Gujarati

Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the 26th most widely spoken language in the world with over 46 million speakers. Gujarati is one of the twenty-two official languages and fourteen regional languages of India. Gujarati is descended from Old Gujarati (circa 1100–1500 AD). Middle Gujarati (circa 1500–1800 AD) developed from the 15th century, after the Chaulukya and the Solanki dynasties, and after the introduction of Islam. Modern Gujarati, also known as Khari Boli, developed from around 1800 AD. The Gujarati script is an abugida, like all Nagari abugidas, and is used to write the Gujarati and Kutchi languages. It is a variant of the Devanagari script, differing in the shape of certain letters and the inclusion of a number of additional characters. The Gujarati script is used to write the Gujarati and Kutchi languages. The earliest known inscriptions in the Gujarati script date back to c. 9th century CE. The earliest known manuscript in the Gujarati script is a devotional poem dated 1411 CE. Gujarati is one of the twenty-two official languages and fourteen regional languages of India. The Government of India has announced its intention to include Gujarati in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India, which would give it the status of a "scheduled language". Gujarati is spoken in the Indian states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. It is also spoken in the countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Fiji, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Oman, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, and Zambia. The total number of Gujarati speakers in the world is estimated to be between 46 million and 55 million.