Advanced International Journal for Research

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Variation and Change in Copula in Maithili in Real and Apparent Time

Author(s) Prof. Ranjan Kumar
Country India
Abstract The study reports on variation and change in the use of present copula (h- and chh-) forms in Maithili, an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Bihar, India. Maithili is one of the five closely related and yet distinct linguistic varieties spoken in Bihar. Maithili is unique among these varieties as it has a long literary history; it also enjoys the status of a scheduled language as per the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. It coexists with the state official language, Hindi (not to mention English and other Bihari languages), extensively used alongside Maithili.
 
Drawing upon the diachronic written materials from the 14th and 19th centuries and the current natural speech data (obtained through sociolinguistic interviews from a geographically and socially stratified large sample, out of which data from 9 speakers is utilised), the study provides evidence of an ongoing change in real time and apparent time. Further, comparing data from a rural and an adjacent urban location, the findings suggest that the change is more robust in the urban area. The innovative form (h) is being led by the younger generation, in particular, younger, educated women with greater exposure to major urban centres. In contrast, the traditional form (chh) is more commonly used by older speakers and those from rural areas. 
 
To account for variation and change, the data was statistically tested for several linguistic factors, and social factors such as age, gender, mobility, exposure to urban area, education and region. The results suggest a complex interplay between social, geographical, and linguistic factors. 
 
The study contributes to the small but growing number of socio-historical linguistics studies in India and the study of regional variation. 
Keywords Regional variation, geographical factors, statistical Testing, ongoing change, diachronic materials.
Field Sociology > Linguistic / Literature
Published In Volume 6, Issue 5, September-October 2025
Published On 2025-09-02
DOI https://doi.org/10.63363/aijfr.2025.v06i05.1212
Short DOI https://doi.org/g92pk9
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