Bihari languages are a group of the Indo-Aryan languages. The Bihari languages are mainly spoken in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, and also in Nepal. The most widely spoken languages of the Bihari group are Bajjika, Angika, Bhojpuri, Magahi and Maithili.
Despite the large number of speakers of these languages, only Maithili has been constitutionally recognised in India. Which gained constitutional status via the 92nd amendment to the Constitution of India, of 2003 (gaining assent in 2004). Maithili and Bhojpuri have constitutional recognition in Nepal. Bhojpuri-Awadhi mix is also official in Fiji as Fiji Hindi. There are demands for including Bhojpuri and Magahi/Khortha in the 8th schedule of Indian constitution.
In Bihar, Hindi is the language used for educational and official matters. These languages were legally absorbed under the overarching label Hindi in the 1961 Census. Such state and national politics are creating conditions for language endangerments. After independence, Hindi was given the sole official status through the Bihar Official Language Act of 1950. Hindi was displaced as the sole official language of Bihar in 1981, when Urdu was accorded the status of the second official language.
Speakers
The number of speakers of Bihari languages is difficult to indicate because of unreliable sources. In the urban region most educated speakers of the language name Hindi as their language because this is what they use in formal contexts and believe it to be the appropriate response because of unawareness. The educated and the urban population of the region return Hindi as the generic name for their language.
British linguist Grierson also mentioned that Bajjika, Angika and Surjapuri are also spoken in particular districts of Bihar. These languages are mostly spoken in rural areas.
Languages and dialects
| Language | ISO 639-3 | Scripts | No. of speakers | Geographical distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angika | anp | Devanagari; previously Kaithi; Anga Lipi | 743,600 | Eastern Bihar, North-eastern Jharkhand and Eastern Madhesh of Nepal |
| Bajjika | – | Devanagari; previously Tirhuta; Kaithi | 8,738,000 | North-Central Bihar and Eastern Madhesh of Nepal |
| Bhojpuri | bho | Devanagari; previously Kaithi | 52,245,300 | Recognized language in Nepal, Official language in Fiji (as the Fiji Hindi) and Jharkhand (additional)
In India: Western Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Western Jharkhand, Northern Chhattisgarh, Northeastern Madhya Pradesh, Terai region of Central Nepal cite - https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21361541 cite - https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21361541
|
| Khortha | _(sometimes counted under Magahi) | Devanagari; previously Tirhuta | 8,040,000 | South Bihar, North-eastern and North central Jharkhand |
| Kudmali (Panchpargania) | kyw, tdb | Devanagari; sometimes Bengali, Kaithi | 556,809 | South-Eastern Jharkhand, Southern West Bengal, northern Odisha, Assam |
| Magahi | mag | Devanagari; previously Tirhuta; Kaithi, Siddham script | 14,035,600 | South Bihar, North Jharkhand and Eastern Madhesh of Nepal |
| Maithili | mai | Devanagari; previously Tirhuta, Kaithi | 33,890,000 | Northern and eastern Bihar, Jharkhand and Eastern Madhesh of Nepal |
| Nagpuri (Sadri) | sck | Devanagari; previously Kaithi | 5,100,000 | West-central Jharkhand, North-eastern Chhattisgarh, Northwestern Odisha |
| Tharu | thl, tkt, thr, the, thq, tkb, soi | Devanagari | 1,900,000 | Terai regions of Nepal and some parts of border side areas of Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand and Bihar |
| Danuwar | dhw | Devanagari | 46,000 | Nepal |
| Bote-Darai | bmj, dry | Devanagari | 30,000 | Nepal |
| Kumhali | kra | Devanagari | 12,000 | Nepal |
| Majhi | mjz | Devanagari | 24,000 | Nepal |
