Khasi

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A language of India

ISO 639-3
kha
Alternate Names
Kahasi, Kassi, Khasa, Khashi, Khasiyas, Khuchia
Population

843,000 in India (2001 census).

Location

Meghalaya, East and West Khasi Hills, and Jaintia Hills districts; Assam, Cachar, Nagaon, North Cachar Hills, Lakhimpur, and Kamrup districts; Manipur; West Bengal; Tripura. Also in Bangladesh.

Language Maps
Language Status

2 (Provincial). Statutory provincial language in Meghalaya State (1950, Constitution, Articles 345–347 inclusive), unscheduled language.

Classification
Austro-Asiatic, Mon-Khmer, Northern Mon-Khmer, Khasian
Dialects

Bhoi-Khasi, Khasi (Cherrapunji, Sohra), Khynrium, War. Bhoi Khasi in East Khasi Hills, Nongpoh block, and Nonglung in East Khasi Hills, Umksning block are very different from standard Khasi, with different word order. Many varieties have only partial mutual inherent intelligibility. War dialect is separate from War-Jaintia [aml]. Cherrapunji (Sohra) is the standard. Lexical similarity: 75% between War dialect and standard Khasi.

Typology

SVO

Language Use

Government, courts, mass media in Meghalaya.

Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: 63% in Meghalaya (2001 census). Taught in primary schools. Radio programs. TV. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1891.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Khasi
Writing
Bengali script, no longer in use. Latin script, used since about 1842.
Other Comments

A Scheduled Tribe. Christian, Hindu, Muslim.

Also spoken in:

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