Awadhi Language - Geographical Distribution

Geographical Distribution

Awadhi is mainly spoken in the major part of Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh or Central Uttar Pradesh, the adjoining Terai area of Nepal, Caribbean countries and the lower stretch of the Ganges–Yamuna Doab. Awadhi is a language spoken by nearly 40 million people. The language is ranked 40th out of most-spoken languages in the world and is mainly heard throughout India, Nepal and Mauritius. Most speakers of the language speak it as a first, not second language. Awadhi belongs to the Indo-European language family which also include languages such as; Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, East Central zone and Central zone. The writing system used for Awadhi is usually Devanagari or Kaithi, although some people use a mixture of both.

In Awadh, it is spoken in the following districts almost entirely:

• Faizabad
• Lucknow
• Barabanki
• Rae bareli
• Unnao
• Bahraich
• Gonda
• Sravasti
• Balrampur
• Pratapgarh
• Sultanpur

Excluding Awadh, the Language is also spoken widely in Lower Doab:-

• Kanpur Urban
• Fatehpur
• Kaushambi
• Allahabad

While it is spoken in these districts partially:

• Lakhimpur Kheri (excluding western areas)
• Sitapur (excluding western areas)
• Ambedkar Nagar (excluding eastern areas)
• Sant Ravidas Nagar
• Mirzapur
• Basti (excluding eastern areas)
• Siddharthnagar district

In the Lower Doab, Awadhi is spoken with influences from Kannauji, Bundeli and Bagheli. Kanpur Urban excluding the westernmost areas of the district which speak entirely in Kannauji, Bundeli in southern parts of Fatehpur and Kaushambi districts, while Part of Allahabad district south of Yamuna speaks with the mixture of Bagheli and Bundeli

In Nepal, it is spoken in the following regions:

• Lumbini zone
  • Nawalparasi district
  • Kapilvastu district
  • Rupandehi district
• Rapti zone
  • Dang Deukhuri District
• Bheri zone
  • Banke district
  • Bardiya district