Maithili — the language of Mithila

Where it is spoken — north Bihar between the Gandak and the Kosi: Darbhanga, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Samastipur, Saharsa, Supaul, Madhepura and neighbouring districts, and across the border in Nepal's Terai around Janakpur. In Nepal it is the second most spoken language after Nepali.

Its scripts

Its status

The trap: Maithili entered the Eighth Schedule only in 2003 (92nd Amendment) — though the Sahitya Akademi had recognised it as a literary language almost forty years earlier, in 1965.

Nouns, number and the case-markers

Number — the plural is usually made with a following word rather than an ending:

• ›सभ — नेना सभ ('children'), गाछ सभ ('trees')
• ›लोकनि — the respectful plural for people: गुरु लोकनि ('the teachers'), विद्वान लोकनि

Case-markers (परसर्ग) — Maithili adds them after the noun, like Hindi, but most of them are its own:

The genitive is the giveaway — where Hindi says राम की किताब, changing का/की/के with the following noun, Maithili says रामक पोथी with a single unchanging -क joined to the noun: रामक भाइ, रामक बहिन, रामक घर.

The trap: the Maithili genitive -क does not change with the gender of the thing owned — रामक भाइ and रामक बहिन alike — unlike Hindi's का/की/के.

Pronouns — and the grades of respect

Maithili builds respect into its pronouns, and the verb must follow.

Questions — the common question words:

'अहाँक नाम की अछि?' — What is your name? · 'अहाँ कतय जाइत छी?' — Where are you going?

The trap: ओ means both 'he' and 'she' — Maithili does not mark the gender of a third person in the pronoun; respect, not gender, is what changes the verb.

Verbs — the three tenses

The verb 'to be' — अछि (is), with respect forms: हम छी, अहाँ छी, ओ छथि (respectful) / ओ अछि (plain); past छल / छलाह.

Present (जाएब, 'to go')

Past — हम गेलहुँ (I went) · अहाँ गेलहुँ · ओ गेलाह (respectful) · ओ गेल (plain)

Future — हम जाएब (I will go) · अहाँ जाएब · ओ जेताह (respectful) · ओ जाएत (plain)

What changes the verb — the person and the grade of respect, not the gender: a man and a woman both 'जाइत छथि'. Maithili verbs are known for this, and at a higher level also for agreeing with the person spoken to or about.

The trap: in Maithili, 'ओ जाइत छथि' serves for a respected man and a respected woman alike — the verb carries respect, not gender, which is the opposite of Hindi's जाता है / जाती है.

Points to Remember

• ›Maithili — north Bihar between Gandak and Kosi; Darbhanga, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Samastipur, Saharsa; Nepal's Terai (Janakpur), Nepal's second language
• ›scripts — Tirhuta / Mithilākṣar (Unicode 2014), Devanagari, Kaithi
• ›Sahitya Akademi — 1965 · Eighth Schedule — 2003, 92nd Amendment (with Bodo, Dogri, Santhali)
• ›plural — सभ; respectful plural — लोकनि
• ›case-markers — केँ (to), सँ (by, from), -क / केर (of), मे (in), पर (on)
• ›रामक पोथी — genitive -क never changes for gender
• ›pronouns — हम; तोँ (intimate), अहाँ (polite), अपने (most respectful); ओ — he and she
• ›question words — की, के, कतय, कखन, किएक, कोना
• ›'to be' — अछि; छी, छथि, छल
• ›present — जाइत छी / छथि / अछि · past — गेलहुँ / गेलाह / गेल · future — जाएब / जेताह / जाएत
• ›Exam tip: when a Maithili verb form is asked, first decide the person and the grade of respect — gender will not decide it