally, fed up with the delay, Konkani activists launched an agitation in 1986, demanding official status for Konkani. The agitation turned violent in various places, resulting in the death of six agitators from the Catholic community: Floriano Vaz from Gogol Margao, Aldrin Fernandes, Mathew Faria, C. J. Dias, John Fernandes, and Joaquim Pereira, all from Agaçaim. Finally, on 4 February 1987, the Goa Legislative Assembly passed the Official Language Bill, making Konkani the official language of Goa.

Konkani was included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India as per the Seventy-First Amendment on 20 August 1992, adding it to the list of official languages.

Geographical distribution

Modern day Goan Konkani in Devanagari

The Konkani language originated and is spoken widely in the western coastal region of India known as Konkan. The native lands historically inhabited by Konkani people include the Konkan division of Maharashtra, the state of Goa and the territory of Daman, the Uttara Kannada, Udupi & Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka, belagavi, Mysore, and Bengaluru along with many districts in Kerala such as Kasaragod, Kochi, Alappuzha, Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam. All of the regions and areas have developed distinct dialects, pronunciation and prose styles, vocabulary, tone, and sometimes, significant differences in grammar.

According to the 2001 estimates of the Census Department of India, there were 2,489,016 Konkani speakers in India. The Census Department of India, 2011 figures put the number of Konkani speakers in India as 2,256,502 making up 0.19% of India's population. Out of these, 788,294 were in Karnataka, 964,305 in Goa, 399,255 in Maharashtra, and 69,449 in Kerala. It ranks 19th on the List of Scheduled Languages by strength. The number of Konkani speakers in India fell by 9.34% in the decade 2001-2011. It is the only scheduled language apart from Urdu to have a negative growth rate in the decade. A very large number of Konkanis live outside India, either as expatriates (NRIs) with work visas or as naturalised citizens and permanent residents of other host countries (immigrants). Determining their numbers is difficult since Konkani is a minority language that is very often not recognised by censuses and surveys of various government agencies and NGOs catering to Indians abroad.

During the days of Portuguese Goa and British rule in Pre-Partition India many Goans and non-Goan Konkani people went to foreign countries as economic migrants to the Portuguese and British Empires, and to the Pakistan of Pre-Partition India. The migratory trend has continued well into the post-colonial era and a significant number of Konkani people are found in Kenya, Uganda, Pakistan, the Persian Gulf countries, Portugal and the European Union, and the British Isles and the rest of the Anglosphere. Many families still continue to speak different Konkani dialects that their ancestors spoke, which are now highly influenced by the languages of the dominant majority.

Current status and issues

Samfuri:Anachronism The Konkani language has been in danger of dying out over the years for many of the following reasons:

1. The fragmentation of Konkani into various, sometimes mutually unintelligible, dialects.
2. The Portuguese influence in Goa, especially on Catholics.Samfuri:How
3. The dominance of Marathi and the large degree of bilingualism of Konkani Hindus in Goa state, the union territory of Damaon and the Konkan division of Maharashtra.Samfuri:Additional citation needed
4. Progressive inroads made by Urdu into the Konkani Muslim community.Samfuri:Verify source
5. Mutual animosity among various religious sects and caste groups; including a secondary status of Konkani culture to religion.
6. The migration of Konkanis to various parts of India and around the world.
7. The lack of opportunities to study Konkani in schools and colleges. Even until recently there were few Konkani schools in Goa. Populations outside the native Konkani areas have absolutely no access to Konkani language studies, literature and media.
8. The preference among Konkani parents to speak to their children in potaachi bhaas (language of the stomach) over maai bhaas (mother tongue). They sometimes speak primarily in English to help their children gain a grip on English in schools.

Efforts have been made to stop this downward trend of usage of Konkani, starting with Shenoi Goembab's efforts to revive Konkani. The recognition granted by Sahitya Akademi to Konkani and the institution of an annual award for Konkani literature has helped to a certain extent.

Some organisations, such as the Konkan Daiz Yatra organised by Konkani Bhasha Mandal, World Konkani Centre and the newer Vishwa Konkani Parishad have laid great stress on uniting all factions of Konkanis.

Opposition

Marathi dispute

Samfuri:Main José Pereira, in his 1971 work Konkani – A Language: A History of the Konkani Marathi Controversy, pointed to an essay on Indian languages written by John Leyden in 1807, wherein Konkani is called a "dialect of Maharashtra" as an origin of the language controversy.

Another linguist to whom this theory is attributed is Grierson. Grierson's work on the languages of India, the Linguistic Survey of India, was regarded as an important reference by other linguists. In his book, Grierson had distinguished between the Konkani spoken in coastal Maharashtra (then, part of Bombay) and the Konkani spoken in Goa as two different languages. He regarded the Konkani spoken in coastal Maharashtra as a dialect of Marathi and not as a dialect of Goan Konkani itself. In his opinion, Goan Konkani was also considered a dialect of Marathi because the religious literature used by the Hindus in Goa was not in Konkani itself, but in Marathi.

