Konkani Language Overview

Konkani is a modern Indo-Aryan language and a state language of the Indian state Goa. Until recently, it was considered a dialect of Marathi, but it is now considered an independent language. Konkani has several varieties, including the Manglore variety spoken in the south of Goa, the Gawdi variety spoken by the Gawda ethnic group, and the Goan (Panaji) variety. The latter is the focus of this description, and is the variety used in schools, media and state administration.

The book provides a descriptive linguistic analysis of Konkani based on spoken and written data collected by the author during extensive fieldwork. The linguistic features of Konkani phonology, morphology, word-formation and syntax are described in detail, and where significant, compared with the Manglore and Gawdi varieties.

Since Konkani is undergoing standardisation, and since it has close contact with Marathi, significant similarities and differences between the two languages are also discussed. Konkani has the honour of being the subject of the oldest European grammatical work on any Indian language: Thomas Stephens’ Arte da Lingoa Canarim published in 1640. This grammar is thus the most recent addition to the long tradition of Konkani grammars.