Editing Maithili language (section)

==Classification==
In 1870s, [[John Beames|Beames]] considered Maithili a dialect of a [[Bengali language|Bengali]]. [[Rudolf Hoernlé|Hoernlé]] initially treated it as a dialect of [[Eastern Hindi]], but after comparing it with the [[Gauḍa (region)|Gaudian]] languages, recognised that it shows more similarities with the [[Bengali language]] than with [[Hindi]]. [[George Abraham Grierson|Grierson]] recognised it as a distinct language, grouped under '[[Bihari languages|Bihari]]' and published its first [[grammar]] in 1881.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yadav |first1=Ramawatar |title=A Reference Grammar of Maithili |date=1996 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-014558-8 |pages=1–5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G6k03mvHoBwC&pg=PA1 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Yadav1979">{{Cite book |last=Yadav |first=R. |title=Maithili Phonetics and Phonology |publisher=Doctoral Dissertation, University of Kansas, Lawrence |year=1979 |chapter=Maithili language and Linguistics: Some Background Notes |access-date=9 May 2012 |chapter-url=http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/kailash/pdf/kailash_08_0102_04.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517085054/http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/kailash/pdf/kailash_08_0102_04.pdf |archive-date=17 May 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Suniti Kumar Chatterji|Chatterji]] grouped Maithili with the [[Magadhi Prakrit]].<ref>Chatterji, S. K. (1926). The origin and development of the Bengali language. University Press, Calcutta.</ref>

=== Dialects ===
Maithili varies greatly in dialects.<ref>Brass, P. R. (2005). Language, Religion, and Politics in North India. iUniverse, Lincoln, NE.</ref>

* The standard form of Maithili is Sotipura also called Central Maithili<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yadav |first=R. |year=1992 |title=The Use of the Mother Tongue in Primary Education: The Nepalese Context |journal=Contributions to Nepalese Studies |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=178–190|url=http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/contributions/pdf/CNAS_19_02_02.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410144313/http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/contributions/pdf/CNAS_19_02_02.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2016 |access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref> which is mainly spoken in [[Darbhanga district|Darbhanga]], [[Madhubani District|Madhubani]], [[Supaul District|Supaul]], [[Madhepura district|Madhepura]], [[Purnia district|Purnia]], [[Samastipur district|Samastipur]], [[Araria district|Araria]] and [[Saharsa district|Saharsa]] districts of [[India]] and in [[Nepal]] it is spoken in [[Dhanusha District|Dhanusha]], [[Mahottari District|Mahottari]], [[Siraha District|Siraha]],  [[Saptari District|Saptari]], [[Sarlahi District|Sarlahi]] and [[Sunsari District|Sunsari]], and [[Morang District|Morang]] districts.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Choudhary, P.K. |year=2013 |title=Causes and Effects of Super-stratum Language Influence, with Reference to Maithili |journal=Journal of Indo-European Studies |volume=41 |issue=3/4 |pages= 378–391}}</ref>
* [[Bajjika]] dialect also known as Western Maithili <ref>{{Cite web |title=''Bajjika'' a major dialect of Maithili Language. |url=http://lisindia.ciil.org/Maithili/Maith_vari.html }}</ref> is mainly spoken in [[Sitamarhi district|Sitamarhi]], [[Muzaffarpur district|Muzaffarpur]], [[Vaishali district|Vaishali]] and [[Sheohar district|Sheohar]] districts of [[Bihar|Bihar, India]] & [[Rautahat District|Rautahat]], and [[Sarlahi District|Sarlahi]] districts of [[Nepal]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nepal Language census 2021 |url=https://censusnepal.cbs.gov.np/results/files/result-folder/Caste%20Ethnicity_report_NPHC_2021.pdf }}</ref> It is listed as a distinct language in Nepal and overlaps by 76–86% with Maithili dialects spoken in Dhanusa, [[Morang District|Morang]], Saptari and Sarlahi Districts.<ref name="ethnologue2">{{Cite web |year=2018 |editor-last=Simons, G. F. |editor2-last=Fennig, C. D. |title=Maithili. Ethnologue: Languages of the World |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mai |access-date=7 December 2018 |publisher=SIL International |location=Dallas}}</ref>
* [[Thēthi]] dialect is spoken mainly in [[Kosi division|Kosi]], [[Purnia division|Purnia]] and [[Munger division]]s and [[Mokama]] in Bihar and some adjoining districts of Nepal.<ref>Ray, K. K. (2009). Reduplication in Thenthi Dialect of Maithili Language. Nepalese Linguistics 24: 285–290.</ref>
* [[Angika]] dialect is mainly spoken in and around [[Bhagalpur]], [[Banka, Bihar|Banka]],<ref name="Language">{{Cite book |date=2011 |title=Census of India |chapter=Population By Mother Tongue |publisher= |chapter-url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16.html}}</ref>  [[Munger]]<ref>{{cite web |title=language {{!}} Munger District, Government of Bihar {{!}} India |url=https://munger.nic.in/language/ |website=Munger |access-date=12 March 2022}}</ref> districts of [[Bihar]] and [[Godda district|Godda]], [[Sahebganj district|Sahebganj]], [[Dumka district|Dumka]], districts of [[Jharkhand]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Languages spoken in Jharkhand, census 2011** |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/10207}}</ref>
* Several other dialects of Maithili are spoken in India and Nepal, including Dehati, Deshi, Kisan, Bantar, Barmeli, Musar, Tati and Jolaha. All the dialects are intelligible to native Maithili speakers.<ref name="e27" />