grt ISO 639

Mande Autonyms

Garo

  • Geography

    IN Assam state: Goalpara, Kamrup, and Karbi Anglong districts; Meghalaya state: Garo Hills district; Nagaland state: Kohima district; Tripura state: south Tripura district, Udaipur sub-district; north Tripura district, Kailasahar and Kamalpur sub-districts; west Tripura district, Sadar sub-district; West Bengal state: Jalpaiguri and Koch Bihar districts.
  • Language Cloud

A language of India

grt
Garrow, Mandi
Mande
1,150,000 in India (2011 census). Total users in all countries: 1,270,000.
Assam state: Goalpara, Kamrup, and Karbi Anglong districts; Meghalaya state: Garo Hills district; Nagaland state: Kohima district; Tripura state: south Tripura district, Udaipur sub-district; north Tripura district, Kailasahar and Kamalpur sub-districts; west Tripura district, Sadar sub-district; West Bengal state: Jalpaiguri and Koch Bihar districts.
India, Map 4, India, Map 5, Northeastern Bangladesh
2 (Provincial). Statutory provincial language in Meghalaya State (1950, Constitution, Articles 347), unscheduled language.
Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Sal, Boro-Garo
A’beng (A’bengya, Am’beng), A’chick (A’chik, A’we, Chisak, Dual, Matchi), Dacca, Ganching, Kamrup. A’chick is the standardized dialect in India. A’beng dialect used in Bangladesh, but is not mutually intelligible. Reportedly most similar to Koch [kdq].
SOV; postpositions; case-marking (9 cases); numeral classifiers; tense markers; 16 consonant and 5 vowels; non-tonal.
Awe dialect, spoken in Assam, has few remaining speakers. Most use standard Garo. Used as L2 by Atong [aot], Hajong [haj], Koch [kdq], Lyngngam [lyg], Rabha [rah], Ruga [ruh].
Literacy rate in L2: 55% for Meghalaya (2001 census). General level of education is low compared to Khasi [kha]. Taught in primary and secondary schools in Meghalaya state. Taught as subject at North-Eastern Hill University. Literature. Radio. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1924–1994.
Bengali (Bangla) script [Beng]. Braille script [Brai], used since 1998. Latin script [Latn].
Christian.
OLAC resources in and about Garo
Garo
120,000 in Bangladesh (2005).
Dhaka division: Dhaka, Jamalpur, Madhupur, Netrokona, Sherpur districts; enclaves north, southwest and northwest of Mymensingh city; Sylhet division: Sylhet and Sunamganj districts.
Abeng, Achik, Brak, Chibok, Dual.
5 (Dispersed)
Used by all. Also use Bengali [ben]. Also use Hajong [haj]. Used as L2 by Atong [aot], Hajong [haj], Koch [kdq], Lyngngam [lyg], Megam [mef].
Literacy rate in L1: 25%. Literacy rate in L2: 80% in Bengali [ben]. Parents want their children to read and write Garo.
Abeng dialect is spoken but writing is in Achik. Christian, Hindu, traditional religion.
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