A Grammar of Lamani (Banjara)
Lamani (Lambadi/Banjara) is an Indo-Aryan language that originated in Rajasthan and is closely related to Gujarati and Marwadi. Its speakers, known by names such as Banjari, Lambani, Lambadi, and Sukali, prefer to call themselves Gormati or Gor. Today, the language is spoken by over one million people across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Central India.
The passage explains that Lamani is not merely a mix of Marathi, Gujarati, and Hindi, but a distinct language with its own grammar and structure. Very little research had been done on Lamani before this study, except for works by Grierson and M. Chidananda Murty.
The thesis uses Kenneth Pike’s Tagmemic theory, which studies language through phonology, grammar, and lexicon. A key idea is the “tagmeme,” which connects a grammatical function (like subject or object) with the form that expresses it.
