Syntactic Convergence: Marathi and Dravidian

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine some syntactic structures in Marathi and show that they share the pattern of the Dravidian syntactic constructions, which are absent in other Indo-Aryan languages, such as Hindi. The paper claims that Marathi syntactic structures, which look like Dravidian, did not result from simple borrowing, but they are a case of conversion. Furthermore, they provide support to the claim that Marathi developed as quasi-Creole from pidginized Prakrit. Both Pidgin and Creole are trade languages. Such a linguistic development would not have been possible without the trade interaction between the two language groups, Maharashtrians (Aryans) and Dravidians. The development of Marathi as quasi Creole indicates the fact that contacts between the two groups, Aryans and Dravidians, occurred at the deeper levels of languages and cultures.