Balbodh
Balabodh(Marathi:बाळबोध,bāḷabōdha,Marathi pronunciation:[baːɭboːd̪ʱ],translation: understood by children[1]) is a slightly modified style of theDevanagari scriptused to write the Marathi language[2][3][4]and theKorku language.[5]What sets balabodha apart from the Devanagari script used for other languages is the more frequent and regular use of both ळ /ɭ/ (retroflex lateral approximant) and र् (called the eyelash reph / raphar).[6]Additionally, Balbodh style has ऍ/ॲ and ऑ as adaptations to pronounce [æ] and [ɒ] in English-based words. Another distinctive feature is the use of Anusvara over trailing अ, denoting lengthening of the trailing vowel.
Etymology
[edit]The word balabodha is a combination of the words ‘बाळ’ /baːɭ/ and ‘बोध’ /boːd̪ʱ/. ‘बाळ’ is a neuter noun derived from theSanskritwordbāla"child".[7]‘बोध’ is a male noun and atatsamameaning "perception".[7]
As far as the Marathi literature is concerned, Bāḷabōdha can be assumed to be composed of "bāḷa" meaning primary and "bōdha" meaning knowledge. So Marathi bāḷabōdha may be understood as the primary knowledge of Marathi language. In primary knowledge, Muḷākshare (Basic Letters), consisting of 12 vowels अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ए ऐ ओ औ अं अः (like A, E, I, O, and U in English) and 36 consonants in five groups (क वर्ग, च वर्ग, ट वर्ग, त वर्ग and प वर्ग) and 11 individual consonants, are taught to children and illiterate persons through recitation and writing on slates.
Features
[edit]Retroflex lateral approximant
[edit]Indo-Aryan languages
[edit]Historically, the retroflex lateral approximant (ळ /ɭ/ ) existed inVedic Sanskritand was lost inClassical Sanskrit.Today the Indo-Aryan languages in which it exists areMarathiandKonkani(ळ),Oriya(ଳ),Gujarati(ળ), most varieties ofRajasthani,Bhili,some dialects ofPunjabi language(ਲ਼), most dialects ofWestern Pahari,Kumaoni,Haryanavi,and theSaharanpur dialect of Northwestern Kauravi.Of these, Konkani, Rajasthani, Bhili, and Kumaoni, Haryanavi, and the Saharanpur dialect use the Devanagari script. The retroflex lateral approximant does not exist in most other Indo-Aryan Indian languages.[6]
South Indian languages
[edit]Theretroflex lateral approximant(ळ /ɭ/ ) exists in many Dravidian languages such asTelugu(ళ),Malayalam(ള),Kannada(ಳ), andTamil(ள). It was once present inSinhala(as ළ).[6]It is present in many Indian languages includingVedic Sanskrit.[8]
Eyelash reph / raphar
[edit]The eyelash reph / raphar (रेफ/ रफार) (र्) exists in Marathi as well as Nepali. The eyelash reph / raphar (र्) is produced in Unicode by the sequence[raर]+[virāma ्] +[ZWJ]and[rraऱ]+[virāma ्] +[ZWJ].[9]In Marathi, when ‘र’ is the first consonant of aconsonant clusterand occurs at the beginning of a syllable, it is written as an eyelash reph / raphar.[10]
| Examples |
|---|
| तर्हा |
| वाऱ्याचा |
| ऱ्हास |
| ऱ्हस्व |
| सुऱ्या |
| दोऱ्या |
Minimal pairs
[edit]| Using the (Simple) Reph / Raphar | Using the Eyelash Reph / Raphar |
|---|---|
| आचार्यास (to the teacher) | आचार्यास (to the cook) |
| दर्या (ocean) | दर्या (valleys) |
Printing
[edit]Before printing in Marathi was possible, theModi scriptwas used for writing prose, and balabodha was used for writing poetry. When printing in Marathi became possible, choosing between Modi and balabodha was a problem.William Careypublished the first book on Marathi grammar in 1805 using balabodha since printing in the Modi script was not available to him inSerampore,Bengal. At the time, Marathi books were generally written in balabodha. However, subsequent editions of William Carey's book on Marathi grammar, starting in 1810, did employ the Modi script.[12][13]
As primary style
[edit]On 25 July 1917, theBombay Presidencydecided to replace the Modi script with balabodha as the primary script of administration, for convenience and uniformity with the other areas of the presidency. The Modi script continued to be taught in schools until several decades later and continued to be used as an alternate script to Balabodha. The script was still widely used, until the 1940s, by the people of older generations for personal and financial uses.
However, the use of Modi diminished since then and now Balabodha is the primary script used to write Marathi.[14][15]
Korku language
[edit]In addition to Marathi, balabodha is also used to write theKorku languageof theMunda subdivisionAustroasiatic language family,which is spoken by theKorku peoplewho live in parts ofMaharashtraandMadhya Pradesh.[5]
See also
[edit]- Modi script,the other Marathi script
References
[edit]- ^Campbell, George L.;King, Gareth (2013).Compendium of the World's Languages.Routledge. p. 1071.ISBN9781136258466.Archived fromthe originalon 7 December 2014.
- ^Bhimraoji, Rajendra (28 February 2014)."Reviving the Modi Script"(PDF).Typoday.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 7 December 2014.
- ^"Languages of India".RBC Radio.Marathi. Archived fromthe originalon 10 September 2013.
- ^Savargaonkar, Nilesh."Marathi Language".Marathi Script. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2014.
- ^abSebeok, Thomas Albert,ed. (1971).Current Trends in Linguistics.Walter de Gruyter.p. 425. Archived fromthe originalon 7 December 2014.
- ^abcMasica, Colin P.(1993).The Indo-Aryan Languages.Cambridge University Press. pp. 97 and 437.ISBN9780521299442.Archived fromthe originalon 7 December 2014.
- ^abMolesworth, James Thomas (1857).A Dictionary, Marathi and English.Bombay [sic]: Bombay Education Society's Press. p. 593.[permanent dead link]
- ^Southworth, Franklin C."Prehistoric Implications of the Dravidian element in the NIA lexicon, with special attention to Marathi"(PDF).University of Pennsylvania.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 28 June 2011.
- ^Indic Working Group (7 November 2004)."Devanagari Eyelash Ra".The Unicode Consortium.Archived fromthe originalon 27 May 2014.
- ^Kalyan, Kale; Soman, Anjali (1986).Learning Marathi.Pune: Shri Vishakha Prakashan. p. 26.
- ^Naik, B.S. (1971).Typography of Devanagari-1.Bombay: Directorate of Languages.
- ^Rao, Goparaju Sambasiva (1994).Language Change: Lexical Diffusion and Literacy.Academic Foundation. pp. 48 and 49.ISBN9788171880577.Archived fromthe originalon 7 December 2014.
- ^Carey, William(1805).A Grammar of the Marathi Language.Serampur [sic]: Serampore Mission Press.ISBN9781108056311.
- ^Chhatrapati, Shahu;Sangave, Vilas Adinath; Khane, B. D. (1997).Rajarshi Shahu Chhatrapati papers.Vol. 7. Shahu Research Institute. Archived fromthe originalon 7 December 2014.
- ^"History Of Modi Lipi".Modi Lipi.Archived fromthe originalon 25 October 2013.
