Manḍa is a Dravidian languageofOdisha, spoken in the highlands of Thuamul Rampur block of Kalahandi district. It only became known to Western academia in 1964.[1] Its speakers are generally known as 'Khond Parjas' by outsiders but self-identify as Manda Khonds. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the language was spoken in around 60 villages and the total number of speakers was estimated to be at 4000-5000. However the language is facing endangerment from Odia, which all speakers are bilingual in.[3]
| Manda | |
|---|---|
| Native to | India |
| Region | Orissa |
Native speakers | 4,000 (2000)[1] |
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mha |
| Glottolog | mand1413 |
| ELP | Manda (India) |
Manda is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger[2] | |
A dictionary of Manda was published in 2009.[4]
The following is a sample vocabulary:[5]
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