09-02-449

449

KKARI.

　The Kkars are Pahn immigrants from Afghanistan who are found scattered over Northern India and the Bombay Deccan. At the Census of 1891 the following numbers of Kkars were returned:-

　It appears, however, that only in Bombay have these people (122 in number) a language of their own, called Kkar. It is used by Kkars only as a home language. In their intercourse with people of other castes they employ ordinary Dakhi Hindstn. Kkars belong to the Kkarzh tribe of Afghans, and their forefathers are said to have come from Afghanistan with Amad h Durrn about 1748. On his return from India, after having conquered the Marhs at the battle of Panipat in 1761, these Kkars remained in the country leading the life of cutlaws, and, after rambling through the provinces of Agra and Gujarat, they found their way to aidar 'Al of Mysore. Thence they spread over the Deccan, where they now earn a living as servants, messen- gers, and horse-keepers.

　Their speech is a mixed jargon, but is mainly based on Gujart. I give a version of the Parable of the Prodigal Son into Kkar which comes from Belgaum. It well illustrates the mixed character of the language, as well as its Gujart basis. The Gujart on which it is founded is that of North Gujarat, and is mixed with Rjasthn. Among special peculiarities we may mention,-

　The tendency (also existing in Rjasthn) to weaken a final e to a short a. Thus the Gujart ham, we, becomes hama; the Rjasthn dative suffix k, becomes ka (this is the usual suffix of the dative); the Gujart suffix n of the conjunctive parti- ciple becomes na.

　There is a tendency to disaspirate (also common in Northern Gujart). Thus, chh, is, becomes ch or cha, and we have uisna for uhisn, having arisen.

　Strong masculine nouns with a-bases form the nominative singular in , with an oblique form in . Thus, b, a son; plual, b. The suffix of the genitive is the Gujart n. That of the dative is the Rjasthn ka (for k). The agent case does not seem to be used.

　The word for 'two' is d, as in Labhn.

　The present tense of the verb substantive is chh or ch (cha), he is. Thus, miacha for ma-chhe, it is got. The past is hat or t as in Northern Gujart.

　 There are some curious forms of the finite verb in the specimen. Such are karind, he did: a doubled tt in the present participle as in watt, in going. The conjunctive participle ends in sna, sn, or isn. Thus, jaysna, having gone; bharsna, having filled; wsn, having divided; utisna or uisna, having arisen. This form is probably borrowed from Dravidian languages. So also the ir in marircha, (I) am dying. Compare Tamil iru, be.

VOL. IX, PART II.

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