Marathi
Marathi (मराठी Marāthī) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are 90 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi is the 4th most spoken language in India and the 15th most spoken language in the world. Marathi is the oldest of the regional literatures in Indo-Aryan languages, dating from about AD 1000.
Peculiar features of Marathi linguistic culture include Marathi drama, with its unique flavour of 'Sangeet Natak' (musical dramas), scholarly discourses called 'Vasant Vyakhyanmala' (Lectures in Spring), Marathi folk dance called 'Lavani', and special editions of magazines for Diwali called 'Diwali anka'.
Marathi is primarily spoken in Maharashtra and parts of neighboring states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Chattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, union-territories of Daman-diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli. The cities of Baroda, Surat, Ahmedabad and Belgaum(Karnataka) Indore, Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) Hyderabad Tanjore (Tamil Nadu) each have sizable Marathi-speaking communities. Marathi is also spok (Andhra Pradesh) anden by Maharashtrian émigrés worldwide, in the United States, UAE, South Africa, Singapore, Germany, UK, Australia, Japan and New Zealand. The Ethnologue states that Marathi is spoken in Israel and Mauritius.
In addition to all universities in Maharashtra, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (Gujarat), Osmania University (Andhra Pradesh), Gulbarga university (Karnataka), Devi Ahilya University of Indore and Goa University (Panaji) all have special departments for higher studies in Marathi linguistics. Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi) has announced plans to establish a special department for Marathi.
Some simple examples:
नमस्कार Hi/Hello
तुम्हीकसेआहात? How do you do?
तूकसाआहेस? How are you? (to a male)
तूकशीआहेस? How are you? (to a female)
आपणकसेआहात? How are you? (formal)
तुम्हालाभेटूनआनंद Pleased to meet you.
पुन्हाभेटू Goodbye. (Lit.: "We will meet again.")
धन्यवादThank you.
होYes.
नाहीNo.
नकोNo, thank you.
