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Konkani () is an Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-European family of languages and is spoken along the western coast of India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages mentioned in the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution and the official language of the Indian state of Goa. The first Konkani inscription is dated 1187 A.D.〔http://www.goatourism.gov.in/people/language〕 It is a minority language in Maharashtra, Karnataka, northern Kerala (Kasaragod district), Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu. Konkani is a member of the southern Indo-Aryan language group. It retains elements of Old Indo-Aryan structures and shows similarities with both western and eastern Indo-Aryan languages. ==Appellations== It is quite possible that Old Konkani was just referred to as ''Prakrit'' by its speakers. Among the inscriptions at the foot of the colossal statue of Bahubali at Sravanabelagola in Karnataka are two lines reading thus: (i) Sri Chamundaraje Karaviyale and (ii) Sri Ganga raje sutthale karaviyale. The first line was inscribed circa 981 AD and the second line in 116-17 AD. The language of these lines is Konkani according to Dr. S.B. Kulkarni (former head of Department of Marathi, Nagpur University) and Dr. Jose Pereira (former professor, Fordham University, USA). Considering these arguments, these inscriptions at Sravanabelegola may be considered the earliest Konkani inscriptions in Devanagari script. Reference to the name ''Konkani'' is not found in literature prior to 13th century. The first reference of the name ''Konkani'' is in "Abhanga 263" of the 13th century Marathi saint poet, Namadeva (1270–1350). Konkani has been known by a variety of names: ''Canarim, Concanim, Gomantaki, Bramana,'' and ''Goani''. It is called ''Amchi Bhas'' (our language) by native speakers (''Amchi Gele'' in Dakshina Kannada), and ''Govi'' or ''Goenchi Bhas'' by others. Learned Marathi speakers tend to call it ''Gomantaki''.〔M. Saldanha 717. J. Thekkedath, however, quotes Jose Pereira to the following effect: "A lay brother of the College of St Paul around 1563 composed the first grammar of Konkani. His work was continued by Fr Henry Henriques and later by Fr Thomas Stephens. The grammar of Fr Stephens was ready in manuscript form before the year 1619." (Jose Pereira, ed., "Gaspar de S. Miguel’s Arte da Lingoa Canarim, parte 2a, Sintaxis copiossisima na lingoa Bramana e pollida," ''Journal of the University of Bombay'' (1967 ) 3–5, as cited in J. Thekkedath, ''History of Christianity in India, vol. II: From the Middle of the Sixteenth to the End of the Seventeenth Century (1542–1700)'' (TPI for CHAI, 1982 ) 409).〕 Konkani was commonly referred to as ''Lingua Canarim'' by the Portuguese and ''Lingua Brahmana'' by Catholic missionaries.〔 The Portuguese later started referring to Konkani as ''Lingua Concanim''.〔 The name ''Canarim'' or ''Lingua Canarim'', which is how the 16th century European Jesuit, Thomas Stephens refers to it in the title of his famous work ''Arte da lingoa Canarim'' has always been intriguing. It is possible that the term is derived from the Persian word for coast, ''kinara''; if so, it would mean "the language of the coast". The problem is that this term overlaps with ''Kanarese'' or Kannada.〔Arte Canarina na lingoa do Norte. Anonymous MS, edited by Cunha Rivara under the title: Gramática da Lingua Concani no dialecto do Norte, composta no seculo XVII por um Missionário Portugues; e agora pela primeira vez dada à estampa (Nova Goa: Imprensa Nacional, 1858). Cunha Rivara suggested that the author was either a Franciscan or a Jesuit residing in Thana on the island of Salcete; hence the reference to a ‘Portuguese missionary’ in the title.〕 All the European authors, however, recognised two forms of the language in Goa: the plebeian, called ''Canarim'', and the more regular (used by the educated classes), called ''Lingua Canarim Brámana'' or simply ''Brámana de Goa''. The latter was the preferred choice of the Europeans, and also of other castes, for writing, sermons, and religious purposes.〔Mariano Saldanha, "História de Gramática Concani," ''Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies 8 (1935–37)'' 715. See also M. L. SarDessai, ''A History of Konkani Literature: From 1500 to 1992'' (New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, 2000) 42–43.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Konkani language」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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