Keonthali (Takri:𑚊𑚮𑚣𑚝𑚥𑚦) is a dialect of Lower Mahasu Pahari belonging to the Western Pahari group of languages (as per Grierson). It is spoken in lower parts of Shimla district in the North Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.[1]
Extent
Keonthali dialect got its name from former princely Keonthal state, the dialect is spoken usually in the areas which were parts of the then Keonthal state. Today some of these areas include Shimla, capital of Himachal Pradesh, Junga (former capital of Keonthal), Kasumpati, Mashobra, Sunni, Kufri, Chail, Shoghi, Ghanahatti, Jubbarhatti, Dhami, Khatnol, etc.[2]
Script and specimen
Mahasu Pahari including Keonthali traditionally written in Takri, Pabuchi scripts.[3] There are also some records of Mahasui written in Nastaliq script. Nowadays Devanagari script is usually used to write Mahasu Pahari which includes all its dialects as Keonthali.[4]
Following is the specimen of Keonthali with its transliteration:
Phonology
Inventory of Phonemes:
There are 42 phonemes of which 37 are consonants and 5 are vowels.
Segmental Phonemes (Vowels)
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i iː | u uː | |
| Mid | e eː | o oː | |
| Open-Mid | |||
| Open | ɑ |
Super segmental Phonemes:
- Length is a phoneme.
- Nasalization is a phoneme.
Consonants:[6]
| Place/Manner | Bilabial | Labio-Dental | Dental | Alveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stops unaspirated | p, b | t, d | T, D | c, j | c, g | ||
| Stops aspirated | ph, bh | th, dh | Th, Dh | kh, gh | |||
| Affricates | ch, jh | ||||||
| Fricatives | f | s | Š | h | |||
| Nasals | M | n | N | M | |||
| Aspirated Nasals | mh | nh | |||||
| Laterals | l | L | |||||
| Aspirated Laterals | lh | ||||||
| Flaps/Trills | r | R | |||||
| Semi-Vowel | w | y |
Grammar
Pronouns
The pronouns of Keonthali for different persons and numbers are as follows:
| Person | Number | Keonthali | IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Singular | आऊँ/मा | /aː.ũː/ /maː/ /aː.ɦaː/ | I am/Me/I |
| Plural | हामे | /ɦaː.meː/ | We | |
| 2nd | Singular | तू | /t̪u/ | You |
| Plural | तुस्से | /tʊs.seː/ | You | |
| 3rd | Singular & Plural | से | /seː/ | He/She/They |
Adverbial Pronouns
| Intorregative | Relative | Distal | Proximate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Keonthali | कदी | जदी | तेबे | ऐबु/ऐबे |
| Hindi | कब | जब | तब | अब | |
| English | When? | When | Then | Now | |
| Place | Keonthali | केथी/केई | जेथी | तेथी | ऐथी |
| Hindi | कहाँ | जहाँ | वहाँ | यहाँ | |
| English | Where? | Where | There | Here | |
| Manner | Keonthali | किशे/कियें | जिशे | तिशे | इशे |
| Hindi | कैसे | जैसे | वैसे | ऐसे | |
| English | How | like/as/ | like that/in that way | like this | |
| Quantity | Keonthali | किशरा | जिशरा | तिशरा | इशरा |
| Hindi | कितना | जितना | उतना | इतना | |
| English | How much/many | as much as/as many as | that much/that many | this much/this many |
Verb conjugation
Conjugation of the verb Lekh (लेख) to write, in all three tenses in Keonthali.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Keonthali | आऊं लिखूँ | हामे लिखूँ |
| IPA | /aːũː lɪkʰũː/ | /haːmeː lɪkʰũː/ |
| Hindi | मैं लिखता हूँ | हम लिखते हैं |
| English | I write | We write |
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Keonthali | मा लिखा | हामे लिखा |
| IPA | /maː lɪkʰaː/ | /haːmeː lɪkʰaː/ |
| Hindi | मैंने लिखा | हमने लिखा |
| English | I wrote | We wrote |
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Keonthali | आऊं लिखमा | हामे लिखमे |
| IPA | /aːũː lɪkʰmaː/ | /haːmeː lɪkʰmeː/ |
| Hindi | मैं लिखूँगा | हम लिखेंगे |
| English | I will write | We will write |
Further reading
- Thomas Grahame Bailey’s : Languages of the Northern Himalayas (Sketch of the Keonthali).
- Colonel Sir Richard Temple : He has given several excellent examples of Keonthali poetry on pp. 367 ff. of Vol. I. of his Legends of the Punjab, to which he has prefixed a very useful vocabulary.
- Mr. H. A. Rose : He has published two Keonthali ballads (both Text and Translation), entitled, respectively, Subdi ki Nati, o Pahéri Love Song from Keonthal [Indian Antiquary, Vol. xxxviii (1909), p: 328], and Mohiye ki Har, or Bar [ib. Vol. xxxvii (1908), pp. 299 ff, and Vol. xxxviii (1909), pp. 40 ff., 69 ff.][7]
See also
References
- ^ Linguistic Survey of India – Himachal Pradesh. 13 July 2023.
- ^ https://www.ekbharat.gov.in/images/InstituteActivities/Documents/855820220224114943/Language%20of%20HP.pdf
- ^ “With scripts on brink of extinction, HP history buffs look to restore vanishing culture”. Hindustan Times. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- ^ “Entries | Mahasuvi Living Dictionary”. Living Dictionaries. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- ^ Grierson S (1916). Linguistic Survey Of India Vol 9 Part 4 Pahari Languages.
- ^ https://language.census.gov.in/eLanguageDivision_VirtualPath/LSI_Reports/pdf/9.pdf
- ^ Grierson S (1916). Linguistic Survey Of India Vol 9 Part 4 Pahari Languages.