Editing Ho language (section)

{{short description|Austroasiatic language spoken in India}}
{{about|the Austroasiatic language of India|the Tibeto-Burman language also known as Ho of China, Vietnam and Laos |Hani language}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Ho
| nativename       = {{lang|hoc-Wara|𑢹𑣉𑣉 𑣎𑣋𑣜}}, {{lang|hoc-Deva|हो जगर}}, {{lang|hoc-Orya|ହୋ ଜାଗାର}}
| pronunciation    = {{nowrap|{{IPA|/hoː d͡ʑägär/}}}}
| image            = [[File:howarang.png|250px]]
| states           = [[India]]
| ethnicity        = [[Ho people]]
| speakers         = 1,421,418
| date             = 2011 census
| ref              = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/10191/download/13303/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-0000.XLSX
|title=C-16 POPULATION BY MOTHER TONGUE|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|website=www.censusindia.gov.in|access-date=11 July 2024}}</ref>
| familycolor      = Austroasiatic
| fam2             = [[Munda languages|Munda]]
| fam3             = North
| fam4             = [[Kherwarian languages|Kherwarian]]
| fam5             = Mundaric
| script           = [[Warang Chiti]], [[Devanagari]], [[Bengali–Assamese script|Bengali–Assamese]], [[Latin script]], [[Odia script]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scriptsource.org/cms/scripts/page.php?item_id=language_detail&key=hoc |title=Scripts of Ho |publisher=Scriptsource.org |date= |access-date=2021-08-26}}</ref>
| nation           = {{flag|India}}
* [[Jharkhand]]
| iso3             = hoc
| notice           = IPA
| glotto           = hooo1248
| glottorefname    = Ho
| imagecaption     = 'Hoo Jagar' written in [[Warang Chiti|Warang Chiti]]
| map              = Ho language distribution map.svg
| mapcaption       = {{align|center|Ho language speaking region}}
| map2             = Lang Status 80-VU.svg
| mapcaption2      = {{center|{{small|Ho is classified as Vulnerable by the [[UNESCO]] ''[[Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger]]''}}<ref>{{Cite UNESCO Atlas|pages=46–47}}</ref>}}
}}
{{Contains special characters|Warang Chiti}}
'''Ho''' ({{IPA|hoc|hoː dʑägär}}, [[Warang Chiti]]: {{lang|hoc|𑢹𑣉𑣉 𑣎𑣋𑣜}}{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}) is a [[Munda language]] of the [[Austroasiatic languages|Austroasiatic]] language family spoken primarily in [[India]] by about 2.2&nbsp;million people (0.202% of India's population) per the 2001 census. It is spoken by the [[Ho people|Ho]], Munda, Kolha and Kol tribal communities of [[Jharkhand]], [[Odisha]], [[West Bengal]] and [[Assam]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.orissapost.com/tribals-seek-official-tag-for-ho-(𑢹𑣉𑣉)-language/|title=Tribals seek official tag for Ho (𑢹𑣉𑣉) language - OrissaPOST|date=27 October 2018|access-date=16 December 2019}}</ref> and is written using [[Warang Chiti]] script. [[Devanagari]], [[Latin]] and [[Odia script]] are also used,<ref name=swarthmore>{{cite web|title=The Warang Chiti Alphabet|url=http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/langhotspots/Ho/alphabet.html|website=Swarthmore.edu|access-date=19 March 2015}}</ref> although native speakers are said to prefer Warang Chiti, invented by [[Lako Bodra]].<ref name=harrison>{{cite web |author=K David Harrison |author2=Gregory Anderson |title=Review of Proposal for Encoding Warang Chiti (Hoorthography) in Unicode|url=http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/langhotspots/Ho/alphabet/Ho_Unicode_review.pdf|access-date=19 March 2015}}</ref>

The name Ho is derived from the native word ''hoo'' meaning ''human being,<ref name="livingtongues">{{cite web |title=Ho (𑢹𑣉𑣉) Web Sketch:Ho (𑢹𑣉𑣉) writing |url=http://www.livingtongues.org/pdf/Ho%20Web%20Sketch.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317100405/http://livingtongues.org/pdf/Ho%20Web%20Sketch.pdf |archive-date=17 March 2016 |access-date=19 March 2015 |website=Livingtongues.org}}</ref>'' with cognates in its sister languages ''hoṛo'' in Mundari, ''ho̠ṛ'' in Santali and ''koro'' in [[Korku language|Korku]].

Ho is closely related to [[Mundari language|Mundari]] and [[Santali language|Santali]]. Ho and Mundari are often described as sister languages.<ref name=livingtongues/><ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Anderson|editor-first1=Gregory S.|title=The Munda languages|date=2008|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=978-0-415-32890-6|edition=1. publ.}}</ref> Ho is closer to the Hasadaḱ dialect of Mundari than the other varieties spoken in Jharkhand.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Hoffmann |first=John |title=Encyclopaedia Mundarica |publisher=Superintendent, Government Printing, Bihar and Orissa |year=1932 |location=Patna |pages=1763}}</ref> While being ethnically and linguistically close, Ho and Mundari speakers form distinct regional identities.