Garo

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A language of India

ISO 639-3
grt
Alternate Names
Garrow, Mande, Mandi
Population

889,000 in India (2001 census). Population total all countries: 1,009,000.

Location

Meghalaya, Garo Hills district; West Assam, Goalpara, Kamrup, and Karbi Anglong districts; Nagaland, Kohima district; Tripura, South Tripura district, Udaipur subdivision; North Tripura district, Kamalpur, Kailasahar subdivisions; West Tripura district, Sadar subdivision; West Bengal, Jalpaiguri and Koch Bihar districts. Also in Bangladesh.

Language Maps
Language Status

2 (Provincial). Statutory provincial language in Meghalaya State (1950, Constitution, Articles 347), unscheduled language.

Classification
Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Sal, Bodo-Garo-Northern Naga, Bodo-Koch, Bodo-Garo, Garo
Dialects

A’beng (A’bengya, Am’beng), A’chick (A’chik, A’we, Chisak, Dual, Matchi), Dacca, Ganching, Kamrup. A’chick is the standardized dialect in India. A’beng dialect used in Bangladesh, but is not mutually intelligible. Most similar to Koch [kdq].

Language Use

Awe dialect, spoken in Assam, has few remaining speakers. Most use standard Garo.

Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: 55% for Meghalaya (2001 census). General level of education is low compared to Khasi [kha]. Taught in primary schools. Radio programs. Films. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1924–1994.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Garo
Writing
Bengali script. Braille script, used since 1998. Latin script.
Other Comments

A Scheduled Tribe. Christian.

Also spoken in:

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