Bhili (Bhili: , ), , is a Western Indo-Aryan language spoken in west-central India, in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. Other names for the language include Bhilboli and several Bhili varieties are called Garasia. Bhili is a member of the Bhil languages, which are related to Gujarati and Rajasthani. The language is written using the Devanagari script.
Bhili has no official status in India.
Phonology
Consonants
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" |
!Labial
!Dental/<br/>Alveolar
!Retroflex
!Palatal
!Velar
!Glottal
|-
! rowspan="4" |Stop
!<small>voiceless</small>
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!<small>aspirated</small>
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!<small>voiced</small>
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!<small>breathy</small>
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! rowspan="2" |Affricate
!<small>voiceless</small>
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!<small>voiced</small>
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! colspan="2" |Fricative
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|()
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! colspan="2" |Nasal
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|()
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! colspan="2" |Lateral
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! colspan="2" |Trill
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! colspan="2" |Approximant
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- may also be heard as in free variation.
- occurs in loanwords from Persian and Hindi.
- is heard as an allophone of preceding .
Vowels
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!
!Front
!Central
!Back
|- align="center"
!High
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|- align="center"
!Mid-high
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| rowspan="2" |
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!Mid-low
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|- align="center"
!Low
|()
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|}
- Vowels can also be heard as .
- is borrowed from Hindi.
- may also be heard as in final position.
Further reading
- Bodhankar, Anantrao. Bhillori (Bhilli) – English Dictionary. Pune: Tribal Research & Training Institute, 2002.
- Jungblut, L. A Short Bhili Grammar of Jhabua State and Adjoining Territories. S.l: s.n, 1937.
- thumb|272x272px|Bhili - Folk SongThompson, Charles S. Rudiments of the Bhili Language. Ahmedabad [India]: United Printing Press, 1895.
See also
- Languages of India
- Languages with official status in India
- List of Indian languages by total speakers