LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 26:7 July 2026
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Selvi M. Bunce, M.A., Ed.D.
         Nathan Mulder Bunce, M.A., Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Honorary Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

Celebrate India!
Unity in Diversity!!

HOME PAGE

Click Here for Back Issues of Language in India - From 2001

Poetic Encounter
Available in https://www.amazon.in/dp/B09TT86S4T

Poems
Naked: the honest musings of two brown women
Available in https://www.amazon.in

Decrees
Available in https://www.amazon.com

BOOKS FOR YOU TO READ AND DOWNLOAD FREE!

REFERENCE MATERIALS

BACK ISSUES

  • E-mail your articles and book-length reports in Microsoft Word to languageinindiaUSA@gmail.com.

  • PLEASE READ THE GUIDELINES GIVEN IN HOME PAGE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE LIST OF CONTENTS.

  • Your articles and book-length reports should be written following the APA, MLA, LSA, or IJDL Stylesheet.

  • The Editorial Board has the right to accept, reject, or suggest modifications to the articles submitted for publication, and to make suitable stylistic adjustments. High quality, academic integrity, ethics and morals are expected from the authors and discussants.

Copyright © 2025
M. S. Thirumalai

Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
11249 Oregon Circle
Bloomington, MN 55438
USA
Custom Search

Variation in Person, Number & Gender (PNG) Agreement in Azamgarhi and Ballia Dialects of Bhojpuri

Siddhant Kumar
Dr. Bablu Ray
Dr. Arvind Kr. Gautam

Abstract

This paper discusses Person, Number, and Gender (PNG) agreement in the dialects of Azamgarhi and Ballia Bhojpuri. Two distinct Bhojpuri dialects belong to Eastern UP. Bhojpuri language is the living language in Uttar Pradesh, West Bihar, Northern Chhattisgarh, and in the lower belt of south Nepal. The language is genetically related to an Indo- Aryan language family. The dialectal variants of Bhojpuri language spoken in these areas can be easily found. The variations in different dialects can be identified at phonological, morphological, lexical, and syntactic levels. The intra-district variation is the testimony to the fact that Bhojpuri is not homogeneous even in a single district (Dubey, 1996). The objective of the present study is to explore the variations in agreement (particularly related to Person, Number, and Gender as seen) in Bhojpuri dialects of Azamgarhi and Ballia Bhojpuri. The qualitative and descriptive research methodologies have been used for the present study. Data have been collected from its native speakers. The findings of the research reveal that there are two distinct varieties of the Bhojpuri dialect that differ from each other in terms of agreement patterns, particularly person, number, and gender agreement. The limitation of the study can be seen in terms of analyzing agreement of number, person, and gender only.

Keywords:Agreement, Syntactic Agreement, Bhojpuri Dialects, Indo Aryan Language.

Introduction

The Bhojpuri language is an Indo-Aryan language that is mostly spoken in Bihar, the eastern section of Uttar Pradesh, a portion of northern Chhattisgarh, and the lower belt of south Nepal. Bhojpuri is typically written in the devanagri script, which is also used for other Indian language like Hindi and Sanskrit. However, in some region, the Kaithi script was historically used for writing of Bhojpuri dialects.

This language is mostly spoken the western part of the Magadhan group of the IA language family of India (Tiwari,1960: xxi). Bhojpuri language has been also known as the Bihari language. Bihari implies a single language under which Magadhan, Maithli and Bhojpuri are kept as dialects (Grierson,1898. vol.V,pp.V). In British India, the Bhojpuri dialects were spoken in many cities or district including Champaran, Saran, Gazipur, Azamgarh, and Ballia (John Beames:1868, pp 483-508). Historically, Bhojpuri language has derived from the name “Bhojpur” which belongs to Shahabad district. This district is situated at few miles south of Ganga River and about 60 miles west of Patna district of Bihar. At present, this language is widely spoken as the speakers of this language have migrated to many states of India. While migrating, the mother tongue language is also carried by the migrant population. Thus, there are now many Bhojpuri speakers in the states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Delhi, Assam, West Bengal, and so forth. Bhojpuri language speakers are also found in a Jammu Kashmir of the North India where approximately 8,824 speakers are residing (census:2011). Bhojpuri speakers are also found in the southern Indian in state such as the Kerala. In Kerala, Bhojpuri language speakers are found approximately 1,688 (Census: 2011). In Western India's states and Eastern India's states such as Gujarat and Assam the Bhojpuri speakers are approximately 1,37,956 in Gujarat and 2,78,052 in Assam (Census: 2011). The Census data 2011 indicate that Bhojpuri has the second highest number of speakers in India. It ranks just below Hindi and its speakers’ strength is higher than any other languages such as Magahi, Chhattisgarhi and Rajasthani. Further, Bhojpuri speakers constitute the largest ethno-linguistic group in Mauritius. This language belongs to Eastern Indo-Aryan language group and speakers are approximately 5,05,79,447 (Census of India Report, 2011).

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Siddhant Kumar
Department of Linguistics
Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalay (A Central University)
Sagar, (M.P.), India
siddhantoliver@gmail.com

Dr. Bablu Ray
Department of Linguistics
Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalay (A Central University)
Sagar, (M.P.), India
babluray@gmail.com
&
Dr. Arvind Kr. Gautam
Department of Linguistics
Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalay (A Central University)
Sagar, (M.P.), India
akumar@dhsgsu.edu.in

Custom Search
  • Click Here to Go to Creative Writing Section

  • Send your articles
    as an attachment
    to your e-mail to
    languageinindiaUSA@gmail.com.
  • Please ensure that your name, academic degrees, institutional affiliation and institutional address, and your e-mail address are all given in the first page of your article. Also include a declaration that your article or work submitted for publication in LANGUAGE IN INDIA is an original work by you and that you have duly acknowledged the work or works of others you used in writing your articles, etc. Remember that by maintaining academic integrity we not only do the right thing but also help the growth, development and recognition of Indian/South Asian scholarship.