S. M. Katre's 1966 work, The Formation of Konkani, which utilised the instruments of modern historical and comparative linguistics across six typical Konkani dialects, showed the formation of Konkani to be distinct from that of Marathi. Shenoi Goembab, who played a pivotal role in the Konkani revival movement, rallied against the pre-eminence of Marathi over Konkani amongst Hindus and Portuguese amongst Christians.

Goa's accession to India in 1961 came at a time when Indian states were being reorganised along linguistic lines. There were demands to merge Goa with Maharashtra. This was because Goa had a sizeable population of Marathi speakers and Konkani was also considered to be a dialect of Marathi by many. Konkani Goans were opposed to the move. The status of Konkani as an independent language or as a dialect of Marathi had a great political bearing on Goa's merger, which was settled by a plebiscite in 1967 (the Goa Opinion Poll).

The Sahitya Akademi (a prominent literary organisation in India) recognised it as an independent language in 1975, and subsequently Konkani (in Devanagari script) was made the official language of Goa in 1987.

Karnataka

Samfuri:Main MLC Ivan D'Souza attempted to speak in Konkani at the Karnataka state's Legislative Council, but was urged not to by the Chairman D H Shankaramurthy as most of the audience did not know Konkani. Even though Mr D'Souza pleaded that Konkani was amongst the 22 official languages recognised by the Indian Constitution, he was not given permission to continue in Konkani.

Even though there are substantial Konkani Catholics in Bengaluru, efforts to celebrate Holy Mass in Konkani have met with opposition by Kannada "activists". Konkani Holy Masses has been held in the Sabbhavana and Saccidananda chapels of the Carmelite and Capuchin Fathers respectively, in Yeswanthpur and Rajajinagar, Bangalore. These services are under threat from Kannada groups who do not want church services to be held in any language other than Kannada, even though Kannada Catholics constitute only 30% of the Catholic population in the Archdiocese. Konkani activists and associations have been demanding Konkani language mass and services for a long time. It is still the official language of the Mangalore Diocese.

Multilingualism

According to the Census Department of India, Konkani speakers show a very high degree of multilingualism. In the 1991 census, as compared to the national average of 19.44% for bilingualism and 7.26% for trilingualism, Konkani speakers scored 74.20% and 44.68% respectively. This makes the Konkans the most multilingual community of India.

This has been due to the fact that in most areas where Konkans have settled, they seldom form a majority of the population and have to interact with others in the local tongue. Another reason for bilingualism has been the lack of schools teaching Konkani as a primary or secondary language.

The bilingualism of Konkanis with Marathi in Daman Goa and Maharashtra has been a source of great discontent because it has led to the belief that Konkani is a dialect of Marathi and hence has no bearing on the future of Goa.

Scripts and dialects

Samfuri:Main article The problems posed by multiple scripts and varying dialects have come as an impediment in the efforts to unite Konkani people. The Goa state's decision to use Devanagari as the official script and the Antruz dialect has been met with opposition both within Goa and outside it. Critics contend that the Antruz dialect is unintelligible to most Goans, let alone other Konkani people outside Goa, and that Devanagari is used very little as compared to Romi Konkani in Goa or Konkani in the Kannada script. Prominent among the critics are Konkani Christians in Goa, who were at the forefront of the Konkani agitation in 1986–87 and have for a long time used the Roman script, including producing literature in Roman script. They demanded Roman script be given equal status to Devanagari.

In Karnataka, which has the largest number of Konkani speakers after Goa, leading organisations and activists have similarly demanded that Kannada script be made the medium of instruction for Konkani in local schools instead of Devanagari. The government of Karnataka has given its approval for teaching of Konkani as an optional third language from 6th to 10th standard students either in Kannada or Devanagari scripts.

Phonology

See also: Konkani phonology

The Konkani language has 16 basic vowels (excluding an equal number of long vowels), 36 consonants, 5 semi-vowels, 3 sibilants, 1 aspirate, and many diphthongs. Like the other Indo-Aryan languages, it has both long and short vowels and syllables with long vowels may appear to be stressed. Different types of nasal vowels are a special feature of the Konkani language.

