Maithili is a way to talk.
Many people speak it in India and Nepal. It has many songs. People love to sing them. It is a special way to share stories. Do you know many ways to talk?
Maithili is a way to talk.
Many people speak it in India and Nepal.
It has a very long history. People have used it for many years. It has many beautiful songs.
Some people write it with old signs. Most people use a new way to write.
Famous poets wrote songs in this way. These songs are about love. They are very special to people.
It is a proud way to share stories. It brings people together.
Maithili is a special way to speak and write. About 17 million people use it. They live in parts of India and Nepal. This language comes from a place called Mithila. It is an old and proud language.
Maithili has a very long history. Long ago, people wrote mystical verses called Charyapadas. In the 1300s, a man named Jyotirishwar Thakur wrote prose. Prose is writing that is like normal speech. He used a script called Mithilakshar. Today, most people use the Devanagari script to write.
Many famous poets made the language well known. A poet named Vidyapati wrote over 1,000 songs. His songs were about love and daily life. These songs were so good that they spread far away. Even the famous writer Rabindranath Tagore used them for inspiration.
Maithili is also used in schools and government. It is an official language in parts of India and Nepal. It brings people together through art and song.
Maithili is a beautiful way of speaking and writing. It is spoken by about 17 million people. These people live in the Mithila region. This region includes parts of India and Nepal. In India, it is spoken in states like Bihar and Jharkhand. In Nepal, it is used in Koshi and Madhesh provinces. Maithili is a very important language for these communities. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India. It is also an official language in parts of Nepal.
People use different ways to write Maithili. Most people today use the Devanagari script. This is a common way to write many Indian languages. However, some people still use older scripts. One is called Tirhuta, which is also known as Mithilakshar. Another historical script is called Kaithi. These older scripts help keep the history of the language alive. Writing is a way to pass stories down through time.
Maithili has a very deep and ancient history. The name comes from the kingdom of Mithila. This kingdom was ruled by King Janaka long ago. Some of the oldest writing in this language are called Charyapadas. These are mystical verses from the years 700 to 1300 AD. They were written by people called Siddhas. In the 1300s, Jyotirishwar Thakur wrote a book called Varna Ratnakara. This was the first prose work in a modern Indian language. He wrote it using the Mithilakshar script.
Many famous poets and kings helped the language grow. A great poet named Vidyapati lived from 1360 to 1450. He wrote over 1,000 songs about love and daily life. His songs were so famous they spread to many other places. Even the writer Rabindranath Tagore was inspired by these songs. In Nepal, King Bhupatindra Malla also loved the language. He wrote 26 plays in Maithili during his life. These stories and songs are a huge part of the culture.
Today, Maithili is still a very active language. It is used in schools and by the government. In 2003, it became a recognized language in India. In 2018, it became an official language in Jharkhand. There are also many different dialects or ways of speaking. Some are called Bajjika or Angika. Even though they sound different, speakers can still understand each other. This helps keep the many people of Mithila connected.
{
"text": "Maithili is a vibrant Indo-Aryan language. It belongs to the Mithila region. This area covers parts of India and Nepal. In India, it is spoken in Bihar and Jharkhand. In Nepal, it is spoken in Koshi and Madhesh Provinces. About 17 million people speak Maithili. Of these, 3.2 million are in Nepal. Maithili is a vital part of cultural identity. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India. It also serves as an official language in several Nepalese provinces.
\n\nMost people write Maithili using the Devanagari script. This is a common script for many Indian languages. However, historical scripts still hold great value. The Tirhuta script is also known as Mithilakshar. Another historical script is the Kaithi script. These scripts connect modern speakers to their ancestors. Writing in these styles preserves the visual history of the Mithila region.
\n\nMaithili has many distinct dialects. These are different ways of speaking the same language. The standard form is called Sotipura. This is also known as Central Maithili. It is spoken in many districts of India and Nepal. The Bajjika dialect is often called Western Maithili. It is spoken in parts of Bihar and Nepal. The Thēthi dialect is found in the Kosi and Purnia divisions. Another dialect is Angika, spoken around Bhagalpur and Banka. Some linguists also view Kochila Tharu as a variety of Maithili. All these dialects are intelligible to native speakers. This means they can understand each other despite the differences.\n\nThe name Maithili comes from the ancient kingdom of Mithila. This kingdom was ruled by King Janaka. The language is also linked to Sita, the daughter of King Janaka. The earliest traces of the language appear in the Charyapadas. These are Buddhist mystical verses from 700 to 1300 AD. They were written in a style called Sandhya bhasa. Many Siddhas from the Mithila region wrote these verses. Scholars believe these texts show signs of ancient or proto-Maithili.
\n\nMaithili literature saw great growth in the 14th century. During this time, the Karnat dynasty provided patronage. Jyotirishwar Thakur wrote a famous work called Varna Ratnakara. This is the earliest known prose text in a modern Indian language. He wrote it using the Mithilakshar script. Later, the poet Vidyapati Thakur became very famous. He lived from 1360 to 1450. He wrote over 1,000 songs about love and daily life. His songs influenced religious literature in Assam and Bengal. Even the poet Rabindranath Tagore was inspired by his work.
\n\nModern history has seen many efforts to protect Maithili. In 1910, the Maithil Mahasabha was established. This organization worked for the development of Mithila. It campaigned for the official recognition of the language. In 2003, Maithili was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. This allowed its use in government and education. In 2018, Jharkhand recognized it as a second official language. On November 26, 2024, the President of India launched a Maithili version of the Indian constitution.
\n\nThe sounds of Maithili are quite unique. It uses various vowels and consonants. All vowels have nasal counterparts. This is shown with a mark called a chandrabindu. There are also specific diphthongs, which are two vowel sounds joined together. For example, the sounds for \"like this\" or \"come please\" are distinct. Recently, a phonetic change called epenthesis has been noticed. This involves moving the sounds of \"i\" and \"u\" in certain words. This shows that Maithili is a living, changing language. It continues to evolve with its speakers every day.",
"media": [
"File:The consonants of the Mithilakshar script and the corresponding Devnagari.jpg",
"File:Devanagari extended AY.jpg",
"File:Тірхутська буква GА. Tirhuta letter GA.png",
"File:Тірхутська буква CA. png",
"File:Тірхутська буква NYA.png",
"File:Тірхутська буква RA. png"
]
}
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