Bishnupuriya

A language of India

ISO 639: bpy
Alternate Names: Bishnupria Manipuri, Bishnupriya, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Bisna Puriya
Population: 79,600 in India (2011 census). Total users in all countries: 119,600.
Location:: Assam state: Cachar, Hailakandi, and Karimganj districts; north Tripura state.
Language Status: 4 (Educational).
Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Outer Languages, Eastern, Bengali-Assamese
Dialects: Madai Gang (Leimanai), Rajar Gang (Ningthaunai). Though once regarded as a Bengali-Meitei creole, it retains pre-Bengali features (Masica 1991). Lexical similarity: 81%–85% between dialects in Bangladesh, 41%–45% with Bengali [ben].
Typology: SOV; postpositions, articles before noun heads, question word before the verb, affixes indicate case of noun phrase; CV, CVC, CVV, CCV, VC, VCV; nontonal.
Language Use: Also use Bengali [ben]. Also use English [eng].
Language Development: Literacy rate in L2: 80%. Taught in primary schools, in Tripura. Literature. Radio. Videos. Grammar. Bible portions: 1995–2011. Agency: Bishnupuriya Language and Development Organisation.
Language Resources: OLAC resources in and about Bishnupuriya
Writing: Bengali (Bangla) script [Beng].
Other Comments: Reported to also live in three villages in Myanmar but these villages cannot be identified. Hindu.

Bangladesh

Location: Sylhet division: south Habiganj district, Sylhet city, 1 village; Moulvibazar district; Sunamganj district, 2 villages.
Dialects: Rajar Gang, Madai Gang.
Language Status: 6a (Vigorous)
Other Comments: Dialects are not attached to localities but exist side by side: Madai Gang (of the village of the queen) and Rajar Gang (of the village of the king). Intelligibility between the 2 caste dialects sufficient to understand complex and abstract discourse. Hindu.

Location: Assam state: Cachar, Hailakandi, and Karimganj districts; north Tripura state.