• The palatal and alveolar stops are affricates. The palatal glides are truly palatal but otherwise the consonants in the palatal column are alveopalatal.
• The voiced/voiceless contrasts are found only in the stops and affricates. The fricatives are all voiceless and the sonorants are all voiced.
• The initial vowel-syllable is shortened after the aspirates and fricatives. Many speakers substitute unaspirated consonants for aspirates.
• Aspirates in a non-initial position are rare and only occur in careful speech. Palatalisation/non-palatisation is found in all obstruents, except for palatal and alveolars. Where a palatalised alveolar is expected, a palatal is found instead. In the case of sonorants, only unaspirated consonants show this contrast, and among the glides only labeo-velar glides exhibit this. Vowels show a contrast between oral and nasal ones

Vowels

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	Samfuri:IPA link Samfuri:IPA link		Samfuri:IPA link Samfuri:IPA link
Close-mid	Samfuri:IPA link Samfuri:IPA link	Samfuri:IPA link Samfuri:IPA link	Samfuri:IPA link Samfuri:IPA link
Open-mid	Samfuri:IPA link Samfuri:IPA link	Samfuri:IPA link	Samfuri:IPA link Samfuri:IPA link
Open	(Samfuri:IPA link)	Samfuri:IPA link Samfuri:IPA link

One of the most distinguishing features of Konkani phonology is the use of Samfuri:IPAslink, the close-mid central vowel, instead of the schwa found in Hindustani and Marathi.

Whereas many Indian languages use only one of the three front vowels, represented by the Devanagari grapheme ए, Konkani uses three: /e/, /ɛ/ and /æ/.

Nasalizations exist for all vowels except for /ʌ/.

Consonants

		Labial	Dental	Alveolar	Retroflex	(Alveolo-) palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal	plain	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink		Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink
	murmured	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink		Samfuri:IPAlink
Stop/ Affricate	voiceless	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink
	aspirated	(Samfuri:IPAlink)	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink
	voiced	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink
	murmured	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink
Fricative		Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink			Samfuri:IPAlink		Samfuri:IPAlink
Approximant	plain	Samfuri:IPAlink		Samfuri:IPAlink		Samfuri:IPAlink
	murmured	Samfuri:IPAlink		Samfuri:IPAlink
Flap/Trill	plain			Samfuri:IPAlink	Samfuri:IPAlink
	murmured			Samfuri:IPAlink	𝼈

The consonants in Konkani are similar to those in Marathi.

Grammar

Konkani grammar is similar to other Indo-Aryan languages. Notably, Konkani grammar is also influenced by Dravidian languages. It cannot be described as a stress-timed language, nor as a tonal language.

• Speech can be classified into any of the following parts:

1. naam (noun)
2. sarvanaam (pronoun)
3. visheshan (adjective)
4. kriyapad (verb)
5. kriyavisheshana (adverb)
6. ubhayanvayi avyaya
7. shabdayogi avyaya
8. kevalaprayogi avyaya

Like most of the Indo-Aryan languages, Konkani is an SOV language, meaning among other things that not only is the verb found at the end of the clause but also modifiers and complements tend to precede the head and postpositions are far more common than prepositions. In terms of syntax, Konkani is a head-last language, unlike English, which is an SVO language.

• Almost all the verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and the avyayas are either tatsama or tadbhava.

Verbs

Verbs are either tatsama or tadbhava:

Verbs and their roots:

Konkani verbs	Sanskrit/Prakrit Root	Translation
वाच vaach (tatsama)	वच् vach	read
आफय, आपय aaphay, aapay (tatsama)	आव्हय् aavhay	call, summon
रांध raandh (tatsama)	रांध् raandh	cook
बरय baray (tadbhav)	वर्णय् varnay	write
व्हर vhar (tadbhav)	हर har	take away
भक bhak (tadbhav)	भक्ष् bhaksh	eat
हेड hedd (tadbhav)	अट् att	roam
ल्हेव lhev (tadbhav)	लेह् leh	lick
शीन sheen (tadbhav)	छिन्न chinna	cut
Source: Koṅkaṇî Dhatukosh

• Present indefinite of the auxiliary is fused with present participle of the primary verb, and the auxiliary is partially dropped. When the southern dialects came in contact with Dravidian languages this difference became more prominent in dialects spoken in Karnataka whereas Goan Konkani still retains the original form.

For example, "I eat" and "I am eating" sound similar in Goan Konkani, due to loss of auxiliary in colloquial speech. "Hāv khātā" corresponds to "I am eating". On the other hand, in Karnataka Konkani "hāv khātā" corresponds to "I eat", and "hāv khātoāsā" or "hāv khāter āsā" means "I am eating". However the word "jito" (living) is universal, "to jitoāsā" (he is living).

• Out of eight grammatical cases, Konkani has totally lost the dative, the locative, and the ablative. It has partially lost the accusative and the instrumental cases too. So the preserved cases are: the nominative, the genitive, and the vocative case.

Apabhramsha and metathesis

• Like Marathi and Gujarati, the Konkani language has three genders. During the Middle Ages, most of the Indo-Aryan languages lost their neuter gender, except Maharashtri, in which it is retained much more in Marathi than Konkani. Gender in Konkani is purely grammatical and unconnected to sex.

Metathesis is a characteristic of all the middle and modern Indo-Aryan languages including Konkani. Consider the Sanskrit word "स्नुषा" (daughter-in law). Here, the ष is dropped, and स्नु alone is utilised, स्नु-->स/नु and you get the word सुन (metathesis of ukar).

