A dialect normally differs from place to place and from region to region and the variations in speech become more distinct and pronounced when a particular dialect is divided by natural barriers such as valleys. mountains etc. Lack of communication and social contact would. in course of time, further estrange a dialect from its mooring leading to greater linguistic changes and thus making it more and more un- intelligible even to the people speaking the same dialect in other regions. This happens, it may be said, sometimes, even among the highly developed languages, in spite of their rich cultural and literary heritage.
The Himalayan region is very rich in dialects providing abundant opportunity for a trained linguist for study and research. In this region there are dialects, some plainly belong to Indo-Aryan family, some to Tibeto-Burman family yet some precariously hang in the ridge of indecision as to their linguistic affinity. These dialects are to be minutely studied and scientifically yet to be investigated. They would reveal thrilling liuguistic phenomena, historical and cultural, to the world of scholars of anthropology, sociology and not to speak of linguistics. Enterprising young scholars should take up a survey of this virgin field and make a systematic study of the dialects from region to region.
In the present work, Dr. Shyam Lal Sharma, has made a systematic and exhaustive study of the Kangar) dialect as spoken in the region of the Kangra Valley. In order to give the reader the necessary preliminary view of the whole region with its historical and natural background and make it easier for him to understand and appreciate the evolution of an important dialect of this linguistic region. Dr. Shyam Lal Sharma bas given in the Introduction a brief but very interesting and informative account of history, topography, climate and social customs and habits of the people living in the area.
In the present set-up of our national life the scientific study of the dialects spoken in India has become a pressing need of the time in order to solve the problems of eradication of illiteracy, development of intercommunication for socio-economic reconstruction and all-round progress of the country. I have had the privilege to choose my native dialect as a matter of convenience because one can only describe the dialect in which one is quite at home and over which one has a working command. Thus I seek to present here a descriptive study of the Kangra Valley dialect belonging to the Central Group of Indo-Aryan languages.
Kangari is the main dialect of Himachal Pradesh. This is one of the cultural dialects of North-Western Himalayas. This dialect is spoken by about one million persons in the valley and a number of persons coming to some hundreds in the big cities of Northern India like Amritsar, Jullundur, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Delhi etc. This dialect is popular on the stage and platforms throughout the valley. The folk-songs with the peculiar musical tilt and the narrations with salty expressions are broadcast by All India Radio, Simla. This is the most useful travel dialect as an effective medium of thought and expressions in natural phenomena in the valley. The knowledge of the present dialect is essential for the education of persons who wish to have an open access to the culture of the people in the valley. I have concentrated on the speech of the people of Sujanpur situated on the left bank of the river Beas forming the natural division of Hamirpur and Kangra districts. The natives of these two districts as well as the contiguous areas of Una district accept their mother tongue to be Kangari.
In a hierarchical system the data have been analysed into the possible patterns in four chapters, namely 1 Phonology, 2 Morpho- phonemics, 3 Morphology and 4 Syntax. The canon of currency does not permit the presentation of the Introduction embracing the social and cultural aspect though given in the Kangası words in the phonemic transcription. It is, however, hoped that it will be of interest to the readers in quest of the knowledge of words in the language culture.
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