Bonda language
Munda language spoken in Odisha, India
title: "Bonda language" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["languages-of-india", "munda-languages"] description: "Munda language spoken in Odisha, India" topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonda_language" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Munda language spoken in Odisha, India ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox language"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Bonda |
| altname | Remosam |
| nativename | ବଣ୍ଡା |
| image | Pusarke festival — "Remosam" (2019 documentary).webm |
| imagecaption | Conversation in Bonda about the Pusarke festival |
| imagealt | Conversation in Bonda about the Pusarke festival |
| states | India |
| ethnicity | Bonda |
| speakers | 9,000 |
| date | 2002 |
| ref | e18 |
| familycolor | Austroasiatic |
| fam2 | Munda |
| fam3 | South |
| fam4 | Gutob-Remo |
| dia1 | Hill Remo |
| dia2 | Plains Remo |
| script | Odia |
| iso3 | bfw |
| glotto | bond1245 |
| glottorefname | Bondo |
| :: |
|name=Bonda |altname=Remosam |nativename=ବଣ୍ଡା |image=Pusarke festival — "Remosam" (2019 documentary).webm |imagecaption=Conversation in Bonda about the Pusarke festival |imagealt=Conversation in Bonda about the Pusarke festival |states=India | ethnicity = Bonda |speakers=9,000 |date=2002 |ref=e18 |familycolor=Austroasiatic |fam2=Munda |fam3=South |fam4=Gutob-Remo |dia1=Hill Remo |dia2=Plains Remo |script=Odia |iso3=bfw |glotto=bond1245 |glottorefname=Bondo
The Bonda language, also known as Bondo or Remosam, is a south Munda language of the Austroasiatic language family spoken in Odisha, formerly known as Southern Odisha, in India. It had 2,568 speakers, all in Odisha, according to the 1951 Census of India, increasing to approximately 9,000 speakers in 2002 according to SIL.
Classification
The Bonda language is an indigenous language belonging to the Southern subgroup of the Munda branch of the Austroasiatic language family. Bonda is a spoken language with no traditional written system recorded. Bonda is a part of the Gutob-Remo branch, due to the similarities Bonda shares with another Southern Munda Language named Gutob.
History
The Bonda language derives its name from the tribe of the Bonda people, an indigenous group located in Odisha known as the Bonda Highlanders. In their native language, the Bonda people regard themselves as "Remo", which translates to human, and derive their language name from that root, calling their language as the human language or "Remosam" in their native tongue
Geographic distribution
The language differs slightly, classified according to whether it can be categorized as Plains Remo (Bonda) or Hill Remo (Bonda).
Plains Remo
This is a subdivision of Bonda, localized in 35 villages throughout the Khairpat within the Malkangiri district in Odisha. In 1941, 2,565 people categorized the Plains Remo. That number nearly doubled in 1971, with 4,764 people classifying themselves as Plains Remo. The increase in population was not correlated with language extension. There are 3,500 speakers as of 2002, but few are monolingual.
Hills Remo
This is a subdivision of Bonda, localized in the Jeypore Hills region of Odisha. There are 5,570 speakers as of 2002.
Phonology
Stress
In Bonda, primary stress is placed on the last syllable in a word, syllables with diphthongs, glottal stops, or checked consonants. However, Plains Remo primarily stresses the second syllable in a word. Bonda words can have a maximum of 5 syllables.
Diphthongs
Diphthongs are placed either in the beginning or middle of a word, usually used in combination of two different vowel types. ::data[format=table]
| Bonda | Translation |
|---|---|
| lean | tongue |
| bois | age |
| guidag | to wash |
| otoi | not to be |
| dau | small |
| :: |
Consonants
There are 33 consonants in the Bonda language. ::data[format=table title="Consonants {{Cite journal|last=DeArmond|first=Richard|date=1976|title=Proto-Gutob-Remo-Gtaq Stressed Monosyllabic Vowels and Initial Consonants|jstor=20019157|journal=Oceanic Linguistics Special Publications|volume=13|issue=13|pages=213–217}}"]
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | Stop | voiceless | voiceless aspirated | voiced | voiced aspirated | Fricative | voiceless | voiced | Nasal | Approximant | Trill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| :: |
/z/ only occurs in loanwords from Odia. Retroflex /ɳ/ and fricative /v/ are found in Plain Remo, but not in the Hill Remo variety.