• Unlike Sanskrit, anusvara has great importance in Konkani. A characteristic of Middle Indo-Aryan dialects, Konkani still retains the anusvara on the initial or final syllable. Similarly visarga, is totally lost and is assimilated with उ and/or ओ. For example, in Sanskrit दीपः becomes दिवो and दुःख becomes दुख.
• Konkani retains the pitch accent, which is a direct derivative of Vedic accent, which probably would account for "nasalism" in Konkani. The "breathed" accent is retained in most of the tatsamas than the tadbhavas. Declension also affects the accent.
• Konkani has lost its passive voice, and now the transitive verbs in their perfects are equivalent to passives.
• Konkani has rejected ऋ, ॠ, ऌ, ॡ, ष, and क्ष, which are assimilated with र, ख, ह, श and स.
• Sanskrit compound letters are avoided in Konkani. For example, in Sanskrit द्वे, प्राय, गृहस्थ, उद्योत become बे, पिराय, गिरेस्त, and उज्जो respectively in Konkani.

Vocabulary

The vocabulary from Konkani comes from a number of sources. The main source is Prakrits. So Sanskrit as a whole has played a very important part in Konkani vocabulary. Konkani vocabulary is made of tatsama (Sanskrit loanwords without change), tadhbhava (evolved Sanskrit words), deshya (indigenous words) and antardeshya (foreign words). Other sources of vocabulary are Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. Finally, Kannada, Marathi, and Portuguese have enriched its lexical content.

Loanwords

Since Goa was a major trade centre for visiting Arabs and Turks, many Arabic and Persian words infiltrated the Konkani language. A large number of Arabic and Persian words now form an integral part of Konkani vocabulary and are commonly used in day-to-day life; examples are karz (debt), fakt (only), dusman (enemy), and barik (thin). Single and compound words are found wherein the original meaning has been changed or distorted. Examples include mustaiki (from Arabic mustaid, meaning "ready"), and kapan khairo ("eater of one's own shroud", meaning "a miser").

Most of the old Konkani Hindu literature does not show any influence from Portuguese. Even the dialects spoken by the majority of Goan Hindus have a very limited Portuguese influence. On the other hand, dialects spoken by the Catholics from Goa (as well as the Canara to some extent) and their religious literature show a strong Portuguese influence. They contain a number of Portuguese lexical items, but these are almost all religious terms. Even in the context of religious terminology, the missionaries adapted native terms associated with Hindu religious concepts. (For example, krupa for grace, Yamakunda for hell, Vaikuntha for paradise and so on). The syntax used by Goan Catholics in their literature shows a prominent Portuguese influence. As a result, many Portuguese loanwords are now commonly found in common Konkani speech. The Portuguese influence is also evident in the Marathi–Konkani spoken in the former Northern Konkan district, Thane a variant of Konkani used by Bombay East Indians Catholic community.

Sanskritisation

Konkani is not highly Sanskritised like Marathi, but still retains Prakrit and apabhramsa structures, verbal forms, and vocabulary. Though the Goan Hindu dialect is highly Prakritised, numerous Sanskrit loanwords are found, while the Catholic dialect has historically drawn many terms from Portuguese. The Catholic literary dialect has now adopted Sanskritic vocabulary itself, and the Catholic Church has also adopted a Sanskritisation policy. Despite the relative unfamiliarity of the recently introduced Sanskritic vocabulary to the new Catholic generations, there has not been wide resistance to the change. On the other hand, southern Konkani dialects, having been influenced by Kannada − one of the languages of Dravidian origin − have undergone re-Sanskritisation over time.

Writing systems

The name Konkani in the five scripts it is written in: Devanagari, Kannada, Latin, Malayalam, Arabic.

Samfuri:Main Konkani has been compelled to become a language using a multiplicity of scripts, and not just one single script used everywhere. This has led to an outward splitting up of the same language, which is spoken and understood by all, despite some inevitable dialectal convergences.

Past

Samfuri:Main The Brahmi script for Konkani fell into disuse. Later, some inscriptions were written in old Nagari. However, owing to the Portuguese conquest in 1510 and the subsequent various restrictions imposed by the Inquisition, some early forms of Devanagari fell out of use in Goa. The Portuguese promulgated a law banning the use of non-Roman scripts for Konkani in Goa.

Another script, called Kandevi or Goykandi, was used for Konkani since the times of the Kadambas, although it lost its popularity after the 17th century. Kandevi/Goykandi is very different from the Halegannada script, with strikingly similar features. Unlike Halegannada, Kandevi/Goykandi letters were usually written with a distinctive horizontal bar, like the Nagari scripts. This script may have been evolved out of the Kadamba script, which was extensively used in Goa and Konkan. The earliest known inscription in Devanagari dates to 1187 AD. The Roman script has the oldest preserved and protected literary tradition, beginning from the 16th century.

Present

Konkani is written in five scripts: Devanagari, Roman, Kannada, Malayalam, and Perso-Arabic. Because Devanagari is the official script used to write Konkani in Goa and Maharashtra, most Konkanis (especially Hindus) in those two states write the language in Devanagari. However, Konkani is widely written in the Roman script (called Romi Konkani) by many Konkanis, (especially Catholics). This is because for many years, all Konkani literature was in the Latin script, and Catholic liturgy and other religious literature has always been in the Roman script. Most people of Karnataka use the Kannada script; however, the Saraswats of Karnataka use the Devanagari script in the uttara Kannada district. Malayalam script was used by the Konkani community in Kerala, but there has been a move towards the usage of the Devanagari script in recent years. Konkani Muslims use Arabic script to write Konkani. There has been to trend towards the usage of the Arabic script among Muslim communities; this coincides with them mixing more Urdu and Arabic words into their Konkani dialects. When the Sahitya Akademi recognised Konkani in 1975 as an independent and literary language, one of the important factors was the literary heritage of Romi Konkani since the year 1556. However, after Konkani in the Devanagari script was made the official language of Goa in 1987, the Sahitya Akademi has supported only writers in the Devanagari script. For a very long time there has been a rising demand for official recognition of Romi Konkani by Catholics in Goa because a sizeable population of the people in Goa use the Roman script. Also a lot of the content on the Internet and the staging of the famed Tiatr is written in Romi Konkani. In January 2013, the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court issued a notice to the state government on a Public Interest Litigation filed by the Romi Lipi Action Front seeking to amend the Official Language Act to grant official language status to Romi Konkani but has not yet been granted.

Alphabet/vaṇamāḷha

The vowels, consonants, and their arrangement are as follows:

अ

Samfuri:IAST /ɐ/

आ

Samfuri:IAST /ɑː/

इ

Samfuri:IAST /i/

ई

Samfuri:IAST /iː/

उ

Samfuri:IAST /u/

ऊ

Samfuri:IAST /uː/

ए

Samfuri:IAST /eː/

ऐ

Samfuri:IAST /aːi/

ओ

Samfuri:IAST /oː/

औ

Samfuri:IAST /aːu/

अं

Samfuri:IAST /ⁿ/

अः

Samfuri:IAST /h/

क	Samfuri:IAST /k/	ख	Samfuri:IAST /kʰ/	ग	Samfuri:IAST /ɡ/	घ	Samfuri:IAST /ɡʱ/	ङ	Samfuri:IAST /ŋ/
च	Samfuri:IAST /c, t͡ʃ/	छ	Samfuri:IAST /cʰ, t͡ʃʰ/	ज	Samfuri:IAST /ɟ, d͡ʒ/	झ	Samfuri:IAST /ɟʱ, d͡ʒʱ/	ञ	Samfuri:IAST /ɲ/
ट	Samfuri:IAST /ʈ/	ठ	Samfuri:IAST /ʈʰ/	ड	Samfuri:IAST /ɖ/	ढ	Samfuri:IAST /ɖʱ/	ण	Samfuri:IAST /ɳ/
त	Samfuri:IAST /t̪/	थ	Samfuri:IAST /t̪ʰ/	द	Samfuri:IAST /d̪/	ध	Samfuri:IAST /d̪ʱ/	न	Samfuri:IAST /n/
प	Samfuri:IAST /p/	फ	Samfuri:IAST /pʰ/	ब	Samfuri:IAST /b/	भ	Samfuri:IAST /bʱ/	म	Samfuri:IAST /m/
य	Samfuri:IAST /j/	र	Samfuri:IAST /r/	ल	Samfuri:IAST /l/	व	Samfuri:IAST /ʋ/
ष	Samfuri:IAST /ʂ/	श	Samfuri:IAST /ɕ, ʃ/	स	Samfuri:IAST /s/	ह	Samfuri:IAST /ɦ/
ळ	Samfuri:IAST //ɭ//	क्ष	Samfuri:IAST /kʃ/	ज्ञ	Samfuri:IAST /ɟʝɲ/

Dialects

See also: Karnataka Konkani

Venn diagram of the ISO codes of the Konkani languages

Konkani, despite having a small population, shows a very high number of dialects. The dialect tree structure of Konkani can easily be classified according to the region, religion, caste, and local tongue influence.

Based on the historical events and cultural ties of the speakers, N. G. Kalelkar has broadly classified the dialects into three main groups:

• Northern Konkani: Dialects spoken in the Sindhudurga district of Maharashtra with strong cultural ties to Marathi; i.e. Malvani
• Central Konkani: Dialects in Goa and Northern Karnataka, where Konkani came in close contact with Portuguese language and culture.
• Southern Konkani: Dialects spoken in the South Canara region (Mangalore, Udupi) of Karnataka and Kasaragod of Kerala, which came in close contact with Tulu. Southern Konkani is very similar to Marathi, with few loanwords from Tulu, and slight differences in pronunciation.

