Bajjika
Bihari language of India and Nepal
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Territory and speakers
Bajjika is a dialect of the Maithili language spoken in the north-western part of Bihar, in a region popularly known as Tirhut. It is mainly spoken in the Sheohar, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Samastipur and Vaishali districts of Bihar. A 2013 estimate based on 2001 census data suggests that there were 20 million Bajjika speakers in Bihar.
Bajjika is also spoken by a major population in Nepal, where it has 1,133,764 speakers according to the country's 2021 census. It is the most spoken language in Rautahat, Sarlahi and Mahottari district of Madhesh Province.
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Academy
In a move aimed at protecting indigenous language and culture, the Bihar government has decided to set up two new academies to promote local dialects; Surjapuri and Bajjika, spoken in politically influential Seemanchal and Bajjikanchal regions of the state.
Swadesh list
The Swadesh list for Bajjika, an Eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken in Bihar, India, and parts of Nepal, is a standardized vocabulary set used for linguistic comparison. Bajjika, often considered a dialect of Maithili, lacks extensive public documentation, so its Swadesh list is typically constructed by approximation, drawing from related languages like Maithili and Hindi, with adjustments for Bajjika's unique phonological and lexical features.
Films in Bajjika
Lakshmi Elthin Hammar Angna (2009) was the first formal feature film in Bajjika. Sajan Aiha Doli le ke subsequently followed.