# Marwari language

Marwari (मारवाड़ी, ماروارؕی, Mārwāṛī) is a Western Indo-Aryan language within the group of Rajasthani languages. Marwari and its closely related varieties like Dhundhari, Shekhawati and Mewari form a part of the broader Rajasthani language family. It is spoken in the Indian state of Rajasthan, as well as the neighbouring states of Gujarat and Haryana, some adjacent areas in eastern parts of Pakistan, and some migrant communities in Nepal. There are two dozen varieties of Marwari.
Marwari is popularly written in Devanagari script, as are many languages of India and Nepal, including Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, and Sanskrit; although it was historically written in Mahajani, it is still written in the Perso-Arabic script by the Marwari minority in Eastern parts of Pakistan (the standard/western Naskh script variant is used in Sindh Province, and the eastern Nastalik variant is used in Punjab Province), where it has educational status but where it is rapidly shifting to Urdu.
Marwari has no official status in India and is not used as a language of education. Marwari is still spoken widely in Jodhpur, Pali, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Nagaur, Bikaner.

## History

It is believed that Marwari and Gujarati evolved from Old Western Rajasthani or Dingal. Formal grammar of Gurjar Apabhraṃśa was written by Jain monk and Gujarati scholar Hemachandra Suri.

## Geographical distribution

Marwari is primarily spoken in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Marwari speakers have dispersed widely throughout India and other countries but are found most notably in the neighbouring state of Gujarat and in Eastern Pakistan. Speakers are also found in Bhopal. With around 7.9 million speakers in India according to the 2001 census.
Some dialects of Marwari are:
Marwari dialects :
| Dialect | Spoken in |
| Thali/Bikaneri | Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Phalodi, Balotra districts |
| Godwari | Jalore, Sirohi, Sanchore, Pali districts |
| Dhatki | Eastern Sindh and Barmer |
| Shekhawati | Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Neem ka thana districts |
| Standard Marwari | Ajmer, Beawer, Jodhpur, Kekri, Nagore, Dudu districts |

## Lexis

Indian Marwari [rwr] in Rajasthan shares a 50%–65% lexical similarity with Hindi (this is based on a Swadesh 210 word list comparison). It has many cognate words with Hindi. Notable phonetic correspondences include /s/ in Hindi with /h/ in Marwari. For example, /sona/ 'gold' (Hindi) and /hono/ 'gold' (Marwari).
Pakistani Marwari [mve] shares 87% lexical similarity between its Southern subdialects in Sindh (Utradi, Jaxorati, and Larecha) and Northern subdialects in Punjab (Uganyo, Bhattipo, and Khadali), 79%–83% with Dhakti [mki], and 78% with Meghwar and Bhat Marwari dialects. Mutual intelligibility of Pakistani Marwari [mve] with Indian Marwari [rwr] is decreasing due to the rapid shift of active speakers in Pakistan to Urdu, their use of the Arabic script and different sources of support medias, and their separation from Indian Marwaris, even if there are some educational efforts to keep it active (but absence of official recognition by Pakistani or provincial government level). Many words have been borrowed from other Pakistani languages.
Merwari [wry] shares 82%–97% intelligibility of Pakistani Marwari [mve], with 60%–73% lexical similarity between Merwari varieties in Ajmer and Nagaur districts, but only 58%–80% with Shekhawati [swv], 49%–74% with Indian Marwari [rwr], 44%–70% with Godwari [gdx], 54%–72% with Mewari [mtr], 62%–70% with Dhundari [dhd], 57%–67% with Haroti [hoj]. Unlike Pakistani Marwari [mve], the use of Merwari remains vigorous, even if its most educated speakers also proficiently speak Hindi [hin].
Marwari Dialects Comparison :
| Dialect | Lexical Similarity with Hindi | Phonetic Correspondences |
| Indian Marwari [rwr] | 50%–65% | Notable: /s/ in Hindi → /h/ in Marwari (e.g., /sona/ 'gold' → /hono/ 'gold') |
| Pakistani Marwari [mve] | 87% (Southern Sindh) / 79%–83% (Dhakti [mki]) / 78% (Meghwar, Bhat Marwari) | Mutual intelligibility decreasing due to shifts in Pakistan |
| Merwari [wry] | 82%–97% (with Pakistani Marwari [mve]) / 60%–73% (Ajmer, Nagaur) | 58%–80% (Shekhawati [swv]) / 49%–74% (Indian Marwari [rwr]) / 44%–70% (Godwari [gdx]) / 54%–72% (Mewari [mtr]) / 62%–70% (Dhundari [dhd]) / 57%–67% (Haroti [hoj]) |
| Merwari [wry] vs. Pakistani Marwari [mve] | Intelligibility: 82%–97% | |
| Merwari [wry] vs. Indian Marwari [rwr] | Intelligibility: 49%–74% | |
| Merwari [wry] vs. Shekhawati [swv] | Intelligibility: 58%–80% | |
| Merwari [wry] vs. Godwari [gdx] | Intelligibility: 44%–70% | |
| Merwari [wry] vs. Mewari [mtr] | Intelligibility: 54%–72% | |
| Merwari [wry] vs. Dhundari [dhd] | Intelligibility: 62%–70% | |
| Merwari [wry] vs. Haroti [hoj] | Intelligibility: 57%–67% | |

