Jeseri language

Jeseri (also known as Jesri or Dweep Bhasha) is a language derived from old Malayalam^{[citation needed]}, spoken in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India.^[1][2] It is closely related to Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada.^{[citation needed]} It is spoken on the islands of Chetlat, Bitra, Kiltan, Kadmath, Amini, Kavarathi, Androth, Agathi, and Kalpeni, in the archipelago of Lakshadweep. Each of these islands has its own dialect. It is hard for a speaker of Malayalam to understand Jeseri, more so, in the case of the idiom spoken by the older people.

The phonology of Jeseri is similar to that of Malayalam, except that a significant influence from Urdu (Hindi, Persian, and Arabic combined) is clearly evident. As for the vocabulary, earlier, Urdu words were widely used; but now, more words from Malayalam can be found.

Reference

1. ^ Sura's Year Book 2006. 2006. p. 250. ISBN 9788172541248. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=Fz2WDD8sB0MC&pg=PA250&dq=jeseri,+lakshadweep&hl=en&ei=-hfqTPqzHImGvgON0OXCCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&sqi=2&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=jeseri%2C%20lakshadweep&f=false. 
2. ^ India, a reference annual. Government of India. 2004. p. 851. ISBN 9788123011561. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=GHpDAAAAYAAJ&q=jeseri,+lakshadweep&dq=jeseri,+lakshadweep&hl=en&ei=-hfqTPqzHImGvgON0OXCCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&sqi=2&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAw.