Nihali language

Nahali, Nihali or Kalto ( other spellings Nahal, Nehale, Nihal ) is an isolated language spoken in west - central India in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra of around 5000 people. The language contains many borrowings from the neighboring Indo-Aryan, Dravidian and Austro-Asiatic Munda languages ​​, but about 25% to 30 % of the vocabulary is etymologically not be explained from these languages ​​. Nahali is obviously a residue of a very early Indian language film - the oldest still tangible - that was later overshadowed by the Austro-Asiatic, Dravidian and Indo-Aryan languages.

Possible relationship to other languages

The thesis that Nahali possibly with a different isolated almost extinct language - as spoken in central Nepal Kusunda - was related, is very speculative. Both, however, belong to the oldest layer of language of the Indian subcontinent. Do not be completely ruled out is a very early cleavage of the Nahali of the Mundasprachen representing a branch of the Austro- Asiatic. Another hypothesis sees Nahali as the only representative of an otherwise extinct major branch of Austro-Asiatic languages. Attempts to bring Nahali with the ent -Caucasian macro family or the Andamanese languages ​​in relationship, have not been convincing.

Problematic research situation

Status of Nahali remains especially unclear why, because only a few linguistic field research has been conducted. Kuiper (1962 ) is more of a grammatical sketch - In particular, a comprehensive account of the grammar is missing. The lexical work of Mundlay (1996 ) is speculative in many areas and hardly provides a sound basis for genetic mapping.

The Nahal strain

In Victorian times the Nahals or Nihals were notorious than predatory wild jungle people. After 1800, led a Mogul Prince a " punitive action " against them by ending their tribal moderate independence. Their tribal area is just south of the River Tapti, now located around the village of Tempi in the Nimar District of the Central Provinces of India- British period in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.