A Descriptive Grammar of Dakkhini

The present work attempts to analyse and describe Dakkhini, a variety of Urdu spoken in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh in the framework of descriptive linguistic theory. It presents the phonology, morphology and syntax of the dialect. It also discusses briefly the origin and development of Dakkhini, its speakers in Chittoor district and the whole of Andhra Pradesh and the existing relationship between Dakkhini and Telugu on the one hand and Dakkhini and standard Urdu on the other. It also has a section known as texts which contains a few samples of the data. Dakkhini has assumed crucial importance in socio-linguistics. Since its major implantation in the beginning of the fourteenth century, it has undergone subtle changes in its structure partly due to linguistic acculturation, convergence and aerial contact with different languages in different areas and partly due to innovations it has been making on its own over the years. It is therefore marked by great diversity and heterogeneity. The Dakkhini situation may thus serve not only as a testing ground to validate many a concept of aerial linguistics, but also as a mirror to read the dynamics of convergence of the languages and dialects belonging to two different milieu. The current book has been intended as a fairly detailed grammatical description of a dialect of Dakkhini which is unique in many ways. Although it does not directly deal with a socio-linguistic theme, it endeavours to provide sufficient evidence for a bi-directional convergence, that is, from Dravidian language to Dakkhini and vice versa. It is hoped that the work may arouse some curiosity in linguists working in the area of language contact, language variation, language topology, etc.