Garhwali Language - Sources and Vocabulary

Sources and Vocabulary

The basic vocabulary and language of primitive Garhwali is said to have been developed on the language used by the inhabitants of pre-historic age belonging to Negrito Australoid, Dravidian and Mongoloid ethnic groups. These are primarily the Munda,Bhil, Naag, Yaksha, etc. The other non-Aryan tribes from Northwest, such as Kunind, Kirat, Shak, Hun, Gurjar, Pisach, Darad also contributed to its vocabulary and influenced the language. The languages of the powerful Khasas, who still form a majority in Garhwal, is believed to be the source of Garhwali language. The later Aryans with their Vedic Sanskrit and Prakrit languages helped in adding to the vocabulary. Subsequently, Saurseni and Rajasthani Apbhransha had considerable influence in shaping the Garhwali Language. During the Medieval period, due to increasing interaction with outside regions, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali words also crept into the repertoire of spoken Garhwali. Contact with the Delhi rulers resulted in intrusion of Persian, Arabic, Turkish and English words. From the 18th century, Hindi, however, started exerting the maximum impact, not only in enriching the vocabulary, but also on the grammatical formation and syntax of Garhwali Language. Nevertheless, more than one third of the vocabulary remained of native base and indigenous structure.