Sourashtra Language
The Sourashtra Community has its own language and script. The Sourastra script looks very much like Tamil script, although you can also find an infusion of Telegu and Devanagiri alphabets in it. It is closely related to the Gurato language also. This script began development towards the latter part of the 19th century.
Sourashtra Community members living in the Indian States of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (mainly in cities Madurai and Salem), speak this language and use its script. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan group of languages.
In Hindi ‘Sou’ means 100 and ‘Rashtra’ means region. Put together they mean a province of 100 regions. Linguists today have been able to trace the origins of the Sourashtra language to the language spoken by the people of Sourashtra, though the script that is spoken and written there today is mostly Gujarati, while the Sourashtra script is more of Marathi, Konkani, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. This difference is because both Gujarati and Sourashtra has a common parent language, but in course of time the Sourashtra language diversified and imbibed the elements that we see in it today. It is also felt that the vocabulary and grammar of this language is mainly from Sanskrit.
There are some very noted features of this script. First is the syllabic alphabet, which includes all consonants infused with a vowel. The vowel can be changed through the use of diacritics, place before, below or above the consonant. The second most noted characteristic is that vowel appearing in the beginning of a syllable are written out as independent letters.
As of today, this language is not taught in schools and is just spoken by members of the community. There are various dialects for this language each of which are used by Sourashtrians living in their respective areas. This lends an even more unique feature to this ancient language.
Comments (88)
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askitenko namaskaar,
amre bhaasho kOna ‘Tamil’ kin ‘English’ bhaashaam rhii kin (through English and Tamil) kalaLLunO menet,
tumi khaal Diiriyo volasthaanamuk jiikin siiluvaai,
1. http://www.palkar.org/dwnload/How_to_write_in_Sourashtra.pdf
Tamil vattaam rhiikin amre bhaasho sikkaTThak kOna menatte,
Srii. Thaada. Subramanian menariyo tenu likkiriyo ivarnu aski, khaal Diiriyo volasthaanamuk sEi,
2. http://www.palkar.org/dwnload/sou_padamala.pdf
aski elyo ivar aski khaLLi kin amre bhaasho sikkaTThak sommar avunO meni maguLLaresi,
askitenu avO, amre bhaaso vruDDi kerO !
Visvaaskan,
Suresh, amre bhaasho vatto kerariyo oNTe menik
The chart you are quoting the Sourashtra characters is not complete. Two more symbols are to be included.
n. r, m, and l also aspirated and written as
nha, rha, mha, and lha.
This is special feature in our language.
Sourashta Language is written as it is spoken and
it is pronounced as it is written.
This speciality is not available in English and Tamil.
In these languages, spelling will not tally with pronunciation.
For your Language and Literature inquiries
please send email to
subramanianhonula@in.com
UPAMANYU.
Hello! It is just by co-incidence that I landed up on this site. I am a Gujarati hailing originally from Saurashtra which is a peninsular part of Gujarat. I never knew that some of my forefathers migrated to South India and still exist as Sourashtra community! And I am impressed by the similarities of some of the characters of the Sourashtra Script to the Gujarati script. Especially notice the following :
ઇ(Short i) – ઈ (Long i) – ઉ (Short u) – ઊ(Long u) – ખ(kha) – ઘ(gha) – છ(cha)- જ (ja) – ઠ (Tha) – ત (ta) – થ (tha) – ધ(dha) – ન (na) – પ(pa) – બ(ba) – હ(ha). Similarities with Devnagari script include द(da) – ल (la) and the numerals. It is obviously a hybrid script that has maintained some features of the script of the land from where the users of the script have descnded and the script of the land adopted by them. Ineteresting! Very Ineteresting!
Hello! I am a Gujrati hailing from Saurashtra which is a peninsular part of the State of Gujarat. The Sau in Saurashtra has nothing to o with the Hindi word for Hundred. It means beautiful in Samskrit. I never knew that centuries ago, people from Saurashtra migrated to South India and have preserved the language of the then Saurashtra to this day. I saw the Saurashtra script and was surprised to read your statement //though the script that is spoken and written there today is mostly Gujarati, while the Sourashtra script is more of Marathi, Konkani, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.// I find striking similarities between The Gujarati & Sourashtra Scripts. The following letters are practically the same : ઇ(i) – ઈ(ii) – ઉ(u) – ઊ (uu) – ખ(kha) – ઘ(gha) – છ(cha) – ઠ(Tha) – ઢ(Dha) – ત(ta) – થ(tha) – ધ(dha) – ન(na). Besides, જ(ja) – બ(ba) – વ(va) are also similar to a great extent. Only 3 Devanagari letters are similar to their counterparts in the Sourashtra Script and that to with the Gujarati feature of omition of the head-bar : द(da) – ल(la) & to some extent ह(ha). Apart from (pa) & the vowel signs of i & ii I find no silmilarity with the Tamil Script.
ambre websiteku anguu chokat keruvaai.
Most our young people does not know about Our Language History and even Old people also know a little bit only.I request you to make awareness through this web . President , Members of central sourashtra Sangham have to dedicate more for this. Central sangham should link all regional sangham like Coimbatore , Tirupur, Tiruchy, Kumbakonam , Chennai , to develop our language .
Namaskar.
Mee nanna billo kon rateyvel, MAHAL poltamum Avray Eluthu likkatho sikkaditheyas,theyvelo mee nithey solobar 6.30 kendak jii sikkeyo, oyathi attho moko
avdanjaadiyo.
Theykohal mee aski thenkojol mellario kayo menathey
AMI ASKI THENU CERY ONTAY POLTAM THOVI, THEYMAM AVREY ELUTHU SOWTHATTHO, LIKKATHO
CHIKADITHENO meny mee mellerasi.
Namaskor.
need full details of our launguage
Any E-Book to learn speaking in Sourastra language??
Hi
I am Ravishankar from Mumbai. I find that our sou. language resembles Marathi to some extend. Just like marathi, why not we use HINDI letters instead of inventing new scripts? I don’t see any problem in adopting it.
This will impart more versatality and ease the usage.
The script shown in the picture, is not a traditional sourashtra language script. It is the script developed by Ramarai, for time being usage. Though IN palayankottai, Sourashtra community adopted Devanagari Script, and Govt. officials are guiding our community. Please include those alphabet chart also.
Recently our Madhya Saba declared on behalf of Sourashtra community, DEVANAGARI SCRIPT is ours, in a Public meeting. Please include those script pictures in this article.
nameshkaar,
Ella auvra menikanu asgithanga thakkadha veen shukkad sestha.
It is very good movement for all our community.
Pls include all sourasthra family names also
moga jukku santhosh.ellemadiri website setha athdo kalai. duro kam ungu keruvo.
Iam very happy to see this website,this is is very usefull to learn & write our language well.
thank u
ramila
Dear Sir,
Please visit my blog and come to know many things about our language and literature. I have covered many events taking place in our Community.
Please see the photos taken in my picasawebalbum.
and Videos in my Youtube channel.
Please see the Sourashtra Class 1 and 2 in youtube.com
Why there is no activity in this group.
Please visit other groups especially http://palkar.org
and other sourashtrayahoogroups.
If you want any information about our language,
feel free to write to me.
O.S.Subramanian.
If you want to know about Sourashtra Language and Literature, Kindly visit my blog
http://www.subramanian-obula.blogspot.com
under the head
UPAMANYU.
Any clarification can be obtained from me by sending an email to
subramanian.obula@gmail.com
Please visit my blog ‘UPAMANYU’ to know something about Sourashtra language and literature.
I have explained how to write Sourashtram in Sourashtra Script [not Devanagari Script].
You should know that Bhashabhimani, Jabali,Sourashtra Mithran and Zeeg are the Journals published in Sourashtra Language.
Sourashtra Vijayam is another journal which deals on Sourashtra Temples and other matters published by Chennai Sri Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal Temple Office bearers.
For any queries you can send email to me
upamanyuoss@yahoo.co.in
O.S.Subramanian
thank you vwery much for the article and the feedback by thiru.subramaniyam. as we type tamil through english in gmails there should be system to type sourashtra language through english. then we can type many sourashtra words in english and see how they are in sourashtrian language and atleast teach in future to our children. is there any poosibility? if anybody knows such system availability please inform.
Girls running away from families in Sourastra community is becoming more common and shoud be avaoided.
Pls advise the list of most rich Sourastra people in Tamilnadu
i wonder if the script is used at all.. it is as good as dead or more to say it is meant for the showcase. will there be a revival, I have my strongest doubts. the community, in my opinion , lacks identity and, lack of usable script adds to this.
good work going waste. sorry, but facts need to be shown as facts!!
Thank you very much for providing the script. I always wanted to learn to write sourashtra. Just got into research about our language.
