- Korku
Infobox Language
name=Korku
region=CentralIndia (Madhya Pradesh ,Maharashtra )
speakers=478,000 (as of 1997) [ [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=kfq Ethnologue report for the Korku language] ]
familycolor=Austro-Asiatic
fam1=Austro-Asiatic
fam2=Munda
fam3=North Munda
iso3=kszKorku is a little-known
tribe ofMadhya Pradesh andMaharashtra inIndia . The largest number of the Korkus is found inBetul andChhindwara districts ofMadhya Pradesh . Whilst they share the love of the forests with theGond s, they are also excellent agriculturists and in Bhainsdehi tahsil ofBetul district have pioneered the cultivation ofpotatoes andcoffee .Language
Their Korku language belongs to the Kolarian or Munda family, isolated in the midst of a Dravidian (Gondi) population. The Korkus are also closely associated with the
Kalto or Nihali people, many of whom have traditionally lived in special quarters of Korku villages. [ [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=nll Ethnologue report on the Nihali language] ] Korku is spoken by a total of approximately 478,000 people, mainly in four districts of southernMadhya Pradesh (Khandwa, Harda, Betul, Hoshangabad) and three districts of northernMaharashtra (Amravati, Buldana, Akola).The nouns may have either one of the three genders: masculine, feminine or neutral.The adjectives are placed before the nouns they qualify. Korku is spoken in a reducing number of villages and is gradually being replaced byHindi .References
*Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), "Ethnologue: Languages of the World", Fifteenth edition 2005 ( [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=nll online version] ).
Further reading
*Nagaraja, K. S. (1999). "Korku language: grammar, texts, and vocabulary". Tokyo: Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
*Deogaonkar, S. G., & Deogaonkar, S. S. (1990). "The Korku tribals". Castes and tribes of India, 1. New Delhi, India: Concept Pub. Co. ISBN 8170222974
*Zide, N. H. (1963). "Korku noun morphology". [Chicago: South Asian Languages Program, University of Chicago.
*Zide, N. H. (1960). Korku verb morphology. [S.l: s.n.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.