Goan Konkani

Entrance to Konkani section of the Golden Heart Emporium, Margao, Goa

Goan Konkani refers to all the central dialects of the Konkani macrolanguage except for those that fall under Maharashtrian Konkani and Canarese Konkani. These dialects are collectively assigned the language code Samfuri:Code under the ISO 639-3 classification (since it is sometimes called Goan Marathi).

In common usage, Goan Konkani refers collectively only to those dialects of Konkani spoken primarily in the state of Goa, e.g. the Antruz, Bardeskari and Saxtti dialects. But in the broader linguistic context, Goanese Konkani also includes dialects spoken outside the official boundaries of Goa, such as Malvani Konkani, Chitpavani Konkani, Karwari Konkani and Mangalorean Catholic Konkani.

Organisations

The campus of the Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr (TSKK), a research institute working on issues related to the Konkani language, located at Alto Porvorim, near Panaji in Goa

There are organisations working for Konkani but, primarily, these were restricted to individual communities. The All India Konkani Parishad founded on 8 July 1939, provided a common ground for Konkani people from all regions. A new organisation known as Vishwa Konkani Parishad, which aims to be an all-inclusive and pluralistic umbrella organisation for Konkanis around the world, was founded on 11 September 2005.

Mandd Sobhann is the premier organisation that is striving hard to preserve, promote, propagate, and enrich the Konkani language and culture. It all began with the experiment called 'Mandd Sobhann' – a search for a Konkani identity in Konkani music on 30 November 1986 at Mangalore. What began as a performance titled 'Mandd Sobhann', grew into a movement of revival and rejuvenation of Konkani culture; and solidified into an organization called Mandd Sobhann. Today, Mandd Sobhann boasts of all these 3 identities namely - a performance, a movement and an organization.https://www.manddsobhann.org/

The Konkan Daiz Yatra, started in 1939 in Mumbai, is the oldest Konkani organisation. The Konkani Bhasha Mandal was born in Mumbai on 5 April 1942, during the Third Adhiveshan of All India Konkani Parishad. On 28 December 1984, Goa Konkani Akademi (GKA) was founded by the government of Goa to promote Konkani language, literature, and culture. The Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr (TSKK) is a popular research institute based in the Goan capital Panaji. It works on issues related to the Konkani language, literature, culture, and education. The Dalgado Konkani Academy is a popular Konkani organisation based in Panaji.

World Konkani Centre, Mangalore

The Konkani Triveni Kala Sangam is one more famed Konkani organisation in Mumbai, which is engaged in the vocation of patronising Konkani language through the theatre movement. The government of Karnataka established the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademy on 20 April 1994. The Konkani Ekvott is an umbrella organisation of the Konkani bodies in Goa.

The First World Konkani Convention was held in Mangalore in December 1995. The Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation came into being immediately after the World Konkani Convention in 1995.

The World Konkani Centre built on a three-acre plot called Konkani Gaon (Konkani Village) at Shakti Nagar, Mangalore was inaugurated on 17 January 2009, "to serve as a nodal agency for the preservation and overall development of Konkani language, art, and culture involving all the Konkani people the world over."

The North American Konkani Association (NAKA) serves to unite Konkanis across the United States and Canada. It serves as a parent organization for smaller Konkani associations in various states. Furthermore, the Konkani Young Adult Group serves as a platform under NAKA to allow young adults across America (18+) of Konkani descent to meet each other and celebrate their heritage. Every 2–4 years, a Konkani Sammelan, where Konkanis from across the continent attend, is held in a different city in the US. A Konkani Youth Convention is held yearly. Past locations have included NYC and Atlanta; the upcoming youth convention is slated to be held in Chicago, IL in June.

Literature

Cover of Dovtrina Christam by Fr. Thomas Stephens, first published work in Konkani, and any Indian language

During the Goa Inquisition which commenced in 1560, all books found in the Konkani language were burnt, and it is possible that old Konkani literature was destroyed as a consequence.

The earliest writer in the history of Konkani language known today is Krishnadas Shama from Quelossim in Goa. He began writing 25 April 1526, and he authored Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Krishnacharitrakatha in prose style. The manuscripts have not been found, although transliterations in Roman script are found in Braga in Portugal. The script used by him for his work is not known.

The first known printed book in Konkani was written by an English Jesuit priest, Fr. Thomas Stephens in 1622, and entitled Doutrina Christam em Lingoa Bramana Canarim (Old Portuguese for: Christian Doctrine in the Canarese Brahman Language). The first book exclusively on Konkani grammar, Arte da Lingoa Canarim, was printed in 1640 by Father Stephens in Portuguese.

