The following is the entry for this language as it appeared in the 14th edition (2000).
It was superseded by the corresponding entry in the 15th edition (2005). See also the corresponding entry in the current edition of Ethnologue.
| Population | 68,022,000 (1997 IMA). Population total all countries 68,022,000. Including second language speakers: 71,000,000 (1999 WA). |
| Region | Maharashtra and adjacent states. Also spoken in Israel, Mauritius. |
| Alternate names | MAHARASHTRA, MAHARATHI, MALHATEE, MARTHI, MURUTHU |
| Classification | Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Southern zone. |
| Comments | 42 dialects. The dialect situation throughout the greater Marathi speaking area is complex. Dialects bordering other major language areas share many features with those languages. See separate entries for dialects or closely related languages: Konkani, Goanese, Deccan, Varhadi-Nagpuri, Ikrani, Gowlan. There is a dialect in Thanjavur District and elsewhere in Tamil Nadu, which has been influenced by Tamil and Kannada words, with at least 100,000 speakers. State language of Maharashtra. Spoken by the Mangelas as mother tongue. The Bene Israel are a Marathi-speaking Jewish group of Bombay. The Habshi are descended from East African slaves brought to western India, and are Muslim. Investigation needed: intelligibility with dialects. National language. SOV. Literacy rate in first language: 34%. Literacy rate in second language: 34%. Devanagari script. Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Jewish (Bene Israel). Bible 1821-1998. |
