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Ethnologue: Languages of the World
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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > India > Gujarati

Gujarati

A language of India

ISO 639-3: guj

Population  45,500,000 in India (1997). Population total all countries: 46,493,990.
Region  Gujarat; Maharashtra; Rajasthan; Karnataka; Madhya Pradesh. Also in Bangladesh, Botswana, Canada, Fiji, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Pakistan, Réunion, Singapore, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Alternate names   Gujerathi, Gujerati, Gujrathi
Dialects  Standard Gujarati (Saurashtra Standard, Nagari, Bombay Gujarati, Patnuli), Gamadia (Gramya, Surati, Anawla, Brathela, Eastern Broach Gujarati, Charotari, Patidari, Vadodari, Ahmedabad Gamadia, Patani), Parsi, Kathiyawadi (Jhalawadi, Sorathi, Holadi, Gohilwadi, Bhawnagari), Kharwa, Kakari, Tarimuki (Ghisadi). Some Pakistani dialects are more similar to standard Gujarati than others. Pakistani Gujarati is probably a subdialect of Patani [ptn] (Voegelin and Voegelin 1977). Memoni ethnic group in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, and other parts of Pakistan reportedly speak a variety more similar to Gujarati. In India reportedly speak a Kachchi [kfr] variety.
Classification  Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Central zone, Gujarati
Language use  Official language.
Language development  Literacy rate in L1: 70% for Gujarat state. Fully developed. Bible: 1823–2005.
Writing system  Gujarati script.
Comments  State language of Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu. Hindu, Muslim (Sunni).

Also spoken in:

Kenya

Language name   Gujarati
Population  50,000 in Kenya (1995 SIL).
Region  Nairobi mostly.
Language use  GIDS 5.
Comments  Most have lived in Kenya for several generations. Hindu, Jain, Muslim.
 

Pakistan

Language name   Gujarati
Region  Lower Punjab, Sindh.
Language use  Used by all Parsi (5,000), many Ismaili Muslims, and many Hindu sweepers (10,000 to 100,000). Many Parsi and Ismaili Muslims are literate. Seemingly a shift to Urdu [urd] among many Gujarati-speaking sweepers.
 

Singapore

Language name   Gujarati
Population  800 in Singapore (1985). Ethnic population: 1,619 (1985).
Alternate names  Gujerathi, Gujerati
Comments  Hindu.
 

Tanzania

Language name   Gujarati
Population  250,000 in Tanzania (Johnstone 1993).
Region  Small communities.
Language use  Vigorous.
Comments  They have their own religious institutions and evening schools.
 

Uganda

Language name   Gujarati
Population  147,000 in Uganda (1986).
Comments  Migrated to Uganda during the early part of the 20th century. Hindu.
 

Zambia

Language name   Gujarati
Population  12,000 in Zambia (1985 IEM).
Comments  Hindu.
 

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

THOMSON, Gregory, author. 2000. Language and ethnicity among a group of pentalingual Albuquerqueans.  Available online