Media

Radio

All India Radio started broadcasting Konkani news and other services. Radio Goa Pangim started a Konkani broadcast in 1945. AIR Mumbai and Dharwad later started Konkani broadcasts in the years 1952 and 1965 respectively. Portuguese Radio, Lisbon started services in 1955 for India, East Africa, and Portugal. Similarly Trivandrum, Alleppey, Trichur, and Calicut AIR centres started Konkani broadcasts.

In Manglore and Udupi, many weekly news magazines are published in Konkani. Rakno, Daize, and a few others are very famous among the Christian community. Every Roman Catholic parish will publish three or four magazines in a year.

Print

Udentichem Sallok was the first Konkani periodical published in 1888, from Poona, by Eduardo Bruno de Souza. It started as a monthly and then as a fortnightly. It closed down in 1894.

Dailies

Sanjechem Nokhetr was started in 1907 by B. F. Cabral in Bombay, and is the first Concanim newspaper. It contained detailed news of Bombay, as it was published from there. In 1982, "Novem Goem" was a daily edited by Gurunath Kelekar, Dr. F. M. Rebello and Felisio Cardozo. It was started due to people's initiative. In 1989, Fr. Freddy J. da Costa, began a Konkani daily "Goencho Avaz". It became a monthly after one and a half year. Presently there is just a single Konkani daily newspaper, called Bhaangar Bhuin. For a long time, there was another Konkani daily, Sunaparant, which was published in Panjim.

Weeklies

O Luzo-Concanim was a Concanim (Konkani)- Portuguese bilingual weekly, begun in 1891, by Aleixo Caitano José Francisco. From 1892 to 1897, A Luz, O Bombaim Esse, A Lua, "O Intra Jijent and O Opinião Nacional were bilingual Concanim- Portuguese weeklies published. In 1907, O Goano was putblished from Bombay by Honorato Furtado and Francis Xavier Furtado. It was a trilingual weekly in Portuguese, Konkani and English.

The Society of the Missionaries of Saint Francis Xavier, publish the Konkani weekly (satollem) named Vauraddeancho Ixtt. from Pilar. It was started in 1933 by Fr. Arsencio Fernandes and Fr. Graciano Moraes.

Fortnightly

There is a fortnightly published newspaper since 2007 called Kodial Khaber, edited by Venkatesh Baliga Mavinakurve and published by Baliga Publications, Mangalore.

Monthlies

Katolik Sovostkai was started in 1907 by Roldão Noronha. It later became a fortnightly before ceasing publication.

Dor Mhoineachi Rotti is the oldest running Konkani periodical. It is dedicated to the spreading of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and was initially named Dor Muineachi Rotti Povitra Jesucha Calzachem Devoçãõ Vaddounchi. Note that the til (tilde mark) over ãõ in Devoçãõ is one single til. Fr. Vincent Lobo, from Sangolda in Goa, who was then curator at the St. Patrick's Church in Karachi, began it in 1915, to feed the spiritual thirst and hunger of the large number of Konkani speaking people there, on noticing the absence of Konkani spiritual literature. The name was changed subsequently to "Dor Muiniachi Rotti, Concanim Messenger of the Sacred Heart". On Fr. Vincent Lobo's passing away on 11 November 1922, Fr. António Ludovico Pereira, also from Sangolda, took over the responsibility. Dor Mhoineachi Rotti had an estimated readership of around 12,000 people then. After the passing away of Fr. António Ludovico Pereira on 26 July 1936, Fr. Antanasio Moniz, from Verna, took over. On his passing away in 1953, Fr. Elias D'Souza, from Bodiem, Tivim in Goa became the fourth editor of Dor Mhoineachi Rotti. After shifting to Velha Goa in Goa around 1964, Fr. Moreno de Souza was editor for around 42 years. Presently the Dor Mhuineachi Rotti is owned by the Jesuits in Goa, edited by Fr. Vasco do Rego, S. J. and printed and published by Fr. Jose Silveira, S.J. on behalf of the Provincial Superior of the Jesuits in Goa. Dor Mhoineachi Rotti will complete 100 years on 1 January 2015.

Gulab is a monthly from Goa. It was started by late Fr. Freddy J. da Costa in 1983, and was printed in colour, then uncommon.

Konkani periodicals published in Goa include Vauraddeancho Ixtt (Roman script, weekly), Gulab (Roman script, monthly), Bimb (Devanagari script, monthly), Panchkadayi (Kannada script, monthly) and Poddbimb (Roman script, monthly). Konkani periodicals published in Mangalore include "Raknno" (Kannada script, weekly), "DIVO" (Kannada Script, weekly from Mumbai), "Kutmacho Sevak" (Kannada script, monthly), "Dirvem" (Kannada script, monthly),"Amcho Sandesh" (Kannada script, monthly) and "Kajulo" (Kannda script, children's magazine, monthly). Konkani periodical published in Udupi include "Uzwad" (Kannada script, monthly) and Naman Ballok Jezu (Kannada script, monthly). Ekvottavorvim Uzvadd (Devanagari Script, monthly) is published from Belgaum since 1998. Panchkadayi Konkani Monthly magazine from Manipal since 1967.

