Eastern Indo-Aryan languages

The Eastern Indo-Aryan languages, also known as Māgadhan languages, are spoken throughout the eastern region of the Indian subcontinent, which includes Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bengal region, Tripura, Assam, and Odisha; alongside other regions surrounding the northeastern Himalayan corridor. Bengali is official language of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal, Tripura and the Barak valley of Assam while Assamese and Odia are the official languages of Assam and Odisha, respectively. The Eastern Indo-Aryan languages descend from Abahattha, which descends from Magadhan Apabhraṃśa^[1] and ultimately from Magadhi Prakrit.^[2][3][1]

Eastern Indo-Aryan
Magadhan
Geographic distribution	Eastern India, Bangladesh, southern Nepal
Linguistic classification	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Eastern Indo-Aryan
Early forms	Prakrit Magadhi Prakrit
Subdivisions	Bengali–Assamese Bihari Halbic Odia
Language codes
Glottolog	indo1323  (Indo-Aryan Eastern zone) biha1245  (Bihari)

Major Indo-Aryan languages of South Asia; Eastern Indo-Aryan languages in shades of yellow

Classification

Further information: Indo-Aryan languages § Classification

The exact scope of the Eastern branch of the Indo-Aryan languages is controversial. All scholars agree about a kernel that includes the Odia cluster and the Bengali–Assamese languages, while many also include the Bihari languages. The widest scope was proposed by Suniti Kumar Chatterji who included the Eastern Hindi varieties, but this has not been widely accepted.^[4]

When the Bihari languages are included, the Eastern Indo-Aryan languages fall into four language groups in two broader categories:^{[citation needed]}

Western Magadhan

• Bihari
  • Bhojpuri
    • Caribbean Hindustani
  • Magahi
    • Khortha
  • Maithili
    • Bajjika (Western Maithili)
    • Angika (Southern Maithili)
    • Central Maithili
    • Eastern Maithili
    • Thēthi
    • Jolaha
    • Kisan
  • Sadanic
    • Nagpuri
    • Kurmali (Panchpargania)
  • Unclassified Bihari
    • Tharuic
      • Chitwania Tharu
      • Dangaura Tharu
        • Dangaha
      • Sonha
      • Kathariya Tharu
      • Kochila Tharu
        • Western Kochila
        • Central Kochila (Saptariya Tharu)
        • Eastern Kochila (Morangiya, Khawas Tharu)
      • Rana Tharu
      • Buksa
      • Musasa
    • Majhi
    • Kumhali
    • Kuswaric
      • Danwar
        • Dewas Done Danuwar
          • Dewas Rai
          • Done Danuwar
        • Kochariya-East Danuwar
          • East Danuwar
          • Kochariya
      • Bote-Darai
        • Bote
        • Darai

Eastern Magadhan

• Bengali–Assamese:
  • Gauda-Banga
    • Bengali
      • Bangali (Eastern Bengali)
        • Dhakaiya kutti Bengali
        • Mymensinghi Bengali
      • Manbhumi (Western Bengali)
      • Rarhi (South-Central Bengali)
      • Barendri (North-Central Bengali)
    • Bishnupriya Manipuri
    • Chakma
    • Chittagonian
    • Rohingya
    • Noakhali
    • Sylheti
    • Tanchangya
  • Kamarupic:
    • Eastern Kamarupi
      • Assamese
        • Eastern Assamese
        • Central Assamese
        • Kamrupi (Western Assamese)
        • Dehan (Southern Assamese)
    • Western Kamarupi
      • KRDS lects
        • Kamtapuri
        • Rangpuri
        • Surjapuri
        • Goalpariya (Western)
        • Rajbanshi
      • Hajong
• Oriya languages
  • Odia
    • Baleswari (Northern Odia)
    • Singhbhumi (Southern Jharkhandi Odia)
    • Kataki (Central Odia)
    • Sundargadi (Northwestern Odia)
    • Kalahandia (Southwestern Odia)
    • Ganjami (Southern Odia)
  • Bodo Parja
  • Bhatri
  • Desia
  • Reli
  • Sambalpuri
  • Kupia
• Halbic:
  • Halbi
    • Adkuri
    • Bastari
    • Chandari
    • Gachikolo
    • Govari
    • Kawari
    • Kunbi
    • Mahari
    • Muri
    • Sundi
  • Kamar
  • Bhunjia
  • Nahari

Features

Grammatical features of the Eastern Indo-Aryan languages:^[5]

Case	Bengali	Assamese	Odia	Rajbangshi	Surjapuri	Maithili	Bhojpuri	Tharu	Sylheti
Instrumental	-t̪e, -ke d̪ie	-e, -er-e, di, -e-di	-e, -re, -d̪ei	-d̪i	sɛ	-e,e˜, sə˜, d̪ea		le, leka	-re, di
Dative	-ke, -[e]re	-k, -ɒk	-ku	-k, -ɔk	-k, -ɔk	-ke˜	-ke	-hənə	-gu, -gur
Ablative	-t̪ʰeke	-pɒra	-u, -ru, -ʈʰaru, -ʈʰiru	-hat̪ɛ, t̪ʰaki	-sɛ	-sə˜, -k -karəne		se	-lagi, -tône
Genitive	-r, -er	-r, -ɒr	-rɔ	-r, -ɛr	-r, -ɛr	-ker (-k)	-kæ	-ək	-r, -ôr
Locative	-e, -t̪e	-t, -ɒt	-re	-t̪, -ɔt̪	-t̪, -ɔt̪	e, me, -hi, -tə		-mə	-t, -ô

Eastern Indo-Aryan languages display many morphosyntactic features similar to those of Munda languages, while western Indo-Aryan languages do not. It is suggested that "pre-Munda" ("proto-" in regular terminology) languages may have once dominated the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plain, and were then absorbed by Indo-Aryan languages at an early date as Indo-Aryan spread east.^[6][7]