## Phonology

Vowels :
| | Front | Central | Back |
| Close | i | | u |
| Close | ɪ | | ʊ | ʊ |
| Mid | e | ə | o |
| Mid | ɛ | ə | ɔ |
| Open | | ä | |
* Nasalization of vowels is phonemic, all of the vowels can be nasalized.
* Diphthongs are /ai, ia, ae, əi, ei, oi, ui, ua, uo/
Consonants :
| | | Labial | Dental/ Alveolar | Retroflex | Post-alv/ Palatal | Velar | Glottal |
| Nasal | Nasal | m | n | ɳ | | ŋ | |
| Plosive/ Affricate | voiceless | p | t | ʈ | t͡ɕ | k | |
| Plosive/ Affricate | aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | ʈʰ | t͡ɕʰ | kʰ | |
| Plosive/ Affricate | voiced | b | d | ɖ | d͡ʑ | ɡ | |
| Plosive/ Affricate | breathy | bʱ | dʱ | ɖʱ | d͡ʑʱ | ɡʱ | |
| Plosive/ Affricate | implosive | ɓ | ɗ | | | | |
| Fricative | Fricative | | s | | | | h |
| Sonorant | rhotic | | r | ɽ | | | |
| Sonorant | lateral | w | l | ɭ | j | | |
* Implosives are mostly only found word initially and it formed due to the influence of neighbouring languages.
* /w/ is [ʋ] before front vowels and [w] elsewhere e.g. [ʋɪwwa] 'marriage'.

## Morphology

Marwari languages have a structure that is quite similar to Hindustani (Hindi or Urdu). Their primary word order is subject–object–verb Most of the pronouns and interrogatives used in Marwari are distinct from those used in Hindi; at least Marwari proper and Harauti have a clusivity distinction in their plural pronouns.

## Vocabulary

Marwari vocabulary is somewhat similar to other Western Indo-Aryan languages, especially Rajasthani and Gujarati, however, elements of grammar and basic terminology differ enough to significantly impede mutual intelligibility.

## Writing system

Marwari is generally written in the Devanagari script, although the Mahajani script is traditionally associated with the language. In Pakistan it is written in the Perso-Arabic script with modifications. Historical Marwari orthography for Devanagari uses other characters in place of standard Devanagari letters.