Vowels
Remo has 5 vowel phonemes: /a, e, i, o, u (ɔ)/ and a rare nasalized [ã]. ::data[format=table]
| Front | Central | Back | Close | Mid | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| () | () | ||||
| :: |
In Plain Remo, depending on contexts, vowels can undergo laxing and weaking processes. For examples, /i/ /ɪ/ in mirɪ ('why'), /e/ /ɛ/ in kɛnda ('branch') and sɛllari ('scolopendra').
In Bonda, vowels are nasalized and clusters are commonplace.
Grammar
Nominal postpositions
According to Fernandez (1968:97), Remo has 19 bound postpositional or case marking elements that will attach with nouns and pronouns. The most popular case marking postpositions are:
- Oblique a-
- Locative–Illative–Directional -boʔ
- Superessive -bagboʔ
- Subessive -aluŋ
- Adessive -borotere
- Perlative -nande
- Inessive -bitre
There are instances of a- replacing the locative markers. Such examples, two sentences are equivalent:
Gender
Age and gender serve as classification denominations for individuals. Female names end in /-i/ and male names end in /-a/. Animals are also distinguished by gender.
Compound verb
The compound verb is not frequently used in Bonda and can be used as a conjunctive participle.
Verb agreement
Unlike Gutob, Remo subject enclitics always occupy the fixed position at the end of the verb. Third person marker =ga only occur in past tense, in other TAM categories the third person has no realization.
::data[format=table]
| singular | dual | plural | 1st person | 2nd person | 3rd person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =iŋ | =naŋ | =naj | |||
| =no | =pa | =pe | |||
| =Ø, =ga | |||||
| :: |
Syntax
Bonda follows the SOV (Subject + Object + Verb) sequence, but other word orders are possible.
Vocabulary
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/OpenSpeaks-Bfw-Munaremo-Gobardhan_Panda-body_parts.webm" caption="[[Gobardhan Panda]] showing body parts and pronouncing their respective names in Bonda"] ::
Kinship terminology
In Kinship terms, the velar nasal, ŋ, is often used. Various kinship terms also represent multiple positions.
::data[format=table]
| Bonda | English Gloss |
|---|---|
| baʔ | Father |
| iyɔŋ | Mother |
| remɔ | Man |
| mpɔr | Husband |
| kunui | Wife |
| bɔrai | Aunt |
| busã | Uncle |
| tata | Grandfather |
| ya/iya | Father's Mother/Mother's Mother |
| maŋ | Eldest brother |
| miŋ | Elder sister |
| ileʔǐ | Grandchild |
| masɔ | Nephew |
| :: |
Basic vocabulary
The table below shows a vocabulary comparison of two dialects, Hill Remo and Plains Remo: ::data[format=table title=""]
| Hill Remo | Plains Remo | Gloss |
|---|---|---|
| gwiɖag | guiɖag | wash |
| igsam | iksam | shit, defecate |
| ɖwiɲ | ɖen | cook (v.) |
| turag | tuɖag | piss |
| kumal | kumab | bathe |
| lor | lor | vomit |
| dayks | dais | climb |
| munaʔwe | munaʔ | big |
| goswi | gosig | whistle |
| jinl | jin | win |
| pwoɖ | ɖel | jump (across) |
| suʔu | suʔug | blossom |
| wa | wal | swim |
| ɲzur | ɲjur | dawn |
| nsu | nsuk | knife |
| zuzu | dzudzu | sight |
| soma | maʔ | curry |
| jurgəta | ruŋɔ̃ | chill |
| :: |
References
References
- {{Ethnologue18. bfw
- N. Gopalakrishnan, ''[http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-Documents/LSI/lsi_Orissa/18_orissa_vol_page_no_257_272.pdf Linguistic Survey of India]'', p. 271
- "Bondo". Ethnologue.
- Anderson, Gregory. (2008). "The Munda Languages". Routledge.
- Dash, Jagannatha. (2002). "Tribal and Indigenous People of India: Problems and Prospects". APH Publishing Corporation.
- Swain, Rajashree. (1998). "A Grammar of Bonda Language". Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute.
- DeArmond, Richard. (1976). "Proto-Gutob-Remo-Gtaq Stressed Monosyllabic Vowels and Initial Consonants". Oceanic Linguistics Special Publications.
- Anderson & Harrison (2008:559)
- Anderson & Harrison (2008:558)
- Anderson & Harrison (2008:582)
- Hook, Peter. (1991). "The Compound Verb in Munda: An Areal and Typological Overview". Language Sciences.
- Bhattacharya, Sudhibhushan. (1970). "Kinship Terms in the Munda Language". Anthropos.
- (1968). "A Grammatical Sketch of Remo: A Munda Language". University of North Carolina.
- (1968). "A Bonda Dictionary". Deccan College.
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