I need ppt about sourasthra can u ppl send me to my mail id which is kishorekk_87@yahoo.co.in.. i need it soon pls help me guys.
kay keroaratho
Hi my dear community people
Its really glad for me when i saw this site. At this moment i feel very proud to tell am an SOURASHTRIAN. And this is first time for me to see the script of our language. People outside use to tease me that our community hasnt a script which is due to infinitesimal exposure to society, even i did not get an apt words to reply them. In the future i will be bold to tell everyone that we also hold a superb kind of script. I wish to learn more about our community and the future generation of our community must take this as a challenge to make our language survive life long which can be achieved by this kind of guidelines given through internet and also the living fore parents of this must put forth their ideas strongly through other modes of communication. And i finally request the creators of this site to expose our scripts to a very great extent so that all others will know about our community well.
Thank u
Suresh dhadha,
Mogo thunga suresh font paya horish.
Ambiri vathaak mila ikko website sae meni me jukku sonthose podorio
Hi! me neyveli saetha. Ead meli jukkudhenu sourashtra vathakararyathenu saetha. illad osuk ondal aski sourashtra menkankin ontae tham cheri mhotta function chalai. oha illa maari onda website saetha menaththa mogo athos kalaai. sari bye………..
mogo sukku santhoshka sea. amber samugamuk onti website se methna mogo sukku santhosh.
ami amika rajan.
ami palkarka rajan.
sathish
trichy
where it used Sourashtra Language & Writing……….?
Sent to reply My mail……………
Mee jukku Sonthos But Aavra Aaluthu Me Angum Serani……?
Pls Mora Mail id ku Sent keruko
Regards
L.v.Logesh
(Bangalore)
Growing up in Madras India, I was under the impression sourashtra language is only spoken and had no scripts. I went to school and studied Tamil as a child. I am yet to see a single sentence written in Sourashtra script that I can read and understand. Has anyone written any books using sourashtra script ? By the way my last name is “Thakkun” and I have lived in USA since 1973. Are there any other Thakkuns any where ?
Please contact palkar people- sourashtra on this email id
Glad to see a Sourashtran group in Facebook. I have asked to join the group.
i feel very happy to see my community in this special site.. i’m really proud to be a sowrastrian.. thank you..
namskar me e sowrastra moyra gam ammapetai thanjavur dis
I am very happy to see this page. i am also like to join this
namaskaar…
avra samugam koat re avriyoa??????????
jukku santhosh, dhadha binu askimoly chery am samugam uncho avothok paad ponno many mylarys
namaskar
Hi All,
I am more interested in the scripts of our language. I can speak sourashtra, but i wanna write . Can anyone of our members help me by providing complete scripts or alphabets of our language and help peeople like me. Apart from that we need to establish our community. Am more interested to learn our language completely. Even though am 20+ of age, i wanna learn our language and make my next generation to read, speak and write in our language and make sure that our community exist forever
I am proud to be sourashtrain.
Dear All,
It is quiet impressive to learn that lot of people are evincing interest to learn our mother-tongue Sourashtra Language,
To address the need, we are administering a website for learning sourashtra language,
http://learn.sourashtra.info
Please find time to visit,
with best regards,
Administrator.
Hi, aski thengo namaskar. Awra menkanu population motham ikka rhai meni census hedatha musaiya? Ella website-m onta yerpad kerath chokkad rhai meni havdaris.
Pleased to inform that Vishwa Sourashtram, Vol. 2, No. 1, has been published in the following link:
http://www.sourashtra.info/vs210.htm
prEvkan,
nirvaagin
hi everyone,
i am very to pleased to see this page.it is very sad that most of the sourashtrians dont know that our language hav written script!
iam glad tat after some days i can write in my mother tongue!!
Mokha mora naav likatho seikadi thevo………..
Namaskaar,
I become sourashtrian an year back.i am basically telugu girl got married sourastrian.
i learned tamil wil help of movies and i am speaking with my inlaws in tamil now.
but i wanted to speak with them in sourastra as well.
could you post me words english ~ sourastra.will be helpful for me to fulfill my resposibility.
Regards,
Sandhya.
Please save the dying language: I live in Mumbai. Whenever I get phonecalls from Madurai [for invitation etc] I hear our people using lots of tamil words. I sincerely feel if the language is in the verge of death. Please save our language. [sourashtra baasha moranum rhili thounchaduvo!]
HI MOGA NAW PREADEEP ME 11TH SHOWDHATHA IN PALAYAMKOTTAI.I AM PROUD TO BE A SOURASTRIAN.OUR TEAM NAME IS THIRUNELVELI TERRORS
i want to learn saurashtra language
pls tell any useful add
ress to learn saurashtra language……