### Perso-Arabic Script

Marwari Perso-Arabic alphabet :
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | ا‎ ‌(आ, ा) (ā) [∅]/[ʔ]/[aː] | ب‎ ‌(ब) (b) [b] | بھ‎‎ ‌(भ) (bh) [bʱ] | ٻ‎ ‌(ॿ) (b̤) [ɓ] | ٻھ‎ ‌(ॿ़) (b̤h) [ɓʱ] | پ‎ ‌(प) (p) [p] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | پھ‎ ‌(फ) (ph) [pʰ] | ت‎ ‌(त) (t) [t̪] | تھ‎ ‌(थ) (th) [t̪ʰ] | ٹ‎ ‌(ट) (ṭ) [ʈ] | ٹھ‎ ‌(ठ) (ṭh) [ʈʰ] | ث‎ ‌(स) (s) [s] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | ج‎ ‌(ज) (j) [d͡ʒ] | جھ‎ ‌(झ) (jh) [d͡ʒʱ] | چ‎ ‌(च) (c) [t͡ʃ] | چھ‎ ‌(छ) (ch) [t͡ʃʰ] | ح‎ ‌(ह) (h) [h] | خ‎ ‌(ख) (kh) [kʰ] ([x]) |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | د‎ ‌(द) (d) [d̪] | دھ‎ ‌(ध) (dh) [d̪ʱ] | ڈ‎ ‌(ड) (ḍ) [ɖ] | ڈھ‎ ‌(ढ) (ḍh) [ɖʱ] | ذ‎ ‌(ज़) (z) [z] | ڏ‎ ‌(ॾ) (d̤) [ᶑ] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | ڏھ‎ ‌(ॾ़) (d̤h) [ᶑʱ] | ر‎ ‌(र) (r) [r] | رؕ‎ ‌(ड़) (ṛ) [ɽ] | رؕھ‎ ‌(ढ़) (ṛh) [ɽʱ] | ز‎ ‌(ज़) (z) [z] | زھ‎ ‌(ॼ़) (zh) [zʱ] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | ژ‎ ‌(झ़) (zh) [ʒ] | س‎ ‌(स) (s) [s] | سھ‎ ‌(स्ह) (sh) [sʰ] | ش‎ ‌(श) (ś) [ʃ] | شھ‎ ‌(श्ह) (śh) [ʃʰ] | ݾ‎ ‌(ष) (x) [χ] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | ݾھ‎ ‌(ष्ह) (xh) [χʰ] | ص‎ ‌(स) (s) [s] | ض‎ ‌(ज़) (z) [z] | ط‎ ‌(त) (t) [t̪] | ظ‎ ‌(ज़) (z) [z] | ع‎ ‌(ॽ) ( ’ ) [ʔ] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | غ‎ ‌(ग़) (ġ) [ɣ] ([gʱ]) | ف‎ ‌(फ़) (f) [f] ([pʰ]) | ق‎ ‌(क़) (q) [q] ([k]) | ک‎ ‌(क) (k) [k] | کھ‎ ‌(ख) (kh) [kʰ] | گ‎ ‌(ग) (g) [k] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | گھ‎ ‌(घ) (gh) [gʱ] | ل‎ ‌(ल) (l) [l] | لھ‎ ‌(ल़ / ल्ह) (lh) [lʰ] | ݪ‎ ‌(ळ) (ḷ) [l] | ݪھ‎ ‌(ऴ / ळ्ह) (ḷh) [ɭʰ] | م‎ ‌(म) (m) [m] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | مھ‎ ‌(म़ / म्ह) (mh) [mʰ] | ن‎ ‌(न, ङ) (n, ṅ) [n]/[ŋ] | نھ‎ ‌(ऩ / न्ह) (nh) [nʰ] | ن٘ـ ں‎ ‌(ं) (◌̃) [◌̃] | ݨ‎ ‌(ण) (ṇ) [ɳ] | ݨھ‎ ‌(ण़ / ण्ह) (ṇh) [ɳʰ] |
| Perso-Arabic (Devanagari) (Latin) [IPA] | و‎ ‌(व) (w) [ʋ] | ہ‎ ‌(ह) (h) [h] | ی‎ ‌(ए, ई, े, ी) (e, ī) [j]/[e]/[iː] | ے‎ ‌(ए, े) (e) [e] |
Marwari Perso-Arabic vowels :
| Final | Final | Middle | Initial | Devanagari Initial | Devanagari Diacritic | Latin | IPA |
| ـہ | ـہ | ـَ‎ | اَ‎ | अ | - | a | [ə] |
| ـَا / یٰ‎ | ـَا‎ | ـَا‎ | آ‎ | आ | ा | ā | [aː] |
| N/A | N/A | ـِ‎ | اِ‎ | इ | ि | i | [ɪ] |
| ـِى‎ | ـِى‎ | ـِيـ‎ | اِی‎ | ई | ी | ī | [iː] |
| ـے‬‎ | ـے‬‎ | ـيـ‎ | اے‎ | ए, ऎ | ॆ, े | e | [eː] |
| ـَے‬‎ | ـَے‬‎ | ـَيـ‎ | اَے‎ | ऐ | ै | ai | [ɛː] |
| N/A | N/A | ـُ‎ | اُ‎ | उ | ु | u | [ʊ] |
| ـُو‎ | ـُو‎ | ـُو‎ | اُو‎ | ऊ | ू | ū | [uː] |
| ـو‎ | ـو‎ | ـو‎ | او‎ | ओ | ो | ō | [oː] |
| ـَو‎ | ـَو‎ | ـَو‎ | اَو‎ | औ | ौ | au | [ɔː] |

## Sample Texts

Below is a sample text in Marwari, in standard Devanagari Script, and transliterated into Latin as per ISO 15919.
| Perso-Arabic Script | Devanagari Script | ISO 15919 Latin | English |
| سگݪا مݨکھ نے گورو ان ادھکاروں رے راسے مای جݪم سوں سوتنترا انے سمانتا پراپت چھے. وݨی رے گوڑے بدّھی ان انتراتما ری پراپتی چھے ان وݨی نے بھیئیپاݪا بھاونا سو ایکبیجے رے سارو ورتن کرݨو جوییجے چھے ‎ | सगळा मिणख नै गौरव अन अधिकारों रे रासे मांय जळम सूं स्वतंत्रता अने समानता प्राप्त छे। वणी रे गोड़े बुध्दि अन अंतरआत्मा री प्राप्ती छे अन वणी ने भैईपाळा भावना सू एकबीजे रे सारू वर्तन करणो जोयीजै छे। | Sagḷā miṇakh nai gaurav an adhikārõ re rāse māy jaḷam sū̃ svatantrā ane samāntā prāpt che. Vaṇī re goṛe buddhi an antarātmā rī prāptī che an vaṇī ne bhaiīpāḷā bhāvnā sū ekbīje re sārū vartan karṇo joyījai che. | All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. |