Endangered Language

Submitted by: Hadia Amjad

Endangered Langyage: Bhaya

Population: 400 (1998)

Language Code: bhe

Region: Lower Sindh, Khopri Goth near Samaro, Khipro area, Jamesabad, Mir ke goth, Mirpurkhas, Phuladia, a few families in Hyderbad, possibly in India.

Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Central zone, Western Hindi, Unclassified

Explanation: In Pakistan Bhaya can be call as a dialect of Malvi language. Malvi (Malavi, Mallow, Malwada, Malwi) is the Rajasthani language of the Malva region of India, with ten million speakers. Nimadi, spoken in the Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh and in Rajasthan, is its closest relative. The dialects of Malvi are Ujjaini (Ujjain,Indore, Dewas, Shajapur, Sehore districts),  

Rajawadi (Ratlam, Mandsaur, Neemuch districts), Umathwadi (Rajgarh district), and Sondhwadi (Jhalawar district).. Ujjaini is the prestige dialect, and the language as a whole sometimes goes by that name.

Dialects: Similarity of key morphemes: The possessive postposition with, g-, contrasts with all other languages in the area. Gender endings match Marwari [mve]. May be the same as Bhoyari dialect of Malvi [mup] in India. May be in Western Hindi group. Lexical similarity: 84% with Marwari [mve], 75% with Malhi dialect of Dhatki [mki], 73% with Bhat, 72%–73% with Goaria [gig], 70%–73% with Sindhi Meghwar dialect of Sindhi Bhil [sbn], 63%–72% with Mogi, 63%–71% with Sindhi Bhil [sbn], 70% with Urdu [urd]

The EGIDS* for this language in its primary country 6b (threatened) , The Language is used for face to face communication within all generations but it is losing its users.

The EGIDS level of Bhaya is yellow

Yellow = In trouble (EGIDS 6b-7) — Intergenerational transmission is in the process of being broken, but the child-bearing generation can still use the language so it is possible that revitalization efforts could restore transmission of the language in the home.

*EGIDS stands for the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale.  This is a tool that is used to measure the status of a language in terms of endangerment or development.