Digital and audible

The first complete literary website in Konkani started in 2001 using Kannada script was www.maaibhaas.com by Naveen Sequeira of Brahmavara. In 2003 www.daaiz.com started by Valley Quadros Ajekar from Kuwait, this literary portal was instrumental in creating a wider range of readers across the globe, apart from various columns, literary contests, through Ashawadi Prakashan, he published several books in Konkani, including the first e-book 'Sagorachea Vattecheo Zori' released by Gerry DMello Bendur in 2005 at Karkala.

www.poinnari.com is the first literary webportal in Konkani using three scripts (Kannada, Nagari and Romi), started in 2015, is also conducted the first National level literary contest in dual scripts in Konkani in 2017.

'Sagorachea Vattecheo Zori' is the first e-book in Konkani, a compilation of 100 poems digitally published by www.daaiz.com and digitally published in 2005 by Ashawadi Prakashan in Karkala.

'Kathadaaiz' is the first digital audio book digitally published in 2018 by www.poinnari.com. This audio book is also available in the YouTube channel of Ashawari Prakashan.

'Pattim Gamvak' is the first e-Novel written in Kannada script Konkani in 2002 by Valley Quadros Ajekar from Kuwait, published in www.maaibhaas.com in 2002-3.

'Veez' is the first digital weekly in Konkani, started in 2018 by Dr.Austine D'Souza Prabhu in Chicago, USA. Veez is the only magazine publishing Konkani in 4 scripts; Kannada, Nagari, Romi and Malayalam.

Television

The Doordarshan centre in Panjim produces Konkani programs, which are broadcast in the evening. Many local Goan channels also broadcast Konkani television programs. These include: Prudent Media, Goa 365, HCN, RDX Goa, and others.

Music

on 1st feb 2024 song 'Addicted' by EZD and Chrystal Farrell entered spotify charts UAE at 3rd position alongside artists like Taylor Swift and The Weeknd creating a record of becoming first ever Konkani song to chart.

In popular culture

Many Konkani songs of the Goan fisher-folk appear recurrently in a number of Hindi films. Many Hindi movies feature characters with a Goan Catholic accent. A famous song from the 1957 movie Aasha, contains the Konkani words "mhaka naka" and became extremely popular. Children were chanting "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe", which inspired C Ramchandra and his assistant John Gomes to create the first line of the song, "Eena Meena Deeka, De Dai Damanika". Gomes, who was a Goan, added the words "mhaka naka" (Konkani for "I don't want"). They kept on adding more nonsense rhymes until they ended with "Rum pum po!".

An international ad campaign by Nike for the 2007 Cricket World Cup featured a Konkani song "Rav Patrao Rav" as the background theme. It was based on the tune of an older song "Bebdo", composed by Chris Perry and sung by Lorna Cordeiro. The new lyrics were written by Agnello Dias (who worked in the ad agency that made the ad), recomposed by Ram Sampat, and sung by Ella Castellino.

A Konkani cultural event, Konkani Nirantari, organised by Mandd Sobhann, was held in Mangalore on 26 and 27 January 2008, and entered the Guinness Book of World Records for holding a 40-hour-long non-stop musical singing marathon, beating a Brazilian musical troupe who had previously held the record of singing non-stop for 36 hours.

See also

• Canara Konkani
• Konkani in the Roman script
• Konkani Language Agitation
• Konkani people
• Konkani phonology
• Konkani Poets
• Konkani Script
• List of loanwords in Konkani
• Languages of India
• Languages with official status in India
• List of languages by number of native speakers in India
• Maharashtri
• Malvani dialect
• Malvani people
• Marathi–Konkani languages
• Paisaci
• Sahitya Akademi Award to Konkani Writers
• World Konkani Centre
• World Konkani Hall of Fame

Further reading

• Malli, Karthik (25 April 2019). "Romi Konkani: The story of a Goan script, born out of Portuguese influence, which faces possible decline". Firstpost.

External links

Wikimedia Commons on Harshen Konkani Samfuri:InterWiki Samfuri:Wiktionary Samfuri:Wikivoyage

• Vauraddeancho Ixtt, Konkani language site
• Konkani News, Konkani language site
• Kital Archived 15 Nuwamba, 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Konkani language site
• Chilume.com, Konkani Literature
• Niz Goenkar, Konkani-English bilingual site
• Learn Goan Konkani online
• Read Konkani News online Archived 23 ga Yuni, 2017 at the Wayback Machine
• Learn Mangalorean GSB Konkani online
• Learn Mangalorean Catholic Konkani online
• An excellent article on Konkani history and literature by Goa Konkani Academi
• Online Manglorean Konkani Dictionary Project
• Online Konkani (GSB) dictionary
• World Konkani Centre, Mangalore
• Konkanverter-Konkani script conversion utility