Bhumij language

Bhumij, is the language of the Munda subfamily of the Austroasiatic languages, related to Ho, Mundari and Santali, spoken mainly in the Indian states Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. It is spoken by around 100,000 people in India.[1]

Bhumij
ভূমিজ, ଭୁମିଜ୍ , भूमिज
The word "Bhumij" in Ol Onal script
Native toJharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, India
EthnicityBhumij
Austroasiatic
  • Munda
    • East
      • Kherwarian
        • Bhumij
          • Bhumij
Ol Onal script Others: Devanagari script, Odia script, Bengali script
Official status
Official language in
 India
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
ELPBhumij
Alphabets in Ol Onal script.

Bhumij was a mainly oral language until the development of Ol Onal script by Ol Guru Mahendra Nath Sardar between 1981-1992 for Bhumij. While some of the users use Bengali, Odia or Devanagari script to write the language.

History

It is estimated that there are around 100,000 speakers of Bhumij. Bhumij speakers live throughout the Kherwarian area in the states of Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal.[2]

Bhumij has been categorized as related language Mundari and as Munda, so its ISO 639-3 code is [unr/unx].[2] Mundari and Munda are the same language with only a local difference in name, they are each given ISO 639-3 codes, while the linguistically and ethnically distinct Bhumij on the other hand do not get one. Bhumij tribal people have protested for greater recognition and government funding for Bhumij-language education and public broadcasting resources.[3]

Geographic distribution

The highest concentrations of Bhumij language speakers are in East Singhbhum and Seraikela Kharsawan districts of Jharkhand, the Jangal mahals region of West Bengal (Jhargram, Bankura and Purulia districts) and Mayurbhanj district of Odisha.[1]

Official status

In January 2019, Bhumij was accorded the status of second language in the state of Jharkhand.[4]

Writing system
Main article: Ol Onal

Bhumij language is written in Ol Onal script, invented between 1981 and 1992 by Mahendra Nath Sardar. It is also written in Devanagari, Odia or Bengali script.

See also

References
  1. "Bhumij language and alphabet". Omniglot. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  2. "Bhumij | Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages". livingtongues.org. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  3. Pradhan, Hemanta (16 March 2016). "Tribals demand official status for Bhumij language". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  4. "Jharkhand notifies Bhumij as second state language". The Avenue Mail. 5 January 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
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